Music Scholarship

[Timetowaste]

Can anyone give me ideas as to what grade prep schools are looking at to give a music scholarship for entering year 3?

I've found a number of schools who offer music scholarships at this age, but none specify on their websites what level they are looking for.

What does anyone think would be scholarship level (i.e. outstanding) for a year 2 in the Spring term as that is when the scholarships are?

I think they will be looking for outstanding muicanship rather than specific grades.

A girl from dd's school started clarinet at age 7. I heard her play in assembly a few months later just a simple tune (Daisy Bell)and I have never heard some a beautiful tone and musicianship from such a beginner.

12 months later and she has Grade 1 Distinction but her potential was clear from the outset.

I'm sorry but grade 1 distinction at 8 in a wind instrument is not an unusual achievement.

No it isn't but her playing was. Every time I have heard her play it has been out of the ordinary.

Elpha I think that's it, one teacher who has taught DS said that you can have 10 children play the same piece, all get a distinction but if you are lucky one of them might give you goose-bumps.
We went to a concert recently when this happened, a room full of very talented kids but one of them (not mine) was utterly amazing yet they are all of a very similar technical standard.

DCs primary doesn't have scholarships, but I remember an outstanding musician who was doing grade 5 on her main instrument (piano) in year 4, and also played the violin and sang.

If OP's son started the piano in September, at the age of 5 presumably as he is in year one, and managed to get grade 1 with distinction in six months I would say that he definitely has above average musical ability.

Go for it with confidence OP. You may not be successful at the most competitive prep schools, but you certainly won't be laughed at.

I agree with frantic51.
DS is year 2 (just 7) and has been playing piano for 8 months and would pass grade 1 piano if I put him in this term. I think this is really good progress, however it's his second instrument (he is doing grade 2 violin this term) so he has a bit of knowledge there already, which would probably make his progress quicker.
To achieve grade 1 distinction at 5 after 6 months is very unusual. Most infant age children go at a pretty slow pace for the first year or so, and I'd expect the average child of this age to take around 2 years to be anywhere near grade 1 standard.

hi, can I ask those of you on this thread with DCs who are moving up the grades how frequently your DCs have lessons and how often they practice?

Mine all had grade 8 on their principle study instrument by the end of year 8 but while they were moving up the grades they had weekly lessons and practised 30 mins per day up to about grade 2 standard 1 hour a day up to about grade 4 1-2 hours per day up to about grade 6 and 2-3 hours per day up to grade 8.

HTH

Thanks for all the comments.

Re practice/lessons

My ds has 30mins a week lessons and 20mins a day formal practice (i.e. me sitting/commenting as he does his pieces) but he spends at least another 40mins a day, playing his pieces doing non lesson pieces creating his own tunes.

In my experience it depends completely on the child. My dd started piano at the beginning of Y2 (aged 6) and got a distinction in grade 1 in the following Spring. She then took her grade 3 exam the following Spring and has just (another year later) taken her grade 4 exam. She also started the violin 2 years ago and is up to grade 4/5 standard. She is very musical, has ADORES playing, composing and doesn't regard practicing as 'work' but fun.

My ds, on the other hand, has been playing the piano since he started Y1 (2 years ago) and has only just taken his prep test. He just isn't that interested in music and has other interests that he prefers.

I don't play any instruments and do not really get involved in my kids' music practice.

I'm following this thread with interest as my dd may want to apply for a music scholarship at senior school level.

DS, grade 5 on first instrument practices for 40mins four times a week - some weeks a day more, other weeks only twice due to other commitments but on average four. He has been playing for two years.

frantic51, I'm surprised they didn't get to grade 8 before year 8 with all that practice!

PMSL@ Colleger. Probably because they all had teachers who didn't think ABRSM were the be all, end all. I am amazed at the amount of kids I meet who have grade 8 and have hardly played a piece that wasn't for an exam, much less tackled any studies! Mine didn't take every single grade and only took grades at their own insistence because, however talented, kids are kids and like to have a yardstick to measure themselves by.

By the time they were 10 years old they were all tackling undergraduate studies and pieces that were on the ABRSM Diploma lists and could have given a 2 hour recital at 24 hours notice.

Actually, it depends very much on the instrument. It is possible, on a stringed instrument, to get to Grade 8 and pass with distinction with absolutely lousy technique which then has to be "taken apart and put back together" as it were in order for them to progress much further. The whole truth of the matter is that one doesn't really start learning the instrument properly until after Grade 8 in most cases.

DD1 at the beginning of year 8 wanted to start another instrument because she wanted to apply for a music scholarship to a particular public school. They required grade 7 on first instrument and grade 4 on second. The trouble was, that the rules stated that scholars had to have instrumental tuition in school and the violin teacher was a total waste of time and she didn't want to leave her, then current, teacher. The only option, she thought, was not to offer the violin. She put in for Grade 7 on the piano (and got that with distinction) and decided to teach herself the flute as a second instrument. We bought her a cheap flute in the September, she went to a friend's daughter (sixth former at said public school and a fairly decent flautist) for one, hour long session on basics and then proceeded to get herself some graded studies and the grade 5 pieces and scales. She entered herself for Grade 5 the following March and got 147! She did that on approximately 30 mins 4/5 times per week.

And I thought my little lad was talented! :( I am not worthy!

DS plays bassoon and was very slow to start with because of the size and I am not musical or musically focussed. He's gone from G1-5 in a year and I can see that everything now takes far less time to master. It's difficult to progress on a bass instrument because orchestral parts are very basic (lazy conductors hate transposing for bassoon) and tend not to offer much challenge until a certain level is achieved.

The only wise thing I did musically was suggesting the bassoon as schools fall over themselves to have a bassoonist!

I think your little guy has done brilliantly! If the bassoon was too big for him at the beginning I'm guessing that he was well younger than DD when she took up the flute! Also, although generally speaking wind instruments are easier in the beginning than stringed instruments. oboe and bassoon are harder than flute and clarinet. Add to that the fact that he was starting out from scratch without, presumably, any previous music instruction and without any experienced parental help and he far outstrips my DD!

You're absolutely right that schools/youth orchestras are always eager to welcome a talented bassoonist. Wise choice indeed.

I'm only glad that neither of my DDs want/wanted to go to Music College (20 and 16 now) as only the very best will actually come out with any real prospect of regular work. I watched with horror as a friend's DD took up a place at RNCM when it was the only offer she got! Only my DS is going to take music further and I worry even about him although he was offered a place at every college he applied to and scholarships at two of them. I really don't think it's worth going if you are only scraping into your last choice. If you want to teach, you're better off doing a Music Degree at a good uni.

I think you are being too modest frantic51!

I would hate DS to become a musician, although there are probably more employment opportunities for bassoonists but again they are never going to be rich. Of course they may always get school fees paid if they bring up little musical prodigies!

I may start the indoctrination process when he starts the RCM by walking past Imperial each morning and telling him of all the courses they offer!

That's the only drawback with the bassoon and other "cinderella" instruments. You'll pick up more orchestral/ensemble work if you're top notch than, say a flautist or a clarinettist, but, like the viola, it doesn't have a huge solo repertoire. At least with a more popular instruments there are plenty of concertos etc to be played, if you can persuade people to pay you to perform/record them!

what are other good 'cinderella' instruments? ie easiest to get into school bands/orchestras?

DS was interested in the trumpet, is there much demand for them?

also, sorry for thread hijack but is it ok to only start with a first instrumnt at 9/10/11?

Viola, Double Bass, Euphonium, Tuba. Trumpet is probably the most popular of the brass family so lots of competition there!

It's perfectly ok to start any of these instruments at around that age, with the exception of viola which is usually taken up by kids who learn the violin first. (DD1 plays viola as well as violin, DD2 has very small hands and struggles to play 10ths even on the violin so I didn't encourage her to take viola) This is especially true for brass instruments, as it's hard to keep it going over the time they're getting their adult front teeth anyway, and the sheer size of the bass instruments make them unsuitable for very little ones (though I'd try and get it going a year or so before secondary school).

HTH

Double bass is the easiest of the stringed instruments and many conservatoires offer mini-bass courses for young children, where the applicant is only required to show musical potential.

True musicians can't be tested. Technique can be graded, but a true musician
May have no technical knowledge... Does a grade 8 distinction mean a child is a musical? Questionable I would say. It means they have commitment, dedication & either a love of music OR very pushy parents!!

Someone who is truly musical can spend 30 minutes with an instrument & give you goosebumps, but they might never read a note. That's why out of the 100's of kids who pass grades with high marks, only a few have the musicality within them to really move you.

To see & hear the passionate playing of a ? Strange (and difficult) instrument to play, type in KAI JENKINS to you tube. He's 11 & has been playing for less than a year! He'll never go to a music school, his parents couldn't afford the travel never mind the fees, & he'd never get through any technical knowledge in an exam but he won't allow that to stunt the musician within his bones because he's truly passionate! He plays for dancers in an adult dance group, he plays in public & has even been busking on 2 occasions!

I wish every child who is passionate about their music my best wishes. I send to all the children who are musical from within my love.