Autumn / Winter 2025 Music

Well this is thrilling. It's now an open secret at DS's school that this year's production is going to be West Side Story. He has a long-burning ambition to play Tony. As they say. 'Could Be'...

@ViolaMamy son’s trumpet teacher wouldn’t put him in for his grade 5 because he wasn’t ready. I told him that my son would never be ready until the exam was booked. It isn’t ideal but he really needs the pressure of something looming over him to be able to really focus. I don’t have ADHD and I’m the complete opposite - I go to pieces when there’s a lot to be done in not much time!

That’s interesting. My ds drives his viola teacher mad as he never really starts practicing properly until he’s a few weeks out from an exam.

I believe long-term goals don't work for the ADHD mind, which is motivated by smaller short-term wins. Mastering a tricky piece, or playing a concert or something...

I think I need to do that @ViolaMaat least until we can try him on ADHD medications. My oldest son has ADHD and he did much better at trumpet practice once he started medication. There’s also the fact that they can’t get motivated until the exam or performance is imminent.

That sounds like a great idea @chickentikkasalad. Drama is also really helpful for expression in singing.

@herbaceous she does the performance ones for piano- takes endless face to face ones for everything else and actually she can do the piano scales and sightreading pretty ok so I think it’s alright. She enjoys being able to pick her fourth piece from elsewhere.

Thank you so much @yodaforpresidentfor the information. Unfortunately neither of these options have anything close to us. Unfortunately our local churches don’t have anything either, possibly for the reason you mentioned. There is a little voices group though nearby, they run drama lessons which include some singing we might consider that.

thank you!

Amazing result - well done mini mini!

Brilliant uni suggestions all. Thank you. It's so overwhelming, balancing courses, cities and extra-curricular stuff!

Amazing stuff @achangeofnameisasgoodasarest! Shows what motivation and enjoyment can do. Did she do the performance grade, or have to slog through the scales?

Hope you’ve all had a good summer. Congratulations to all those who’ve had GCSEs and A-levels to contend with.
@achangeofnameisasgoodasarest congrats to your DD on the self-taught piano grade 5 - that’s a fantastic achievement.

DS is 15 and is post grade 8 on clarinet and jazz sax. He’s had a tough year as he was diagnosed with autism and ADHD in February. We’ve consequently had to carefully manage extra-curricular activities to prevent him from getting burned out and overwhelmed. It’s a constant balancing act. Year 11 is imminent and I think will be really challenging for him. Longer term, his musical aspirations include clarinet ARSM, (likely early year 12), exploring clarinet jazz repertoire and A-level music (others to be decided…). He doesn’t have any leanings towards music at uni/conservatoire at present but doesn’t have any idea of what he’d like to do at Uni at all, other than that he’d definitely like to go! Hopefully the path may become a little clearer as year 11 progresses.

You could have a look here also @chickentikkasalad,

https://mail.open-concerts.co.uk/performers-at-uk-concerts-and-recitals/singing-groups-and-choirs/young-persons-singing-groups-and-choirs.html

Sadly, I think a lot of these groups and churches struggle for numbers and/ or finding the staff willing to volunteer their time to keep them running.

i think recording it took her mind off waiting for the GCSE results @QueenMabby !

@achangeofnameisasgoodasarest- congrats to your dd! A g5 merit is amazing at any time but for self taught and in an exam year that’s incredible!

@chickentikkasalad I'm not sure where in the country you are, but there is a search function on NYC's website for youth choirs that might be worth a look - some of them start at age 9 - they are not always very well publicised. Alternatively, local churches may have a youth choir.

www.nationalyouthchoir.org.uk/find-a-choir

Hi everyone! Congrats on all the GCSE results!

@herbaceous Manchester and King’s London are both excellent for music, both academic and extra-curricular. Slightly biased but I think Cambridge is better for extra-curricular music than Oxford.

On the round ups, I’ve got DS (7) who started violin just over a year ago and working on grade 4-5 (teacher yet to confirm which exam to do and he’s been doing a lot of random stuff) and is a probationer chorister in Southwark Cathedral. @chickentikka DS hasn’t had singing lessons but I assume they are teaching him something in the choir. I’m reluctant to add anything more to his schedule as he also does Beavers, swimming, football, climbing and it all feels a lot!

I’ve also got DD (4) who has just started piano lessons. DS has no interest in piano but I’m hoping to encourage it as so useful.

news just in from 'child who teaches herself piano in the holidays for a laugh',

Grade 5 merit. Just ordered her certificate in which she has presented herself for her exam, which always makes me laugh.

news just in from 'child who teaches herself piano in the holidays for a laugh',

Grade 5 merit. Just ordered her certificate in which she has presented herself for her exam, which always makes me laugh.

@yodaforpresident, thank you. He does sing in our local music services junior choir for half hour a week but they are very basic and I’m not sure he learned any vocal techniques. He was with them when his voice became hoarse following a viral infection. We don’t have a good choir around

How about UCD - they have an amazing choral scholars programme. https://www.ucdchoralscholars.ie/

@chickentikkasalad DD always sang, even when she wouldn't speak to us - refusal rather than an inability. She only sang in the school choir and started formal lessons six years ago (half hour once a week) during school time - her first exam was Grade 3 in year 5. She did attend courses with NYC and Rodolfus (when time permitted) in the Easter and summer breaks. If he is already singing, I think lessons are beneficial as they should include vocal health teaching. Have you looked at your local music service to see if they have a junior choir?

Also, Scottish uni system is quite flexible with subjects. Eg, you could start with music, philosophy and theology for example and then carry any one of them forward, taking an extra random subject in second year, like a language. An extra year of cost to consider though. ( For most, for some subjects you can enter second year directly).

Glasgow! Loads going on. There's a chapel choir, not sure about scholarships. So much amateur music, both uni and non- uni. And every other type of music.