GCSE options, DD wants to take music but I'm not sure it's a good idea.

We tried not to influence our DD on her choices, but when it comes to music your DD will have to work hard learning an instrument from new and have confidence. One of the first lots of homework my DD had to do was prepare and perform something in front of the class - playing or singing. I think teacher was just trying to initially assess them so it wouldn't matter your DD was playing her first notes on a guitar.

It might be down my DD' school, but A & A* in music are hard to achieve - last year 4.8% of them got one of these grades, whereas in geography and history it's more like 20%.

Ds is taking music GCSE. He doesn't play an instrument well, although he has the basics of piano and guitar (nowhere near grade 5 though) I had similar concerns but spoke to his music teacher who assured me that she would be delighted for him to take music and that she was sure he could do really well. The performance element is a relatively small component and you can sing instead of a traditional instrument. The composition can be done via cubase (sp?) which is a computer- based composition tool. There is a live element to this but again, it is relatively small. I think if her teacher is happy for her to take it, she should go for it. She is already losing one of her options for extra maths and English (they offer this at ds' school too and I think it's a good thing) and she is more likely to succeed in something she enjoys.
Re history and geography, I don't know about the geography syllabus but history is very essay- heavy and the exams involve lots of analytical writing. Ds considered it but English isn't his strong point and even his history teacher said that, although it could be done, he would find it difficult. To give you an idea, he got a level 6b in his last English assessment.

At our local secondary they suggest that children should be working at grade 4 level to succeed at music GCSE - not sure what they mean by 'succeed' but it strikes me that it would be difficult to acheive in two years (although it does of course depend on your daughters natural ability.

What do you mean by 'she has two years to learn?' Are you talking about the time she has until she starts doing the GCSE or are you talking from starting to finishing the GCSE?

I would suggest that you speak to the music teacher as she will be more up to date on the syllabus requirements and whether your daughter stands a chance.

My daughter got an A in Music last year and is only grade 3 on piano. She had to do one group performance and I believe one individual performance where she sang. She is not a trained singer by any means - but practised and practised. Would that be an option?

Music is a very highly thought of GCSE and A level, as it requires a lot of skills. (Analytical skills, and essay writing, along with the more obvious ones of composing and performing.)

However, you are usually advised that you need to be able to perform on your instrument (including vocals) at about grade 5 standard, or above, so, even with the best will in the world, she just wouldn't be able to do it.

Tbh I'm not keen on vocational subjects pre gcse unless there is strong reasoning behind it. Child Development will be covered by any level 2/3 or above course related to childcare or teaching she might take at college. It would probably be better to keep her options open with traditional subjects so music if she enjoys it and perhaps art, pe ( which includes human biology and nutrition) or drama rather than catering if she prefers a practical element. Does she volunteer with children with SN ?

What sort of grade is she hoping to get in GCSE music? If she is hoping for a high grade then definitely not, composition & performance are marked and she won't be at the required level. Music is no easier than an MFL, are GCSEs streamed at her school?

The teacher won't let her take music unless they think she is up to it, so yes I would second just getting in touch with the music teacher

Can she read music & have an understanding of rhythm & tone? I think she will struggle as a beginner playing her primary instrument - how she will she do the composition element? When I did music GCSE (about 100 hrs ago but hey!) we were expected to compose from the start of the course

Catering sounds pointless. If she enjoys music, why not? Learning music can also help with maths.

History/geography she should just do whichever she enjoys and is best at.

Does she get an options evening where she can chat to the teacher? GCSE music really does rely on you being fairly capable on an instrument. You need to be able to read music, perform an instrument as part of it. To be fair, it was my favourite GCSE by far but I'd been playing since I was 5! I would see if you and she can sit down with the teacher to see what the teacher thinks about whether she'll be up to speed in time.

Learning music/a musical instrument requires persistence and daily practice as long as she does that she will be fine

I would have thought music was a perfect compliment to child development if she would like to work with children. Not sure catering would look as relevant to an employer or further ed organisation. And she does play an instrument? The keyboard?