August Music Thread

Hello all, we are back from 3 weeks in France. DS had fun and practiced every day! Intended theory 'blitz' has been more like pulling teeth though. Less than a week to go now before he starts at specialist music school - it's come around too quickly. If we keep ignoring it, it may not happen. I'm going to miss him terribly - well, as much as anyone could miss a 13 year old.

We had to do 5 'basics' (Maths, 2x English, French and RE), 2 or 3 sciences, then a couple of others - usually a humanity + 1 other, but the choice was, I agree, much more restricted than it is now! Basically history / geography / another language / art / home economics (girls' school!) Lots of taking things early and adding more of the same on, so I have more French (A/O) and more Maths (Additional Maths) too. There was a huge and thriving music department with multiple orchestras and choirs and endless practice rooms, but I don't remember music as an academic subject at all - maybe because it just wasn't on my radar.

DC's school combine the minimum 'legally required' RE content / hours with PSHCE and everyone is taught it - just like everyone does PE.

The GCSE RE course is popular - so popular that it brings their EBacc results down, as it doesn't count as an EBacc humanities subject - but not compulsory.

'Broad education' with plenty of choice and a minimum of prescription (though the option blocks are quite carefully crafted, they aren't too blatantly so: yes, one block is mainly languages, but there are several non-language options in the same block, for example) is, I suppose, their 'thing', and certainly where they have made 'less common' choices - e.g. maintaining AS levels - it has been in keeping with this core approach.

DS1 is moving to a 6th form that still does AS levels. It's a much better system for him. He can either take 4 to AS and drop one at the end of Y12 or take 3 for AS and A level. At the moment he wants to try 4.

Can'tkeep that sounds good . Ds is pleased that he doesn't have to do art or dt anymore but I'm sad that he's had to give up French already ( because he wanted to do RS and drama ). His school don't have option blocks they just rank their subjects in order of preference and most get what they want ( I have no idea how that works it sounds like a timetabling nightmare !!)

DC's school does 10. They start the curriculum for the 'core' subjects (Maths, English, Science) in Y9 - though not always at the start of Y9. while keeping a full broad curriculum for the rest of the year (2 languages for the vast majority [some SEN pupils do a single language and have the extra time in 1:1 / small group work on other subjects], all 3 DT subjects for a 'term sized' block each, all the creative subjects, all the humanities etc).

Then they choose 5 options at the end of Y9 and do those for Y10 and 11.

Choose 4 A-level subjects, do ASs after a year, most drop to 3.

I really, really like it because it keeps options open and offers a wide experience of education for so much longer. The second language is only started in Y8, so they have a full 2 years of it before having to choose whether to continue. All pupils, of all aptitudes, do art, music, cooking, textiles, drama - so DS can sew, both can cook, DD can read music.

Also, perception and enjoyment of particular subjects can be really affected by that additional year's experience of it. A particular period of history, or the balance between human and physical geography, or just cumulative knowledge (DD hated her second language for a year, then really got into it in Y9 because she had the basics and could really start to manipulate it).

An aspect of the new GCSEs really dislike is the increasing move to select GCSE options in Y9 'because there is so much to cover'. It seems to me to be terribly sad that we restrict children's educational so early.

(The 4 to 3 A-level thing is great too - DS is not continuing with the 3 he would have chosen at the start of Y12. One of his 'fist choices' would clearly, a long hard year later, have been a total disaster had he been forced t take it right through to Y13. Having the 4th subject ready and waiting instead has been brilliant.)

Raspberry DS had the same, the lesson changed each term between music, art and drama.

DS enjoyed GCSE music, the syllabus would have changed since he did it but what was good for him was the exposure to a wider range of genres and the listening element.

School here was rather naughty or uninformed and the option blocks initially offered didn't allow the parental choice that is set out in the National Curriculum. Children at state schools (England, I don't know about the other areas) have to be offered at least one course in each of four groups of subjects:

Arts (including art and design, music, dance, drama and media arts
Design and Technology
Humanities (history and geography)
Modern Foreign Languages

"Entitlement areas" is the search term for anyone wanting to look at this. By the time school had finished making RS and DT compulsory it was not possible to take music and a language. At least one parent read up on the National Curriculum, got busy with a highlighter and pointed out the school's responsibilities. They reissued the options booklet three times that year until they got one that met their legal requirements (as checked by me).

I'm glad our school has kept art, music, drama and DT as individual subjects. My dcs aren't too keen on drama but loved the other three.
I think the school has too many subjects for GCSE. They have compulsory RE so for those doing triple science it works out at 11. Some people do additional maths on top. I've no problem with the RE classes, just the insistence on it being an exam subject as well.

I want them to narrow it a bit in years 10 and 11 as I think it's just too many exams with 11 subjects . Ds doesn't really care as long as he does music but he's really happy with his choices so it will be difficult if he had to give one up

Fingers crossed Trumpet, it didn't work out for DS unfortunately!

They changed it the year after to a Creative curriculum. You choose three options from a wide range including music, drama, art, DT, extra language, classic civ. So the only peole doing music in Y9 are those who actually want to do it

Tabby half a term of drama then half a term of music on rotation. And the way it fell he didn't get much music

Rasberry Ds is only going into year 9 but has already selected his GCSEs so we know these are the ones we think he will take though whether school now decide to narrow it further for years 10 and 11 given the new GCSEs we shall see

raspberry so they only one had music lesson and one drama a fortnight?

DD1 is also only doing music because of a timetable clash - her ideal combo was German, Spanish, Latin, and triple science, but the blocks shifted and suddenly all the languages were in two blocks so it wasn’t possible to do more than two. I think she’d have liked an extra option (so she could do German or PE) but it’s not worth moving schools over!!

The positive of doing some early GCSEs would be helping with variety of options. I think DD2 will likely not bother with an MFL in year 10/11 but by that point (like DD1) will have a French A level and 4 MFL GCSEs, so she’ll be able to do all the subjects she wants (looking at Latin, triple science, history and... art... gulp... plus dance out of school). But I definitely wouldn’t advocate doing a core subject early - there’s no point at all. May as well get the highest possible grade at the best time.

Curricular music didn't impact much in Y9, because it was a rotating block with drama. I complained they only spend 1 lesson a week on Creative arts, when he spend 1 lesson a week on Art and a double on DT, both of which he hated.

A word of caution about picking options too far ahead. Dcs school have changed things every year.

DD couldn't do her preferred options (which is why we ended up with Photography, nor could DS2. DS1 was able to chose his but wouldn't have been able to in subsequent years.

DS2 is doing science x 3, english x 2, maths and 4 options, geog, French, RE and Music. If hed been doing GCEs this year he would only have 3 options and I'm rather sorrry school expanded it again.

He wanted computer science, but it was the same block as Music. He opted for Comp sci, then wobbled and chose music.

I agree it's better to wait I think then at least if you don't get a top grade ( and that's what you're aiming for ) you won't be left wondering what if I'd waited . I agree that it's difficult to get top grades in music just like any other subject . For our Dc the performing part will be fine ( you don't gain extra difficulty marks for playing anything above grade 5 standard) but the other two parts will still take work . But Ds likes composition and has wide ranging music tastes so I think it will be enjoyable . Certainly he will still be working at his own level I imagine as the head of music has said he should aim for a top grade ( but I've told him not to set his heart in a grade and just to see what happens) music isn't set and he doesn't go to a selective school so like most of his subjects he will have to make sure he motivates himself to do well . Ds is also expected to do 3 sciences waffle - but he likes them so is keen . It's great he has kept a broad curriculum going into year 9 but I do think 11 subjects is too many exams in year 11

A thought on taking music GCSE early or out of school or somehow missing some lessons. Depends on the grade you are aiming for but it is not as easy as it seems even for people who perform to a high standard. I know lots of excellent performers who didn't get A. Getting A on the composition is not easy and requires lots of help for those who haven't done much composition before (most people) and the written paper has a lot of content and like most subjects a certain technique to learn to get high marks.

druid I think most schools only do 9 as a standard with the new GCSEs - triple science is often an option on its own. DS did 11 GCSEs in his year 11 (back in 2015) because he had up to 5 options on top of triple science + English x2 and maths, whereas at the same school DD1 has only been offered 4 options on top of double science + English x2 and maths. The new science GCSEs are meant to be a much heavier workload I believe...