Autumn / Winter 2025 Music

Well indeed. DS is all 'I might do music/English/politics at Cambridge'. Forgetting that a friend of ours got a choral scholarship, 13 9s at GCSE, AAA*A at A level, and still didn't get in!

@herbaceous I am astounded - I would NEVER have had the brass neck at their age (or indeed the talent). This DoM suggests she comes on a Sunday for Evensong. It is another of the 'big' ones, so I was surprised.

I suspect DD2 doesn't stand a chance with the big ones, but maybe would get a smaller one if lucky. She's competent, not brilliant, when it comes to singing.

More importantly she has to actually get a place and the grades to go there - it all seems a bit 'pie in the sky' to me.

To be fair, the address was on the website and they do clearly try to encourage those from less obvious backgrounds - she just emailed herself as they suggested. Her DoM may be horrified - who knows?

@achangeofnameisasgoodasarest - This is indeed the case. Which we only found out because DS's school's H0M told us. DS emailed Kings and St John (the most 'prestigious') who who invited him to come and sing at them. Obviously on different days for maximum inconvenience. DS reckons if they say he stands a chance then it's worth going through the whole choral scholarship rigmarole.

I do get vexed with the opacity of the whole process, and how those who aren't 'in the know' don't stand a chance.

@herbaceous glad Rudolfus was good! DD2 is just getting her head in gear for next year after a dreamy New Year's wander around cambridge where we nearly lost her in the medieval books section.

Now she's thinking about choral scholarships. Turns out if you email directors of music there they invite you over for a sing - who knew? (probably everyone else, but I think I'm a little intimidated even if she isn't).

Indeed 😀 and dates well in advance too.

Looks like we probably don’t get to choose location actually so it might be brum!

@northerngoldilocks thank you, probably means london then as can stay with friends for free. Ah thank you, I clicked on a link but it sent me to an error page.

Thanks everyone. We will record the exam pieces potentially as a just in case (as the exam is definitely face to face) but it sounds like they will either have oven ready grade 5 pieces if sitting in June or something else post a grade 5 sit in March, I presume you need to stay somewhere for the weekends if not located in the city? We could do either london or Birmingham.

Excerpts were for residentials only.

NCO - The first time DD got into Weekends ("Projects" as was) on violin she played grade 5 pieces that she'd learned but not yet had a proper lesson on (the deadline used to be September, she was set them to learn over the holiday). It was where she was at, wasn't worth changing the whole lesson plan for it.

I'd also say if your DC wants the northern projects, that has in past years been much less oversubscribed than the London ones. Iirc sometimes they have had late auditions open for all instruments. So I think a solid g5 string player is in a very good position.

Audition wise - they usually ask the child to state name and age, then answer a getting-to-know-you question at the beginning of the video. So if you did want to record early worth checking out if instructions are available or if anyone here can remember the questions from last year. The audition window last year was mid may to end of july or thereabouts. Honestly though, I'd think go with whatever she works on in the summer term. March exam to end of July audition - she'll have something audition suitable.

I can't remember, do they ask for excerpts for Weekends still? If they do that can be in a separate video so that's not a problem. But the talky bit is supposed to be in the same video.

Maybe just record the pieces anyway just in case when they are at peak, then you have them. Hope the exam preparation is going well.

I think it's better to submit lower grade but exam ready pieces.

I can't remember lower strings grades in projects, our cello friends were grade 7 in year 6 but there were lower grades too, as far as I remember. Even in violins there was a mix of grades so definitely worth trying.

@northerngoldilocks thank you, right ok think we won’t use grade 5 pieces then unless they end up sitting in the summer. Do they all record the same extracts then??

@chocolateisnecessary ah good idea thank you! Just if they do grade 5 in March then the pieces will be hopefully brilliant at that point. Otherwise we have to get a post exam child straight into audition mode ready for a May recording…!

I think it should be fine to record earlier. Maybe check with them if the format will stay the same this year?

Yes the weekends and the child will have done/be imminently doing grade 5 by the time the audition is done. Suggested grade is 3/4 I think. Should be able to use exam pieces I think if sitting exam in the summer. If it is in March then maybe new stuff. Does anyone know if we could record around exam time in March and then just submit once the entries are open? Thanks

Hi everyone, has anyone got experience of NCO for lower strings, particularly Birmingham? What is the actual (rather then stated) standard required usually? Child will be 10 this year so plenty of time.
Unlike the child doing a music scholarship soon, this one is already practising today 😂.

Singing evensong on Radio 3 at 3pm if you want a listen!

DS having an absolute ball at the Rodolfus Choir. We went to see them this evening, and they were amazing!

@horseymum - RSCM have an emerging leaders scheme for pastoral/singing/conducting assistants for their residential summer courses.