Spring / Summer 2026 music thread

Mine is taking part in an international competition with his chamber group this week. It’s being held in the UK though. The groups they’re up against are pretty formidable but I’m hoping it’ll be a great experience for him.

my dad used to quote this all the time

We usually get a take of the pieces and then when that’s done, we do the speaking. Otherwise we kept hitting a mistake on the second piece and the speaking became stressful.

I do end up with an annual gag reel…

We just did the whole lot in one video, couple of takes and picked the best. Mainly because I didn't want to make a big deal of the whole thing. Yes DD made herself notes for what to say. I put a toy next to the camera for her to talk to as she doesn't like talking to cameras. She's too old this year, no more NCO auditions😥

NCO people…. is it best to record the words separately to the pieces? Also I presume you wrote out what needed to be said? Bottom of the age range so finding the speaking worse than the playing 😂

As Mark Twain said: ‘When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.’

ha! given DD2 won't even entertain the idea of a piano teacher, I think you can probably imagine how wellmy attempts at instruction go. The number of things I have known 'nothing about' since she got back from school is a number higher than I really dare think about.

Oh herbaceous you ought to know by now that parents know NOTHING. I once had the audacity to suggest that practising might improve the chances of one's big solo going right. Tch.

DS is spending the summer proving to his non-music A-level subject teachers that he can get the required A grades, by actually writing essays in the way they've been telling him to, and not coming over all creative, which resulted in non-stellar marks in y12 exams.

(Which is of course what I told him to do in his exams but of course 'I didn't understand'. Despite being a study skills tutor. I've been very restrained and not said 'I told you so'.)

Doesn't want a teacher because 'they'll only tell me I'm doing it all wrong'...!
Ha ha, that made me laugh. Good luck to her!

Offspring 1 not interested in oxbridge even though his teachers (non music subject) suggested it. It sounds too much like hard work. He doesn't know where he does want to go though, maybe researching unis also sounds too much like hard work🤐

Offspring 2 wants to go to music college 'but I don't want to be in a big city'. Umm...? But at least she's got a few years to think about it.

It is lovely @DitheringMusicParent - but DD knows she can't get too attached. Meanwhile it is summer of 'I hate composition' and a determined sprint on Grade 6 piano - she continues to teach herself and reckons she'll get this one recorded by the end of the summer holidays. Doesn't want a teacher because 'they'll only tell me I'm doing it all wrong'...!

@herbaceous @achangeofnameisasgoodasarest We used to be there (we were not in the Music faculty but many close friends were). Such a wonderful place. DS9 is totally obsessed with wanting to go to a particular college with a very large chapel, having played its organ a few months ago; but (1) he'd never get in and (2) if he did get in, he wouldn't have the exec function skills to cope. I guess he can live in hope for a few more years while being gently directed elsewhere (preferably, places with lower fees for international students...)

@herbaceous sounds familiar - not that we went but DD knows it is marvellous and will go in Sept to have a proper look - did the online masterclass and adored it.

For DD, also small matter of 'learn how to harmonise a chorale'. Ho hum.

Spent yesterday risking heatstroke to sample the delights of Cambridge and its music faculty. All of course completely wonderful. Now merely a question of increasing expected grades, choosing a college, passing the entrance requirements and getting A*AA. 🧐

@Londonmummy66 good to know thanks! She absolutely loves her composition tutor- he also takes academic music seminar where she shines in a big way- but he does not seem to get at all that she doesn’t understand it (organists!) she thinks everyone else has just come out from
the womb being able to compose and she has not got some kind of missing piece installed in her brain.

but wailing about it will get her nowhere!

I’ll take a look at guildhall. It’s annoying because she’s just had her mocks back. Clear a stars on her other two subjects - but the composition drags her music down. She doesn’t NEED an a star but it would certainly help with her ambitions.

@achangeofnameisasgoodasarest sometimes a different perspective helps things click. Most unfair of the school.
also on holiday . DD did ask her teacher re taking instruments but was told to just relax as said instruments might crack.
DD has 4 weeks of music courses this summer so plenty of time to catch up with playing.

@achangeofnameisasgoodasarest - I really really sympathise. DD1 was in exactly the same boat at this point - also in top set and otherwise really good at it all but simply cannot compose and the composition teacher she had really didn't get that. If you can afford a tutor just get one and don't tell them. I really wish we had. I so don't think they should have to compose - they should be able to take an arrangement/harmony paper instead but it is what it is.

Eye wateringly expensive but Junior Guildhall do a summer composition course - the tutor there is also at music Hogwarts I believe so they wouldn't be able to turn round and say it wasn't her work..... They do offer bursaries and so she might get lucky?

Does anyone have recommendations for a rollout mattress topper or such? Daughter away at a few orchestra residentials this summer and one of the places she is going twice has the worst beds

@se22mother thanks so much- her school is adamant that she must not have a tutor otherwise they will decide it is not her own work and fail her.

seems a bit mad to me but what do I know? Half the kids seem to have tutors for things like history and English coursework so why not music.

the good news is that everyone is aware that her dad and I are absolutely no help so they aren’t going to think we’re all over the chord progressions.

going to try to encourage her to chip away at it a bit at a time over the holidays and keep a log of what she’s doing. Perhaps a bit of time off her genius school cohort will help.

currently on holiday with no instruments! A joy.

@achangeofnameisasgoodasarest if you want a composition tutor recommendation then please feel free to dm me.

I used to teach Grade 5 theory and I did have 10 and 11 year olds pass but it was a weekly theory class at school that they did for 3 years (once they'd passed a Grade 3 practical). I kept a lot of it more practical - made up board games for learning note lengths etc, wooden "dice" for assembling scales etc

I mentioned above but there is a very good weeklong theory course in Gloucester (not residential though so youd have to find somewhere to stay) - they do a lot of practical clapping games and playing to reinforce the theory. Might be worth a look next year?

@achangeofnameisasgoodasarest if finances stretch to it could you get her some tutoring? When I got stuck with one of mine because the teacher did no aural I reached out to one of the tutors on the Guidlhall short courses and she gave her a few online lessons. You could consider doing the same with a composition tutor to give her a bit of a hand? She might be able to get some informed feedback and inspiration to help her get over the blank page fear? An external eye, away from school and her perception that she is less good might give her a boost. I know these things are ANOTHER musical expense, but it might help her work out how to tick the boxes to do well enough.

I also think it helps teenagers to remember that, again with the exception of the tiny few, no one is brilliant at all the competencies of an exam. It sounds like she has the two parts that it is hard to "box tick" nailed - which is brilliant. So now she just needs to work out what she needs to do to tick competent on composition and not worry too much about being brilliant. That way madness lies. But I am very sympathetic to those who have that nasty little voice in their head because I have one too. I always thought that everyone around me was brilliant at everything and I was hopeless. But in adulthood I have come to accept that the truth is more nuanced than that!!!

@achangeofnameisasgoodasarest it sounds to me like your DD could probably flunk composition and still get a very high mark in the A level overall. She doesnt need to be as good as anyone else in her class (who are obviously not a representative sample of the people doing the exam), she just needs to do fine? Agree with checking the criteria and just ticking the boxes. It’s great she’s doing it for bassoon as she will be able to write something very idiomatic and play to her strengths! Does she need to do it over the summer or could she just chill and start next term?

@MockCroc really good post (probs because it has confirmed my approach with DS!). I did all the theory exams as a child (except grade 7!) - starting with grade 1 at about 11, and really enjoyed working through them slowly, with a real sense of achievement. I’m sure I could force DS through some of it now, but have no desire to put either of us through that ordeal!

I’ve come to the same conclusion about the 11+ recently - think we probably will conform to the terrible middle class cliche of moving house near to a good comprehensive with a good music dept, rather than having to start prep next year (in year 4!), which seems quite soul destroying.

@DitheringMusicParent she does now have a structure - and has predictably gone for a bassoon sonata. At least she understands how a bassoon works I guess.

I think it is paralysis to an extent. She thinks she can't do it, so she can't. I keep telling her OK is good enough.

I don't know anything about A-level music as we are not in England, but I know here the composition bit doesn't need to be 'good' to get a good mark, but fit the criteria. Depressing, but means those who aren't amazing at it can still get a decent mark. Is it worth going back to the criteria to initially aim for 'good enough'. I'm sure once she has something down, she can refine and add some more creativity to increase the marks.