January Music Thread

Thanks so much PW, will get on to that over this half-term week 😊

Yes send them an email first to arrange the advice audition- they are very friendly, and will give advice if they think their not ready- but sounds like he’s doing great.

Thanks for the encouragement Paulweller 😊

The advice auditions at Chet's sound like they could be a good place to start? Or, before that, send them an email?

Will search out the February thread!

Always worth trying- Chets has advice auditions all year round I believe. Not too late for 6th form.
There’s also a new February music thread x

Hi all, here we have DS(16) in Y11, a keen trumpet and cornet player, grade 8 working towards diploma, in several bands including concert band and youth brass band.

Friend has just got a place at Purcell and we're wondering if there's still time to apply to Purcell and/or Chetham's for sixth form.

Could be worth a try? Any advice and experience very welcome.

Waffle it's so busy here I'd forgotten it was Feb !! Looking forward to hearing your news

I know it's always so tricky - it was actually easiest when they were both really little and went to day nursery even though that didn't always seem easy at the time

Trumpetboysmum The A level timetable looks nothing like that for GCSE, DS has 4.5 hours per week per subject, one day he has a single lesson all day. another he's just there in the morning, a third he's just there in the afternoon.The saving grace is that college is very near my mother's so with a bit of planning I can visit there and drop off/pick up the child. It's not what I imagined before he went, I thought I was signing up for transport to/from the bus stop.

Hope you feel better soon Kutik . Ds's GCSE choices are also based around what fits with music !! And I may have got school to consider Ds Only ( sigh) doing 10 rather than 11 GCSEs so progress there. These silly school exams start today and he's not really very well but I'm sure he'll power through - though after revision and a piano lesson last night there was no time for trumpet practice ( the first time he has had a 'day off' in ages ) but school did agree that they wouldn't be doing the right thing by him if he felt that he had to sacrifice music to meet schools demands - so hopefully he won't feel that he has to do that too often . School are saying all the right things I just hope that Ds hears them !! His school ) currently anyway offers A level music) we would have a long and difficult journey to a local ( ish) 6 th form if they dropped it - here's hoping they don't as I would at some poisn't like to be able to look for jobs that don't have to fit around transporting dcs to school ( which I was hoping for once dd is 11!!)

It's at times like this that you appreciate being able to hire good instruments for £20 a term!

DD2's bassoon teacher has said that her hands are now big enough for a full sized bassoon. She will stay on the short reach one until she has done the local festival and then swap, which will allow time to get the replacement one serviced. Now time to think about buying one (gulp!). I will be talking to her school about the AIPS and whether we can order it through them and get the VAT off.

folk let's hope so. It will depend on nco and choir!

What's with all this double posting!?

Thanks Taggie!! Sounds like we'll be seeing you in Abingdon then..??😘

Thanks Taggie!! Sounds like we'll be seeing you in Abingdon then..??😘

Oh - so sorry to hear that kutik. You are very devoted to bring DS to his activities.
Well done Folk on getting the application in. I'm sure Noo will do very well.
Good luck to all on A-level and GCSE choices! I think it is awesome that there are options like law and music technology available. From the university point of view, what is important is prerequisite subjects, grades and enthusiasm. The danger of mixing and matching subjects (e.g. Maths, further maths and English) is that the student drops down in a subject because they have less practice in core skills than other applicants. But if this isn't likely to happen, then it is better to go with choices that are of greatest interest.

Nothing much going on here. DS2 has been off school for a couple of days with a heavy cold. He was still keen to practise though! For all my grumbling, the festival experience has really fired him up. He finds it inspiring to be amongst players of a similar/better standard and he now wants to enter as many festivals as possible because he enjoyed listening to the performances and the adjudication. I guess I am just being too much of a snowflake about the whole thing . The logistical challenges remain though...

I've been very ill since weekend. I couldn't take DS to football on Monday but it was a horrible weather so DS didn't mind. I took DS to swimming yesterday which was ok as it was 10 mins drive (so I didn't bother changing my pjs...). Today we had to take a bus for orchestra rehearsal. I put a long coat which covers underneath but totally forgot about the waiting time (usually in a lounge in the theater). Can't take my coat off...

4 weeks until we find out if our gamble has paid off and she gets a place in the school we want. Nobody tells you about all these stresses in antenatal classes!!!!

In other news, RWCMD application is in the post.... 😆

The availability of A level music was a rant of mine three years ago. The closest places are both 10 miles away, there is one other that was closer but they didn't offer english. I did not realise that at peak times it is an hour in the car to drop him off, I also didn't realise that public transport (rather than the college bus) would be £10 a day because he has to pay the full adult fare as we live two miles into the next county. I try not to think how much time I've put in driving to and from college. His college has an intake in excess of 700 a year, there are 4 students taking A2 this summer.

DipLCM is currently £190, I can't remember how much I paid but I do know that at the time the fee was less than the music. It has been worth the effort, having that twenty minutes of repertoire to fall back on has proved very useful for auditions and performances.

folkmama I know! It may be no one feels confident enough to teach it but it's a bit odd as there are definitely enough suitably musical students to take it. If we wanted the A level it would be doable for us, though, as there are several alternative sixth forms, whereas in a more spread-out area that could have been a real pain.

He'll have to start saving!
To be fair it's a level 4 qualification, so that may explain the cost. However, I'll expect a certificate printed on gold for that amount - if he actually passes it!

It's 250 pounds exam fee. Indecent

Thanks loose I thought Rockschool finished at g8. I'll check it out.

Unfortunately his current school has dropped the Music A level altogether now puts hands over eyes and groans in despair....

This is why we are facing the prospect of a 45 min journey to and from school every day and had to take the drastic action of moving Noo in Year 6 into a feeder primary school because we are out of catchment. Still, at least that's an option for us.