Autumn 21 music thread

Thanks so much londonmummy- that sounds fab. She’s the lady who auditioned dd2 (can see from the email feedback) so hopefully she saw something- dd2 has only just started singing lessons and picked a really random song (burn from Hamilton at 12!) so I was surprised she was accepted. Sounds like it will be good for her though

@minisnowballs - I don't know the choir personally but I know Jo Tomlinson well - she is absolutely amazing and anything she runs will be huge fun whilst your daughter will also be imbibing a lot of good stuff on singing technique without even noticing it.

DD2 has quite a few friends who are in it (or have been in it and now progressed to the main choir) and they all speak very highly of it.

When dd applied for postgrad RWCMD was really quick to offer her a recall (1st rounds were all recorded last year) RCS lost her application and RAM took an eternity.

Does anyone know anything about the National Youth Choir. DD2 (12) auditioned on a bit of a whim and has been offered a place in the Girls' choir. She loves residentials which seems to be the draw of it, but I wondered if it was any good?

That makes sense. Seems like those two are always the earliest then. I think he’s got some sort of online lesson with rwcmd too. He tells me little 🤣

@Siriusmuggle - its a bit early still to worry about having heard I think. DD heard from RBC very quickly - both in terms of being asked for interview and being offered a place after that. RCM took much longer (I imagine they have more international applicant to sift through) to hear about interview but DD was then offered a place during the interview which meant that the process wasn't as slow as it initially seemed. I know from her school friends that RAM was a day or two after RCM but that Cardiff got on with it even earlier than RBC.

Hope that helps a bit

He only started playing keyboard 3 and half years ago so is not at conservatoire standard. He's roughly playing somewhere between Grade 6/7 standard. (his sight reading is fantastic but he really needs to work on perfecting his pieces which is the opposite to many!).

Leeds offer a Foundation Year for those who are not yet at Grade 8 standard.

No overlap then:
6 are RWCMD, RNCM, RBC, RCM, RAM, Trinity.

Ah OK. I'll carry on fretting then. Child is v chilled about it.

The shortlist of 7 are, in no particular order

Leeds Conservatoire
LIPA
Salford
Huddersfield
LCCM
BIMM
Nottingham Trent (Confetti Institute)

It's a mixture of both but the conservatoire courses are Popular Music so the early deadline doesn't apply.

@Comefromaway is that for Uni or Conservatoire? Mine has applied to 6 Conservatoires but so far only has two interviews, heard nothing from the preferred option so far.

So ds has his first in front of an audience concert at college tonight (last year was all recorded and the video quality was not great).

He's also working on audition pieces (why does everywhere have such different requirements!!) he now needs to get 7 UCAS choices down to 5.

Digital exam help needed! have just recorded DS's grade 4 cello exam (Trinity digital). it was his first take/attempt.

He played the 3 pieces brilliantly, no mistakes and all the right bells and whistles - but royally fluffed the scales at the end. i think it was nerves that undid him, he has never been good with scales and his hands were visibly shaking. he just about made it through with several wrong notes, corrections and re-starts. he is refusing to re-record the exam.

i don't know whether to make him do it again - am sure he could be bribed - but feel bad given he's adamant he's done enough to pass, which he most likely has given the weight of marks. but i hate the idea of submitting something where i know (with some more preparation_) he "could" do better. although always a risk that he improves the scales but fluffs something else up. argh, recorded exams are so tricky, we both hate the pressure. any thoughts? he is 8 btw.

I've only had experience of ABRSM exams - Trinity lists a number of adjustments on its website and tells you to email them if you want one that is not on its list so that might be worth a try? It seems that the British Dyslexia Association had discussions with the exam boards jointly so might be worth mentioning their document to Trinity if you do contact them as it has a number of adjustments for scales

www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=trinity+music+reasonable+adjustment

Ah, I was referring to ABRSM. I have had a quick look at the Trinity website and I couldn’t see anything about taking the scales book into the exam room. May be worth asking them - only if it would help your DC of course?

Thanks all! The exam is with Trinity and we've submitted the request for extra time. Looking at the assessment criteria they all mention confident speedy responses for the higher marks in scales and aural, which is depressing. I'll look more closely at the regs but I'm not sure if they let you look at the scale book. I think it would help some. I assumed her teacher had put her in for Trinity so she could do the technical exercises. I didn't realise this wasn't happening until too late.

I have created a very visual colourful chart with the sharps and flats in a different colour hoping that will help her. Unfortunately she still struggles to remember the note names. She is fine reading music (mostly) as she just associates it to the fingerings.

We pick a few scales to focus on each time or just one if it is a challenging one, then revise them the next day. I keep saying to her "don't start playing until you know what you are doing. What's the key signature? think about any weird fingerings." But she just goes ahead and plays adjusting until she gets a major or minor or whatever. I have said to her to play very very slowly initially to get the muscle memory in place. I am having to stay very very calm!

I'm going to switch our focus to pieces this week. Her pieces are lovely but need a good polish! We had a chat last night about good enough being good enough for the scales. She also has a dance exam the same weekend as clarinet, so am trying not to add too much pressure. I think she is doing okay stress-wise, but I'm feeling it!

Thanks again!

@ilovesushi - I have a few pupils with dyslexia and the reasonable adjustments mean they can take the scales book into the exam. Would that help? I know it doesn’t help everyone.

@ilovesushi look at the AB advice for SEN

gb.abrsm.org/en/exam-booking/specific-needs/candidates-with-specific-learning-difficulties-including-dyslexia-and-dyspraxia/

It may be too late for this exam as I think the adjustments need to be requested at the time of the exam. Aksi whilst examiners are familiar with the extra time for sightreading they are less familiar with the regulations for other things. We had this with DD who stuggled with cello scales and we ended up putting a complaint in when her Grade 6 examiner said her response wasn't immediate - pointed out that it didn't have to be - it lost her a distinction as he marked her down heavily. After that we always sent in a letter alongside the evidence with the entry (as the regulations say this is provided to the examiner with the mark sheet) quoting all the adjustments available and got her to take a copy in with her to hand to the examiner to make sure they had the full information.

Apologies if I'm butting in mid conversation, but just wanted to ask some exam advice. DD is taking her grade 4 woodwind exam in a few weeks time but is struggling hugely to remember her scales. She has dyslexia so is terrible at remembering sequences. She is putting in lots of practice but she can't seem to remember them from one day to the next. All her focus is on getting the scales up to scratch, so her pieces are being neglected. Just in a bit of a quandary about how to help her structure practices and how to best spend the time. Ahh! Help!

@QueenMabby, have a look at the Ratt Jazz stand. It’s not /light/ light, but is not too bad and it folds flat. Might be a good compromise.

@Glwysen
I just saw your post.
My daughter did her grade 2 (piano) in year 3. Then due to Covid her next grade exams were pushed back or cancelled. We ended up near the end of year 5 still on grade 2. Finally her teacher signed her up to do grade 7. It was a push and she only had 3 months to prepare but she passed successfully with a distinction. Don't be worried, the exams are similar in structure, it's just the level that changes.

I find all those things hard in a single stand I'm afraid. We have a tiger one with the metal solid music rest that doesn't fold for home use - it's good, really robust, doesn't tip over when the kids put all the music on it at once etc.

For orchestra though we have gone for the portable versions. Again I think one of them is tiger and I went for as light as possible and accepted that they won't last forever, but they are more portable!