Spring 23 music thread

What are her academic grades likely to be?

There is the Manchester degree course mentioned above, also Birmingham University has a great music department and shares teachers with Birmingham Conservatoire. (which is also very worth considering). Kings College London also have an agreement with RAM

A friend's son is very happy at Guildhall and chose it even though he was offered RAM. He did only apply for 3 places due to audition costs. If this is a consideration then Leeds Conservatoire don't charge audition fees. For classical it isn't quite the calibre of the others but still very good.

Huddersfield University has a world class reputation for music too, especially contemporary music and brass but it is often seen as cross between a conservatoire and a university.

Others to look at would be Nottingham, Sheffield, York, Southampton & Royal Holloway

@horseymum have a look at the joint course - Music degree at Manchester Uni and Performing at RNCM. It’s excellent and has many very successful alumni.

Kings College London also has a highly rated Music degree and students can have lessons at RAM, and Oxbridge obviously.

What instrument does your daughter play? I can help a little on conservatoires as I attended one and DH teaches at 3. The London ones are more prestigious (and so more difficult to get into) than the others on your list, and I’d query why Guildhall isn’t included as it’s on a par with RCM and RAM. The differences between those 3 are more nuanced and mainly come down to instrument/teacher preference - worth having consultation lessons at all if you can.

I'm very much not an expert in the next stage either. Dd will be completing applications for conservatoires by this time next year -if she still wants to go, which is a scary thought. So I'm asking for any advice on conservatoire applications. Also on the specific places recommended by her teacher to look at: Royal Welsh, RCS Glasgow, Royal Academy of Music and Royal College of Music, London.
Also any recommendations of places for a BA/ BMus that aren't conservatoire but would suit an ambitious player. Am aware a uni will have a very different focus, but want her to explore all the options as her teacher has his own ideas! Particularly interested to know about scholarships for the non Scottish ones as we'd have to pay fees to go outwith Scotland.

I'm not expert either, all I can say is at our JD ( in Scotland) trombone is very much rare so you would have a good chance. They are often looking for potential as well as current ability. The number of others playing the instrument probably has some bearing too. I would go for it and see how he enjoys it.
In fact, if you played tuba you would hauled off the street, I don't think they have any juniors as it always seems to be a senior who plays in concerts!

That was me with the suggestion- i know there are experts here!

Given it is trombone not trumpet (I have a dd who plays woodwind - one very competitive instrument and a rarer one and the levels to get into things are very different) he may well have a shot anywhere.

as I said on my other thread there are kids at that level at cym at 13 for sure and both lower and higher. The brass teachers there are good and the ensembles are fun and varied. And they will almost certainly take a late application. They aren’t always the most organised but the musical side is great, as is the teen social life.

cym is a broad church- it’s dealt with both my girls - one of whom is grade 6 at 16 and the other grade eight plus in two instruments at 14. If he wants to be a professional he may want to move at some point but it’s not a given.

i reckon try them all for spaces and late auditions (though actually perhaps not trinity so much as I don’t think it’s that different from cym unless you want the gcse music with it- and it is pricier).

And with cym it’s a term’s notice. nothing to stop him trying it out and then moving on next year or before if he then auditions into somewhere else and feels it would be more ‘prestigious’.

On the advice of another mumsnetter, I am reposting my question on this thread, as she tells me that this is the place with mums in the know!

My original post:

My son has recently said he'd like to apply to one of these junior departments. He is 13 and about Grade 6 level on the trombone.

I have no knowledge of any of them to be able to support him, so I'm hoping there are people here who might be able to give us a little advice and guidance.

Which of these do you think would be best for Brass and do you think he would have a shot considering his age and level?

We are in NW London, so the easiest to get to would be RAM.

Any other tips or comments would be really appreciated. I'm feeling very clueless!

Thank you in advance

(He now seems to be leaning towards CYM or RCM, but I'm not really sure what he's basing that on as we haven't visited or met teachers yet! I think it's just a feeling.)

@Pollyanna8844 mine has done SLYO in the past - playing flute and bassoon in SLYO 2 (depending on which instrument she gets in on as flute as always over subscribed and bassoon is, er, not). This year they all clashed with other things she was doing though, so she's missed out. But in fact SLYO was where she got to play piccolo for the first time ever which was great. Never reached the dizzy heights of SLYO 1 though.

Both mine did SLYO too. We love it (though their enthusiasm is mainly about the food which is apparently great- especially the cookies at afternoon break!) . The courses are great though. My flute playing DS is in SLYO 2 and my violin playing DD in SLYO 3!

Thank you so much for your kind words @Alsoplayspiccolo , @georgedawes and @chickentikkasalad.
@Alsoplayspiccolo DS was so happy to hear that from a professional flute/piccolo player - he was blown away by your comments.

The concert was incredible, the atmosphere in the RAH was electric. I love seeing the beaming smiles of the orchestra as they take in the audience reaction!

@northerngoldilocks DS only took up flute for the social side, but it rapidly overtook piano as his 1st instrument.

DS did the South London Youth Orchestra last week. Did anyone else’s DCs do it? We don’t live in London, but he really wanted to do it because they were doing Mahler 5. He ended up celebrating his GCSE results by performing in the end of course concert, which, for him, was the perfect way to celebrate!

We have enjoyed watching several of the proms. Dds former teacher is in one of the orchestras so that is always a bit special seeing him too. Quite expensive if that's the only thing you watch all year though! ( but still probably cheaper than tickets to them all!)

This is the first time for a long time that o felt the tv license was useful!

Getting to feel increasingly like I might need to repurchase a tv license!!

We watched the NYO at the proms today too. DS was so excited! If I ever walked away he'd say I missed the best part and kept rewinding it back for me to watch it! He loved the cute flute (I think it's the piccolo that your DS played @Pollyanna8844. Very rarely he even liked the group singing but his favourite was the percussion thing at the end of the group singing - it's a cone/egg shaped thing no idea what it's called though!
It's so inspiring and definitely something we will consider go and watch live in the future!

Just catching up..Pollyanna your son was incredible! You must be so, so proud. We were there to watch the prom in person, and the whole orchestra was incredible. It was so inspiring for DD!

Both of mine play a second instrument that is orchestral to make sure they get the social side too. DS considers his second instrument to be his first now I think.

DD still more piano focussed but also does duets / trios in a group which means that there is a social element but it's not as good as holiday orchestras etc.

She also is self teaching guitar (Taylor swift songs only) so maybe will give her options at secondary re being in a band. Might something like that appeal?

Thanks for such helpful responses. This thread has been an eyeopener really as there is so much talk about ensemble music, which I hadn't really thought about. I totally agree that secondary school seems a time to refresh activities which is why I have been thinking about moving on now.

She has been asking to give up for yonks and when I asked her today she was gleeful at the idea of stopping.

We might have a plan forming...

Piano can be quite solitary so she might enjoy swapping to something else - trumpet or clarinet can do wind band, orchestra, jazz, violin could do fiddle group, orchestra. What kind of music does she like? No music learning is wasted and her previous piano playing will help her get a good start on anything else. Some people take a while to find the right instrument.

Hi @unlikelychump - parent of a 12 and 10 year old here - both of whom learn piano.

Does your DD actually hate playing or is she just not keen on practice? If you suggested she quit what would she say? My eldest has on occasions in the past said maybe he'd stop playing (usually when I suggested he should practice) but when asked if he wanted to the answer was always no. If she genuinely hates it then letting her stop sounds like a no brainier. If however she enjoys playing but hates the dull music she's being given that's different and can make suggestions as to what might be more fun.

Is there another instrument she wants to play instead? State school music provision is hugely varied. Class music in year 7 will feel basic even to reasonably beginner pianists and ensembles don't tend to be for pianists.

Hello
Please can I join this thread?

I'd like advice on continuing piano lessons for a reluctant 11yo. She is working towards g2 and hates it, pretty much has never enjoyed it. She is starting secondary in a few weeks, I am expecting some music offer there (state) - is that realistic? They have a lot of clubs apparently.

I am wondering what is a good way to encourage enjoyment of playing - are there good websites to listen and play or that encourage play, so I could suggest fun playing.

(The reason we have stuck at it so long btw is her father wants her to do it, but it all falls to me in respect of planning, playing, paying etc so I have decided my view counts too, and of course hers!)

Pollyanna8844, your DS’s picc playing was FANTASTIC!
He must have nerves of steel - the commentator was spot on when she said there’s nowhere to hide when you play the piccolo (I know from experience…as you can probably guess from my MN name!)
I remembered him from BBCYM - he was amazing in that too. The NYO flute section is brilliant, in my (completely biased) opinion.

My DS was playing cello, so we had the complete joy of watching the concert live at the RAH - it blew us away. (DH and I are both professional orchestral musicians, who’ve played in the Proms, but the NYO prom even topped that!)

Thank you @minisnowballs. He's at a state school but has attended a JD since year 11 and has a fantastic teacher. Were not a music family, but luckily his early teachers were amazing and gave us lots of advice. He decided aged 9 that he wanted to go to a Conservatoire and hadn't wavered since! He has ever really had a proper lesson on piccolo. He auditioned on it last year to help him get into NYO and ended up playing it all year. In this last residency, the flute tutor was a piccolo player and teaches at RCS. She was enormously helpful for his playing and taught him all sorts of tips.
I hope your DD has a brilliant time at her new school.

@Pollyanna8844 he must be incredible (and incredibly focused). DD has only been at a normal school since she took up the flute - but she's going to specialist school this year as she can't fit it all in with study and her unmusical parents and school.

Flute isn't her first instrument any more though and she finds piccolo SO hard (though possibly because she's never had a lesson on it). She also knows it is crazily competitive. What an amazing DS you have to have done this.

I was just saying to DS that the standard you'd need to be on flute to get in would be phenomenal.