BTECs or A Levels? How do I advise DS?

[Puffykins]

DS is looking at 6th form colleges. He's quite bright, predicted 7/8/9s in his GCSEs - and a 9 in music, which is what he thinks he'd like to do (he maybe wants to be a music teacher.) The local college only does a BTEC in music - but there's another one which is slightly further away that does a music A Level. I'm keen that DS doesn't accidentally narrow his choices (he also thinks that vocational engineering sounds fun - he knows nothing about engineering). Am I being biased towards A Levels? I have a suspicion that A Levels are viewed more favourably by some universities.

@Puffykins English degrees are not that competitive these days. Music and Art would not hold him back in my view for English. However if he wanted law, another subject (not art) would be better. In my view. English degrees really want English lit and keen readers!

Definitely considered academic - in a way that Art is not.

My dd did btecs and has gone onto university with no problems

@OhCrumbsWhereNow @TizerorFizz thank you! This is brilliant (and phew!)

Yeh all he needs for an Eng lit degree is Eng lit A level [waits for people to come along and tell me he doesn't even need that lol] plus two others, pretty much any.

The issue with taking A levels in both art and music is not access to art materials, but the sheer amount of coursework. Still, if he is doing art and music GCSE he has a taste of that already, See if he still thinks it is a good idea in March next year maybe.

Music is less coursework heavy IF they are hugely invested in the music and find composition easy. As the practice needed to support the performance element is just being done anyway.

I got caught out on assuming there was no coursework for Music GCSE because DD just does 2-3 hours practice every day and has done for years. So for the performance assessments she just picked a couple of pieces and did them with no extra prep needed. I hadn't clocked that for a lot of students the amount of prep and practice would be new and onerous until friends were bemoaning the weekends slaving over pieces.

If your DS doesn't much like practice then take that into account.

Art is always a huge time filler.

@clary It is easier if you can spread your time over the weekend though! DD did Art and Photography. She worked very hard at both. Evenings and weekends. Many dc cannot do that at home, for obvious reasons. Two arts subjects can be done but it needs dedication!