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Status: Music (2025 - March)

(Text as at 07/04/2025 00:15:50)

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Rationale for this Project


Summary of Progress during January - March 2025
  1. I spent 108.25 hours in 25Q1 on this Project, or related work (196.75 hours YTD, where for "YTD" - Year to Date - I mean the (academic) year that commenced in October 2024). That's 118.6% of the planned effort (107.8% YTD). Overall, 13.5% of my Project effort in the Quarter was directed towards this project (making 12.7% YTD) - as against 11.3% planned (11.3% YTD).
  2. I scheduled 7 hours / week on this project in 25Q1, and exceeded this by about 20% with time mostly well-spent. However, about 50% of my time was spent on ‘useful’ admin: mostly organising the Enigma Ensemble, but some using MuseScore.
  3. I’m becoming quite expert on MuseScore, which is needed both for the Enigma Ensemble and to help out with the more difficult practice pieces for Grades VII & VIII, both so I can hear what they are supposed to sound like at the required speed and to provide an accompaniment. I’ve also used it to help out Julie’s singing group (‘Offshoots’).
  4. I continued practising my part for the Bach Organ Sonata for our Ensemble. It’s rather difficult but I can play it virtually without a stumble at the somewhat sluggish pace of 20bpm – making it a largo rather than an andante. We’ve played it at the Ensemble, and it worked out quite well.
  5. Of late it’s been superseded by a Bach Sonatina and an aria from Handel’s Giullio Cesare (which is a right ‘banger’). The latter took a lot of arranging using MuseScore, but has gone down really well at the Ensemble.
  6. While I’ve been focusing on Grade VII oboe, I have started to look at Grade VIII. However, of late I’ve not focused on this.
  7. I now practice almost every day. While this is often for only 15 minutes, which just about keeps things ticking over, it has been increasingly for 30 minutes which is building up stamina and making playing more enjoyable. I need to keep in shape as an oboist, though I’m probably more in shape than the other members of the Ensemble,
  8. However, yet again, somewhat less than a third of the time recorded against this project was spent actually playing the oboe. This is not good enough. I really need to be practising for 30 minutes every day and occasionally longer.
  9. That said, time organising the Enigma Ensemble is well spent. We’re much better organised and time is much better spent than under our previous Director. My efforts seem to be appreciated.
  10. I’ve continued using the rather irritating Earmaster Pro – which I’ve added to my ‘Daily Tasks’ list in the hope of using it regularly. But I just don’t find the time to take it seriously.
  11. I came across "Sutton (Christopher) - Musicality: How you too can learn music like a gifted prodigy, unlock your musical instinct, and unleash your inner natural", which looks useful and exciting. I have it on my Kindle and read it regularly in the early part of the quarter. There’s a very long motivational introduction – basically claiming that anyone can learn musicality with a bit of education and practice – and then it moves on to the real stuff. I found this needed some practical application, so I’ve stopped reading further until I can get my Earmaster Pro back in shape. I think the book promises too much. I dare say most people can learn to play by ear with practice – but the amount of practice required depends hugely on natural aptitudes. It also seems to be a long advertisement for the courses linked to the book.
  12. I was persuaded to buy a Tenor Recorder with the intention of joining a recorder quartet with other members of the Enigma Ensemble. I was enthusiastic for a couple of weeks and can play some simple stuff. However, the Tenor recorder is quite a large instrument (about the size of an oboe, but fatter) and it’s difficult to stretch your fingers to exactly cover the holes as there are no keys (this improves over time) and the lower notes squeak when spit collects!
  13. Sadly, the piano just can’t get a look in. I’ve retained it on my ‘Daily Tasks’ list, but now with only 5 minutes planned / day! I intend to give it another go.
  14. I record and report time spent practicing individual pieces on my oboe: here2.
  15. Further details follow:-
    Music (Total Hours = 108.25)
    1. Music - Administration (Total Hours = 54.5)
      • 24Q4 Status Reports: Music (1.25 hours)
      • Conversation with Dave T (1.75 hours)
      • Enigma Ensemble - Admin (23.75 hours)
      • Enigma Ensemble - Admin - Boom Box + RW CDs (3.25 hours)
      • Enigma Ensemble: Travel, Lunch, Interaction (6.5 hours)
      • Interaction - Discussions - Offshoots Meal (2 hours)
        → See "Admin - Music - Administration" (38.5 hours)
      • MuseScore - Bach - Cantata BWV 35 - Sinfonias 1 & 2 (0.25 hours)
      • MuseScore - Bach - Minuet - 2nd Clarinet part (1 hour)
      • MuseScore - Bach - Organ Sonata - Andante (2.5 hours)
      • MuseScore - Bach - Sonatina (1 hour)
      • MuseScore - Bach - Sonatina - Duet Version (1 hour)
      • MuseScore - Faure - Pavane (0.25 hours)
      • MuseScore - Gabriel's Oboe (Convert to Oboe+Violin) (0.75 hours)
      • MuseScore - Handel - Giullio Cesare (7.25 hours)
      • MuseScore - Handel - O Ruddier than the Cherry (0.5 hours)
      • MuseScore - Volante - 'Billericay' (0.5 hours)
        → See "Todman (Theo) - Music Score OCR & Editing Software - Selection & Use" (15 hours)
      • Music Copying / Filing - Offshoots (1 hour)
        → See "Admin - Music - Administration" (1 hour)
    2. Music - Aural (Total Hours = 14.75)
    3. Music - Oboe (Total Hours = 30.75)
    4. Music - Recorder
    5. Music - Theory (Total Hours = 1)
Plans for the Near Future
Progress to Date

The lists of items performed is cumulative, so I’ve hived off the history to a separate document10, which needs a minor update.



In-Page Footnotes:

Footnote 4: Footnote 5: Footnote 6: Footnote 7: Footnote 8: Footnote 9: Ie. The following:-


Table of the Previous 12 Versions of this Note: (of 79)

Date Length Title
01/02/2025 00:28:48 12431 Status: Music (2024 - December)
10/10/2024 00:47:31 11174 Status: Music (2024 - September)
11/07/2024 23:08:10 10666 Status: Music (2024 - June)
15/04/2024 00:34:34 10124 Status: Music (2024 - March)
01/04/2024 20:08:10 13162 Status: Music (2023 - December)
04/10/2023 21:59:02 8622 Status: Music (2023 - September)
06/07/2023 00:43:12 11064 Status: Music (2023 - June)
30/04/2023 01:06:14 10535 Status: Music (2023 - March)
10/01/2023 23:35:31 12846 Status: Music (2022 - December)
10/10/2022 22:32:10 11803 Status: Music (2022 - September)
03/07/2022 01:29:17 10307 Status: Music (2022 - June)
11/04/2022 00:01:26 10516 Status: Music (2022 - March)



Note last updated Reference for this Topic Parent Topic
07/04/2025 00:15:50 812 (Status: Music (2025 - March)) Status: Summary (2025 - March)


Summary of Notes Referenced by This Note

Status: Oboe Practice (2025 - June) Theo Todman's Music Page      

To access information, click on one of the links in the table above.




Summary of Notes Citing This Note

Aeon Papers - Summary Document: 2017-2018 Status: Oboe Practice (2025 - June) Status: Priority Task List (2025 - May) Status: Summary (2025 - March), 2 Status: Summary Task List (2025: April - June)
Status: Summary Task List (YTD: 24Q4 - 25Q2) Theo Todman's Music Page, 2 Website Generator Documentation - Functors, 2, 3, 4    

To access information, click on one of the links in the table above.




Text Colour Conventions

  1. Blue: Text by me; © Theo Todman, 2025




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