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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to be annoyed my DS will be getting "Beatboxing" music lessons at primary school

254 replies

OhLori · 11/01/2013 16:14

Had a letter from son's school today. Apparently they will be getting "beatboxing" lessons from a specialist "beatboxing" teacher coming into teach his class. DS is 10.

For the uninitiated, beatboxing is that sort of spitting into cupped hands over a microphone thing, found in some rap/hip hop.

I just don't want my son to learn this rubbish at school, it does my head in when he occasionally does it in the house so the last thing I want is for it to be encouraged further by a 'professional' at school.

I am amazed that the school is financing this, but we live in a London inner city area, so I guess its seen as "cool" to waste taxpayers money on this crap.

Would I be unreasonable to have other appointments on that day e.g. doctors, or be sick? I don't think there is much point in giving my opinion to the school. They are not interested in parents' opinions.

This is a genuine AIBU post, I don't know what to do.

OP posts:
MrsDeVere · 12/01/2013 18:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

manormuppet · 12/01/2013 18:35

Well said mrsd

HazeltheMcWitch · 12/01/2013 18:41

realcoalfire Sat 12-Jan-13 18:08:35
hmm, well I doubt it takes very long to master beatboxing, but maybe we'll have to agree to disagree

Pleeeese coaly, please spend a couple of hours learning to beat box and upload the resulting talent to Youtube, so we can see if you're right?

Pooka · 12/01/2013 18:42

realcoalfire have you seen the videos linked to above, including bea's one?

I can't imagine out have if you are prepared to say that it can't be that hard to master.

PickledApples · 12/01/2013 18:56

Grin Hazel
Tru Dat

TravelinColour · 12/01/2013 19:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

jamdonut · 12/01/2013 19:25

realcoalfire -My daughter is considered G+T at Music. She began by learning flute at Primary school. (The same "Deprived Area" one that I work at).There were none available to hire, and we bought her first one on e-bay (new)for £75. Then we bought a more elaborate one 2nd hand for just over £100. When we realised that she was actually very good (her flute teacher told us) we somehow found the money to buy one for £500. (We were in deep shock at how much instruments were!!)
She taught herself to play the acoustic guitar.

She has her grade 5 theory exam (taken at age 14) and is expected A*at GCSE Music, and also achieve Grade 8 Flute by next year.
She expects to do Music at University, to become a Music Teacher herself.

She would be aghast to see people putting beat-boxing down as not proper music! One of her friends did this for her as backing at a school performance.

To say "it is just a bit of fun" - well...yes it is fun, but it is also teaching the basics of rythm, beat and also composition!

It sounds like you think music shouldn't be fun!

realcoalfire · 12/01/2013 20:30

One of her friends did this for her as backing at a school performance.

Exactly.
This friend is going to do grade 8 beatboxing is she ?

realcoalfire · 12/01/2013 20:32

travelincolour yes it is very entertaining and impressive, but why not play the drums?

mrsjay · 12/01/2013 20:39

what has grade 8 got to do with anything Confused many rappers and 'urban musicians' ( sorry for trying to sound right on ) don't have grade 8 and beatbox and are musicians grade 8 is only worth while if you are going to be a classical musician or a music teacher,

mrsjay · 12/01/2013 20:41

dd passed all her music exams at school has an advanced higher an A (scotland) in music playing frigging electric guitar and is now an audio engineer and music producer ( in training)

MurderOfGoths · 12/01/2013 20:54

There was a boy in my music class for GCSE who could beatbox, he was absolutely amazing at it! It's a hell of a talent, and had the advantage of helping him with both singing and playing instruments, because he was incredibly good at listening and copying. He was damn good at picking up music without needing notation.

He could play the dhol too, and did it so well that I now love the sound of it.

In all honesty, thanks to the beatboxing his vocal range far surpassed the classically trained singers in our class. My singing teacher was impressed with him!

ginhag · 12/01/2013 21:29

Gosh, it's all a bit like when Dylan went electric. I believe the world was going to end then, too...

HazeltheMcWitch · 12/01/2013 21:56

poster realcoalfire Sat 12-Jan-13 20:30:06
^One of her friends did this for her as backing at a school performance.
Exactly.
This friend is going to do grade 8 beatboxing is she ?^

I'm once again confuddled by your post. I played (piano) as backing for m friend at school. I DO have my Grade 8 Piano. And Flute.
But I can't beat-box. Sad

inabeautifulplace · 12/01/2013 22:00

"Exactly.
This friend is going to do grade 8 beatboxing is she ?"

A love of music is a lifelong gift. It inspires, motivates and comforts every second of every day. ANYTHING that helps a child feel involved with music is precious. Decades after the lessons, the exams and the certificates have been forgotten, the incredible emotions that music creates will be a source of joy.

YABU to deprive your child of this opportunity, because you are truly ignorant of what it could lead to.

Meglet · 12/01/2013 22:18

Yabu. They have beatboxing on cbeebies now, so it must be officially, proper, naice music. I'm better at it than the DC's .

Anyway it will be a useful skill to fall back on, he could earn some pennies by 'busking'.

LindyHemming · 12/01/2013 23:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

realcoalfire · 13/01/2013 11:53

It's different -Cbeebies is for tots,beatboxing is ok for them , 10 year olds should be aiming higher.

MurderOfGoths · 13/01/2013 11:55

"10 year olds should be aiming higher."

Of course, no fun for 10 year olds. They're much too old for fun.

Taffeta · 13/01/2013 12:02

Such misplaced outdated snobbishness!

KhallDrogo · 13/01/2013 12:12

higher?

What do you mean by higher? How are you measuring height here?

You are surely on a wind up coal?

Moominsarehippos · 13/01/2013 14:29

Maybe she meant -a- Higher - as in scottish exam system Highers (and O Grades). Aa in 'a Higher in Beatboxing'.

jamdonut · 13/01/2013 14:30

realcoalfire...admittedly it was backing to the pop choir she is in charge of.

You seem to be one of these people that thinks if something is not for academic gain it not worth doing, and that doing something for fun is somehow letting standards drop.

Beatboxing could lead on to wanting to try other forms of making music or performing. Surely that is no bad thing.

realcoalfire · 13/01/2013 15:41

jamdonut wrote ' You seem to be one of these people that thinks if something is not for academic gain it not worth doing'

if it were a brownie or a holiday scheme etc then I would think it was fine, but schools are about academic gain surely? they are 'up against it' financially, funds could have been much better used IMO

Taffeta · 13/01/2013 15:50

School is about way more than academic gain.

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