Hi all you lovely Mumsnetters, apologies that this is long but don't want to drip feed.... - I remember from another thread that there are quite a few singers/singing coaches/music teachers on MN, and I could really use some advice, please. (Desperately trying NOT to come over as pushy parent ).... OK, DD (11) has singing lessons at her small private school. She is moderately/severely dyslexic (has no 'phonic ear', has auditory processing difficulties and short term memory problems) and moderate/severe dyspraxia (difficulty concentrating). She is also extremely tall (164 cm) and growing fast. The voice that is emerging seems deep and powerful. She loves singing. She also really really wants to study drama and we are looking at Tring for her next school. She doesn't want to be a musical theatre star, just a dramatic actor. She has just taken Grade 2 singing so obviously would have a long way to go if Grades are the thing. Her big brother is Grade 8 and off to Cambridge with a choral award as well, so I have some experience. My problem is that she is not exactly thriving at her school musically....I am not looking for her to be the 'star', just that a lot of attention is given to three girls who sing duets etc really nicely together, and DD gets overlooked a lot, even though they are all in the school choir and work together most of the time. A clue to the problem may be that in the Year Play, she had a part with a number of solos that were transposed down for her, and to be honest when she came on stage she sounded like Ella Fitzgerald, but she couldn't sustain it and went croaky. (She has no nerves, btw). Now in her report the music master has written " Her ability to read music lags behind her vocal ability somewhat at present and her lower voice is still more developed than her 'head voice' ." I want to ask him if her dyslexia is affecting her progress, and if so, if there are ways to overcome that, and I also want to be sure that she is not being required to sing like a choral voice when her natural voice is heading towards a mezzo-soprano range, given her likely eventual height. But I don't know what questions I should be asking...I just feel that she is proving hard to teach and so she is getting less and less attention - and it matters because she really really wants to study drama and i think it is generally accepted by those who know her that, like many dyslexics, drama is her real strength. I guess what I am asking is - does the dyslexia impede musical growth?
Thanks if you bothered to stay with the rambling - I appreciate it.
Please or to access all these features
Please
or
to access all these features
Find advice on the best extra curricular activities in secondary schools and primary schools here.
Extra-curricular activities
Singing lessons/music aged 11 - desperate for advice!
6 replies
BCBG · 15/07/2013 19:55
OP posts:
Please create an account
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.