Any advice for a new boarder in Y7?

[mustardrarebit]

My DD12 has unexpectedly been offered an earlier place at a specialist music school from January, so we are scrambling to prepare. DH only boarded at 6th form, so there's a vast difference between him and a pre-teen girl!

Can anyone pass on any pearls of wisdom, or advise on what she needs to take that I might not have considered?

She's getting a phone for Xmas, as the school likes them to have one.

Any tips or suggestions would be most welcome!

Is she loving Chets? My ex Chets kid is just a few weeks away from his final degree recital now.

@mustardrarebit - I wish mine had any desire to keep her dorm tidy. She's improved a bit but it's still chaos when she's busy.

@RosaMimosa let me know if I can help - mine is year 12 and this is her third year as a WCS specialist. Every year she takes more instruments, but fewer clothes.

Thank you very much, it is really helpful!

@minisnowballs, thank you and I am glad to hear that. I assume that musicians are quite busy at Wells (at least this is what my DD's music teacher keeps saying to her) so don't have too much time for hanging around/going into town. Do they mix a lot with other kids or they stay closer to their music bubble? Which instruments does your DD play?

@RosaMimosa DD is very, very busy, yes. She's not strings or piano though, but woodwind, so I think there's less of a 'chained to a practice' room vibe. Lots of ensembles and choirs.

She usually makes it into town for a mooch around a couple of times a week - the lack of commute gives her some time back and it's literally a two minute walk from the boarding house. By Year 12 they can go out in the evenings which helps.

Lots of non-musician friends and she's very happy- we do miss her though.

How old is yours and what does she play? Hope she loves it.

My DD is twelve, she plays flute (main) and oboe, and wants to try harp and harpsichord. She's got her place from Sept in Y8 and I never considered boarding till Six Form, so it happened unexpectedly. Will see how it goes!

@RosaMimosa they'll definitely meet then, v similar instrument profiles.

Feel free to DM me with any questions!

She's definitely found her tribe at Chets and really thriving all round. She loves the recognitions system and is saving up all her amazon vouchers! I can't believe how fast this year has gone, I know it will seem like 5 minutes until she's in uni too.
Does your son have fond memories from Chets?

That sounds really positive. He was only there for two years but he loved it. He’s at conservatoire with some ex schoolmates and is close friends with others. It’s a special place.

Chets is exclusively musical children, so they all have that in common. We are really pleased to see how happy she is, compared to when she was at a mainstream school and nobody really 'got' her. Now everyone is like minded and they can chat music on the same level.

She spends at least 3 hours a day on practice and other musical activities. First study is piano and second is voice. She feels like she has fewer demands on her time than choristers and orchestral instruments, but that is usually made up with extra practice.

They are in Manchester city centre, but at her age they aren't allowed out without a 6th former 'angel' to supervise. I think she gets out once a week at lunchtime, when she and her friends have free time together. The house parents take them out regularly enough that she's working her way through all the bubble tea flavours in the Arndale centre 😆 They also go on weekend trips to all kinds of places. This week is Inflatanation and bowling, last week was a country park and cinema, which keeps them off their screens and gets them a change of scenery.

I wish I was as innately tidy as DD, it's a conscious effort for me, so she definitely takes after my mum and brother in that respect. She has born ordered and organised. I think she finds being at home with her younger siblings making a mess is stressful, so boarding really suits her!

That's brilliant for him to continue school friendships, in my experience it's really rare. On founders days we have had an insight into what the school means for alumni and how it shaped their careers and long lasting friendships. Is that what you have found so far?

Definitely. The current heads will definitely know my kid, they’d probably go pale if you mentioned him 🤣 joking aside they both helped him enormously. His Chets network is great- if he’s in London he stays with Chets mates for example. His tutor there is still his tutor now and he’s been a big influence too.
he’s hoping to get a job there as a practice assistant but no vacancies at the moment

@Siriusmuggle that's wonderful. The friends she's made so far are a really lovely diverse group and I imagine that will expand in 6th form.

It speaks volumes that he wants to return. Hopefully there will be vacancies coming up. At the start of the school year my daughter was asked to help with the interview process for practice assistants, so they might be advertising towards the end of term.

I love that the students get involved! He’s keeping an eye on the website so hopefully something will come up

This is why I decided to move my DD to a specialist music school - I felt that she'd be "a strange one" at her local comp school soon once they are further into teenage years. Her older sister dropped violin at the same school at grade 5, but when we moved her to a private for 6th form, she strongly regretted not being able to play Shostakovich symphony along with her new classmates because at this school it was really cool.

One of mine went to Chets from age 9. Lots of chargers, easy pull on concert wear, a really good quality pull-along suitcase for getting home and taking on tour, very favourite cuddlies, period gubbins of her choice in great volume, absolutely masses of socks and undies, really snuggly slippers- 2 pairs, dressing gown or oodie, if she's into it then sudoku books/colouring books and pens.
Good luck OP. Mine had a rocky time of it and was a long way from home for the most part until I moved nearer. She's finishing her MA at RCM now and often employed - she says, on balance, it was worth it.

@RosaMimosa Shostakovich is definitely cool - DD's mates are pretty much the Shostakovich fanclub ...

Hope she loves it. I won't pretend that moving to specialist school from a comp has all been plain sailing here, but DD is adamant it is the 'right' thing for her and certainly she's been having a ball.

Do be prepared for the first few weeks to be a bit chaotic as all the lessons clash with each other and she tries to work out what ensembles she's actually in. And do check she's coping with long days and fitting in schoolwork too- it's a lot to manage. But for the right kid the school is like a musical sweetshop.

The fact that the place came earlier than expected is actually less of a disadvantage than it feels right now — starting when the whole house is also nervous and new means the playing field is much more even than mid-year entry. The most practical thing you can do is make sure the house staff know your child before day one: a short note to the housemaster about their personality and any concerns you have is not only acceptable but expected. Music school housemasters in particular are experienced with children who feel things deeply. I post more on what starting boarding actually looks like at @boardingschoolguide.