January Music Thread

stringchild - Your DD sounds like a very talented young lady. Good luck to her with JD auditions (and also festival).

onlymusic - How lucky! Very envious!

Does anyone have any experience of 4/4 violin purchase? I assume people usually prepare to pay quite a significant amount for a full size. I was wondering roughly how much I should prepare when the time comes. I guess it's personal plus some luck would also be there but if I could hear any rough indication/guideline from some of your experience?

Only - thats brilliant! i have heard of others getting some amusing instruments 'by accident'.

So for various too-complicated to explain reasons, DD has decided to audition for JDs RAM and RCM to test herself and them out; anyone else def going for one or both or others this time around?

Ooh only - that sounds like a lovely bargain! Well done.

As some of you may remember we bought a new 3/4 violin last weekend....(Maidstone, 100years+, £100 for violin+case+really good bow). Our teacher tested it today and made a lot of fuss about it - basically the summary is - we got a real bargain and violin is superb and we have to cancel our Gliga order if we can as it will be waste of money and no where close to match the one we got from ebay.
I still don't like its sound but if teacher says....
Funny story, isn't it?

Toy story 3 is designed to push all the buttons ...

Grown men have cried at the end of Toy Story 3, Alexandra! Well done to the Boy on a brilliant result!
Lots of great exam - and chorister - results all round. to all.

Congratulations all for the great exams results everybody (I won't nominate as I don't want to leave anybody out) and the boy's cup Alexandra.

Alexandra Toy Story 3 did it for me too, not helped by the fact DS1 was leaving the next day on his first solo foreign trip. He was only 12 so not college age but still. ...

And then it was on TV last September just as DS1 was actually leaving for uni!

alexandra

typo.....are very

Welcome paper, there's a bit of everything. Some a very generous, DS had two secondary school offers in London of 25% music + 50% academic. Another school I know offers 40% to one music scholar and 20% to 10% for the remaining scholars that year...

Paper - don't know about london, a few of our very selective schools go up to 50% (i know this to be true from our own experience); DD has a 25% one from her prep school. Some of the scholarships include a mentor programme, a special music program for scholars incl sat school, and free lessons (to be taken anywhere). Be aware some schools (big name boarding schools often) offer far more than they advertise but many schools put you under a strict confidentiality agreement. And yes we got approached to apply for more than we took - it does happen but you still at most need to pass the academic exams first at most. Playing level requirement has varied for us, but 'lowest' was g4 and highest min was g6, but all have taken letters from teachers in lieu of grades certificates. Not sure if all that helps - but DD has loved being a scholar (which has been quite a commitment). i think the level of competition is very variable - at some only 4 dc were auditioned, others 30! Those that offer less fee discounts, and often just free lessons, will offer a lot of scholarships each time around, which is very motivating of course and means they get good cohorts for ensembles etc,

www.nyo.org.uk/inspireday

Can I draw attention to this for anyone with DC 13 and over, and Grade 6+. Applications opened today on first come, first served for the next day in Widnes on March 19th. It's free.

DS2 thoroughly enjoyed his day last year and is doing the residential next month.

Besidethesea welcome to the club! So exciting.

Alexandra how exciting. Well done the Boy.

Well done to the DC with results, sorry I've lost track a bit!

Pressed send too soon!

Paperbattles - good luck to your DD

Besidethesea - fab news! Well done!

Hello Paperbattles.... Thank you for the kind words. % discount varies. No London schools offer 33% (to my knowledge!) for academic or music (Gen free lessons and fab tuition) but some schools allow you 'stack' scholarships so 10-15% each for academia/ music/drama/art/dance/sports etc. Hope that helps...

Hello All, new joiner for the music appreciation threads please. Am a bit of a lurker too, but numerous and lengthy music threads means I haven't read them fully. Sorry! but great info thank you. I have a dd aged 10 who loves music, and plays piano Gr5 dist and singing Gr 4 dist. She will try for a music scholarship next month (not near London), but from what I have seen standards vary - seemingly the more selective the school the higher the music standard ? @Wafflenose I have heard of a not-so selective school 11+ auditioning a girl with only Grade 3 merit singing. (I don't think she was awarded one) and a girl considering auditioning with Grade 2 piano and flute. I also know of a girl with singing Grade 5 merit (lovely strong musical theatre voice) with Grade 5 theory who is auditioning for a very selective girls school (near London), and has been encouraged to audition by the Head of Music at the selective.
@Pradaqueen Your daughter sounds fabulous, and a good role model for mine. We wish you lots of luck for super super selectives auditions. Very keen to hear more about them and what you are offered etc.
What I would be grateful to know is - which schools offer 33% off fees? Is it because London is so competitive? I haven't heard of any, it's just token honours available.
Thanks in advance, and looking forward to joining in.

Loving all the good news stories!

OMG. He has only gone and bloody done it! I am a Chorister mum (well, technically from September I will be a pre-probationer Chorister mum, but you know what I mean)

THANK YOU all so much. You have provided so much advice and support over the last year or so.

He doesn't even know yet! Woo Hoo

#mega proud mummy

Bebeside I knew I was forgetting someone. Congrats!

Loosing track gosh, well done for grades acme, wombat and double ! And whoever I'm forgetting. And for that cup Alexandra ! He must've done very well. Yes, cellist pulled out but I'm sure your tissues were useful to wipe out some proud tears, right?....

Prada best of luck with all the auditions.

Well done to those with results and cups - fab!
I had a word with DD and she was interested in giving a festival a try so I have posted the form and entered her for a couple of the solo woodwind classes. It sounds like good experience and the feedback will be useful too. We don't know all that many young musicians locally so it will be interesting to see what others are doing.

Sounds like another busy week to come Prada. Good luck with auditions.