Autumn / Winter music thread - 2026/2027

Yes, DD definitely realised that she needed to practise more 😁 And even with the unfair adjudication, it prompted a useful discussion about the reality of competitions and music world in general, favouritism, promotion of own students, politics etc. It's good to see it early, understand and be prepared.

Why not applying for JD kindergarten? They play solo at least once a term and I found their concerts more inspiring and productive in terms of feedback.

I was actually thinking that DS would find it inspiring to hear lots of great players of around his age - he doesn’t play in any ensembles yet so has no concept of what others are doing, and also doesn’t have any expectations for himself (certainly not that he’s a star) so I don’t think would find it bruising if he was placed behind lots of kids who were obviously better. Perhaps might encourage him to practise more!

I really just want him to have something to work towards, if he’s not doing exams, as he doesn’t have any performance opportunities either. Hopefully he will enjoy NCO and maybe we can do some other courses in the coming year as well.

At this age, violin competitions are for Asian children mostly as they start young, practise lots and often very musical too. It's a good reality check for everyone else 😁 - well, for my DD it certainly was as she was one of the "stars" at her relaxed music school and didn't understand the actual level required. We did competitions both in North and South London. Adjudicators were hit and miss, some excellent with very useful detailed feedback, some clearly bored witless. There was one particularly nasty experience too, where adjudication was blatantly unfair (and I'm not saying this because DD didn't win, she rarely wins on the violin anyway). In a way, it's good to see what's going on, to avoid toxic places and teachers further down the line, and vice versa, to get to know good teachers and project leaders.

One needs thick skin to compete on the violin these days :) It's probably still worth doing if the adjudicator is good and just for meeting other people on the circuit and socialise.

Dd really enjoyed the one competition she did. They were kind, she was nowhere near winning but it was nice to have the experience.

Ultimately I've been a very lazy parent though and the very thought of getting her to the right places with the music/accompanist etc has meant there haven't been any more though. There was a prodigy type piano chap there, but he lost to some cheerful flugelhorn. I've literally no idea how anyone chooses when everyone is playing something different.

Meanwhile my own brass journey continues apace. Having been put into the 'progress band' I'm now murdering a large selection of stuff - which might be fine if I were one of the third cornets, but euphonium seems woefully understaffed and some weeks it has just been me.

I think i need a t shirt that says 'i am aware that I am messing this up, there just isn't much I can do about it!'.

DS was entered into an under-15 class for one, I think, when he was s13. Practised hard, popped his music on the stand, commendable bit of Chopin or something.

Unsmiling 15yo prodigy came on, did something amazing by Liszt from memory, won the trophy and took it unsmiling to his similarly unsmiling mother to join the serried ranks of all the other trophies he'd won that day. Joy-free experience all round!

Competitions are for horses! But can sometimes be good performance opportunities. We've had mixed experiences. Really depends on the quality of the adjudicators and their agenda. Some people just go pot hunting for prizes as well, so enter everything in sight. Youngest had a tricky experience with a competition accompanist who really didn't listen to her and put her off it for a while. Others have weird criteria or back themselves into a hole by having to award certain categories. I think if kids go into them knowing they are really unpredictable on results they can be useful as a performance opportunity as long as they are already quite resilient. Control what you can and have a goal that is not related to winning a specific prize necessarily but a personal one eg playing by memory, or feeling like you engaged better with audience. Middle one has had a couple of good opportunities come on the back of competitions which is nice.
I appreciate for 'next level' performers ( those looking to build international solo careers) they are probably a necessary part of getting there.

I am not a fan of competitions from our experience. DS has done a couple of piano ones, and they're a huge amount of work, the feedback can be pretty sniffy, and the class is always won by a prodigy from Chethams or something, making everyone else feel rubbish. All a bit depressing.

Thank you @Londonmummy66! He has been doing some scales, but annoyingly not all the right ones - my fault as I bought some second hand scale books and turns out the syllabus has changed! You are right though they are important.

We are East London and could also get to North London fairly easily - I have no experience of these whatsoever but imagine they can be a bit cutthroat! Ideally I’d like DS to get some performance experience and useful feedback like you say, as well as a sense of how other kids his age are doing (in the hope it may encourage him, not ruin his confidence!). His teacher doesn’t really know much about it as he mainly teaches adult beginners who aren’t interested in that kind of thing at all.

@Incertus - no reason to do exams if he doesn't want to (or think about a performance one instead). Scales are a good grounding though so maybe think about slowly getting on with those (rather than cramming for an exam). I believe that you would be in a similar festival circuit to my DC - it isn't the nicest tbh. Mine eventually decided it was a good way to run stuff before it was really ready to a) get some performance experience on it and b) get some useful (sometimes) pointers on interpretation etc.

@schooloflostsocks can confirm grade exams are not important (source: DH who teaches and does auditions at one of the London conservatoires). They base decisions solely on what they hear in the auditions on the day.

We still haven’t managed to get DS to do any violin exams - I was thinking it would be worth doing grade 5 this term as he did learn about 6 of the pieces from the syllabus book last term (albeit not to a polished level by any means), but he’s only done about half the scales and meanwhile is storming ahead on harder repertoire, so booking in the exam would feel like a slight step backwards/can’t imagine getting him enthused about going back over pieces he’s sick of, but would also require a lot of scale cramming, which isn’t much fun either. On the other hand, he hasn’t done any theory yet so grade 5 is the last one he could do for a while.

His aural skills are good (naturally and he’s also a chorister which is big help) and I do make him practice sightreading every day so that is coming along.

Is there anything I’m missing about why he should do the exam anyway? I was thinking of entering him for some local music festivals to give him something to work towards instead. He’s 8 if relevant.

Another lurker here! DD is a second year conservatoire student at GH.

@schooloflostsocks she is proof that exams are not important!

She loves RCM - so much so she's back for a masters. SHe is in a v small department which makes it a bit friendlier and easier to navigate than a monster like strings though...

@Londonmummy66 That's great, thanks. He's doing so much this term we have decided against the grade 8 again. I think it's going to keep happening. Good point about the worldwide applications. How is your DD liking RCM?

@schooloflostsocks - DD is at RCM - she had no exams at all on her instrument when she applied - not an issue the whole thing was on the basis of the recording (no audition due to COVI) and interview. They have applications from all over the world and exams are less of a thing elsewhere.

@thirdfiddle and @northerngoldilocks thanks! It turns out LSSO didn’t get the application even though I have an email acknowledgement of it! They are apologetic. I am doing another one.

A question for those whose DC are in conservatoires now or any lurking conservatoire profs: how important are qualifications on paper these days? DS is in Y10 and doesn’t have grade 8, he never got around to it and now thinks it’s beneath him. He will have lots and lots of orchestral stuff on his application and some concertos

I'd been hoping we could use a 'mum-o-vision' recording of a recital I did back in March, but the requirements stipulated 'recent'.

Well done to @herbaceous getting that in. Tech stuff is so frustrating! Mine is glad for a good video from June which can be used for auditions, meaning just excerpts to do now. And has also got some takes in the bag and has identified a last day to do them well before closing date. She has definitely stepped up this year to reduce stress for herself.

Good luck to everyone who is applying. FOr those going for straight conservatoire at least the EE offers take the pressure off on results day!

It’s ultra-competitive - I think there four or five places each year - but someone’s got to get in! He’s hoping as a male singer he’s rarer than pianists (his other specialism).

Best of luck for him.

Glad he got it all sorted @herbaceous. Fingers crossed for a “yes”!

I know you're all agog (!), so will be pleased to know it's all sorted, and the joint RNCM Man Uni application is now IN. He'd better get a place after all this.

Oh for goodness sake. After setting up elaborate recording scenario, with proper mics and camera, music bod then only sent over the audio recording, not the video. Gnnn…

Hi @schooloflostsocks love the user name. Negotiating clashes is very familiar territory. Clashing parent-taxi demands as well as actual children wanting to be in two places at the same time. Really hoping we can renegotiate NYO inspire at half term, they've offered DD the one day she couldn't do. Really hoping this is on their own initiative and not because I misread the preferences form or I'll feel very guilty if it can't be fixed.