Spring /Summer 24 - Music thread

I am rather

@Comefromaway sounds amazing. You must be so proud of him.

Ds has had a fabulous weekend. He's had next to no sleep (arrived at the hotel at 1.15am their time and travelled back last night on a 2.30am ferry arriving bat 8am. But what a wonderful experience. He met all the west end soloists and there was one song that opened with a piano accompaniment solo. I've seen a few instagram clips and it sounded great.

aww that's lovely @horseymum - must be nice to have DD back though. Fingers crossed the revision goes Ok

Just had two fantastic youth orchestra concerts. As predicted, I always well up a bit as you see all the hard work come together in a fantastic joyous evening. I'll finally get DD back after she's been away for nearly two weeks. Exams start next week so hopefully she gets some rest and revision in now.

@northerngoldilocks that sounds great. Yes a much needed addition

@northerngoldilocks if it is the orchestra I think it is a lovely family and dd looks forward to being back in August.

My daughter took 9 GCSE's including triple science at the MDS school she attended, the same number as ds took in his state comp so it really must vary a lot.

At my dd’s specialist school they can do triple science if they really want, and some even specialist maths. But it’s not encouraged. Dd takes just 8 GCSEs against the 10-12 most would normally take at the comp she has come from.

on the other hand she is finding this academically quite unstressful- which is nice given that I’ve just been through GCSEs with her sister and know that they can be a lot of unnecessary stress. Some stuff is very very well taught, some less so. And school Is quite clear that those eight GCSEs can get her anywhere she wants including oxbridge for non music subjects as her predictions are really high.

It does feel narrower than her old school- but also deeper as she gets to do so much music- so gcse music learning goes much further than at her old school, and other things are less taught to the test. She’s also covered a lot more in English lit for example than I know she would have done at her old school as the relentless focus on timed gcse questions has not started yet.

I suspect it depends where you are coming from- selective London private it will seem academically slow, but if just a standard school about the same. What is clear though is that dd is having a very nice time getting to what I suspect will be exactly the same end point that her sister had a not very nice time getting to - ie a clutch of GCSEs at 7-9 that open every door necessary. Dd2 just gets the music on top of that.

yes, I’d love her to be a little more academically challenged but given that mainly I just want my kids to come out with decent grades and their mental health intact (I know so many that don’t) I am pleased that she’s so academically happy - and it gives her time to (for example) read for fun and enjoy learning how to play some sport.

Musically it doesn’t feel hyper competitive- dd2 is definitely not one of the ‘stars’ and everyone knows who they are but that doesn’t stop her being valued by her very good teachers. And I’ve been amazed that she’s had- for example - solo opportunities on her second instrument… wasn’t expecting that.

So mostly it’s good I think - though dd2 would be first to say that you shouldn’t assume all the teaching is better than in a state school … just smaller classes and less disruption. She says if it wasnt for the outstanding music she certainly wouldn’t pay for the rest of it!

I know people view specialist schools as hyper competitive but that’s not our experience. It was more like a team for my child and the others on their instrument. They did ensembles together and rotated who played first in orchestra etc.

@Ubertomusic A friend has a child at a state specialist school (attached to a comprehensive). At this school, the music specialist kids drop the number of subjects to 4 other than music, with English and Maths compulsory, so that leaves 2 other subjects, so no chance of doing 3 sciences. My friend has tutoring for her child for maths as she doesn't think there is enough classroom time in maths as her child is not mathematically-minded.

My child wouldn't enjoy the hyper-focus on music nor the competitiveness at the music specialist school, but loves JD on a Saturday.

Thanks Northern Goldilocks ( sorry can’t reply for some reason) School insist on seeing theory result before entry so will hang fire but good to know!

Thank you @Siriusmuggle !

Not for that particular person. First and second study were closely related (think both keyboards for example), third was a rarer orchestral instrument and fourth was voice so slotted in as and when. Still managed 3 A stars at A level. This isn’t my child- mine was much more middle of the road.

@Ubertomusic I'll PM you

@londonmummy1966 DD is only 10 so it's too early to focus entirely on music but we just cannot manage time wise. She goes to an academic school and they are not supportive with her music though not putting academic pressure yet. DD did trial lessons at the specialist school and said she did that topics three years ago at her current school so I'm just wondering... She's not very academic though, it's just the school stretches them and she can cope with that at the moment, being roughly in the middle of her class academically. It'll get more difficult in secondary I'm sure, but I really want to keep her options open for as long as possible... We have tutors for two extra languages they don't offer at school, just because she likes it, so I'm not worried about not having enough GCSE, but STEM is also important and these are harder subjects...

@Siriusmuggle Was it difficult to manage A levels and 2-4 music studies? It sounds like a lot of work... Motivation helps for sure but there is only 24 hours in a day...

The entries from school
close 29 days after she takes it..
my eldest did the very first on line on but didn’t have grade 6 ready at that point so there was less stress

@Ubertomusic I had one who did JD until year 11 and specialist for 6th form. You don't say how old yours is but in my experience her school were really happy about her music until about halfway through year 9 and then did a total reverse ferret and basically put constant pressure on her to stop music and focus on academics. It probably didn't help that she was one of the weaker girls academically in an otherwise extremely academic school but it got so bad the head of her JD actually rang the head of her school to point out she was in the accelerated stream so would get a place at seniors and that therefore was likely to be heading to conservatoire not uni so music practice was important - and even that didn't stop it. So moving her for 6th form was a no brainer (even if it took away the automatic place at seniors) and she absolutely loved it. Getting back the 3 hours a day that she was commuting helped too. She had by then realised that voice and cello were for fun and just kept them on for ensembles and orchestra etc.

Can I join again?
Have dropped off the music radar.
Mine play for fun but elder daughter now leader of school orchestra, in a string quartet and a baroque group, also plays piano
Younger has been ready for grade 6 viola for 2 terms but hasn’t had time for theory. Done last night at the 11th hour as they left for a school trip this morning! Fingers crossed for a pass she has worked so hard this holiday at it.

@Ubertomusic mine went to specialist school for 6th form and boarded. His class mates are studying a variety of things at university now. They had a complusory second study and some of then had a 3rd (his best mate pretty much had 4!).