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Extra-curricular activities

Find advice on the best extra curricular activities in secondary schools and primary schools here.

Original poster

NCO 2017 Auditions

197 replies

stringchild · 29/09/2016 22:24

Starting the annual thread for those who have dc auditioning this year, as audition round starts shortly. DD auditions later in october.

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Original poster
stringchild · 21/10/2016 14:36

Welcome - are they both flute? I agree it is a wonderful experience - DD is auditioning gif the 4th time next week, also for under 12s (was under 11s this year)

green - you never know until that letter arrives; the written feedback is always really useful too.

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nicky10000 · 21/10/2016 22:32

Hi stringchild yes both flute. Your dd must have been in the same orchestras, it's the first time I've used internet chat it's been really interesting reading. I hope your DD audition goes really well im so relieved my little ones is over so we can move forward with practice she's taking an exam in 3 weeks and she hasn't started the study yet.

Paulweller11 · 26/10/2016 19:42

2 x auditions done, one percussionist (age 7), one violinist (age 9). Now the long wait.
Both went pretty well 😀 I think

nicky10000 · 28/10/2016 18:30

Wow age 7 that's amazing I'm in ore of percussionists I think they are amazing they have such fantastic concentration. Good luck to both I think I'm more nervous for the long wait than my dd

Paulweller11 · 28/10/2016 18:53

9 yr old is not bothered as she is at music school.
7 yr old wants to go though. Not sure if she'll get in being so little, but we'll see.
I'm rubbish at waiting for anything! Smile

nicky10000 · 28/10/2016 19:09

Wow at music school that is very impressive how long has she been playing? which music school? I've thought about getting my little one to audition but it is a big commitment and extremely expensive

Original poster
stringchild · 28/10/2016 19:24

Paul - well done to your two.

well we are this weekend - at last!

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nicky10000 · 28/10/2016 19:53

Good luck for this weekend I think us parents get more nervous than the kids.

Wafflenose · 28/10/2016 20:05

Mine got herself in a state this year... because she hurt her arm (we thought broken, but it wasn't) less than two weeks before the audition. We managed to move the audition, then she recovered over the course of a week. The teacher wasn't keen on the 100-mile round trip involved on the new date, and I wasn't keen to accompany, so we moved it back. She missed a week of practice, but somehow (and oddly) with my DD, less is more! I was pleased to get it over with, because I couldn't have put up with another 10 days of hand-wringing over the sight reading!! All went fine on the day, but we are keeping our expectations low because so many this year will now be in Year 7, at places like Wells! We definitely can't afford private school, even with help, so she goes to the village school, and will go to the very nice comprehensive down the road next year.

nicky10000 · 28/10/2016 20:23

Hi wafflenose I'm really pleased to hear it went well for your DD. It sounds like we are in a similar situation my little one is still in primary school and we just could not afford to send her to music school which is her absolute dream we often have tears, we have her name down for the local comprehensive school 🙁🙁🙁. She had her audition a couple of weeks ago and I've told her that with her instrument it will be extremely competitive for under 12s with all the music school kids so not to get her hopes up too much. One of my other students auditioned the day before I'm hoping for regionals for her but again I've explained it's a good experience just auditioning even if she doesn't get offered regionals. It's a really long wait until mid December I'm in bits.

Wafflenose · 28/10/2016 20:28

Nicky - I have pm'ed you.

I had a student apply this year (first time for me... eek!) She's a 9 year old clarinetist who is around Grade 4, but can sight read anything! I hope to have 4-5 try out next year. Exciting, isn't it?

Eroica · 28/10/2016 20:30

Ours is done- I stupidly left it late to register, and both days on our local auditions were full. We had to do 100 mile round trip :-(
Dd was unfazed by it though. I'm never sure how it went, she's so laid back about ... everything. Confused

Original poster
stringchild · 28/10/2016 20:36

Eroica - well done

Nicky - my dd, and Waffle's and yours must all know each other from under 10s and 11s! Fingers crossed they all get in again - but i agree it is fiercely competitive.

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Eroica · 28/10/2016 21:31

I think string sections are always the most competition to get in, aren't they? Makes you wish they'd chosen rare instruments.
Glad to hear your dd managed hers, wafflenose. When you'd said she'd injured herself, I thought that was going to be it.

Wafflenose · 28/10/2016 22:51

NCO has said that violin and flute are the most competitive. But it's all very competitive really!

I was strangely calm about Goo's injury. Maybe because I suffered worse in 2009, and it should have ended my career, but didn't. I somehow knew it was going to be OK. But it certainly acted like it was broken for the first few days - nobody knows why she couldn't move it. I thought the late audition was a good thing, and the teacher said it was fine... then it wasn't fine. I didn't fancy the piano accompaniments, so back to Plan A it was. Not a lot of practice took place, but we are hoping for regionals.

Paulweller11 · 29/10/2016 09:03

Nicky- the govts music and dance scheme (mds) helps with the fees for music school.
I would send her in for an advice audition and see what happens. 😀

Original poster
stringchild · 29/10/2016 13:23

Hi Waffle - can i ask where did NCO say that? Would be interesting to see. i have always thought all instruments are pretty competitive, and it varies between years/orchestras which instrument has the most applications (with the exception of violin - but then there are a lot more places for that). But if there are some stats out there would be interesting?

Well dc's lack of practice due to the braces problem is really showing, so not sure how today will go....

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Wafflenose · 29/10/2016 13:30

All the best for today, stringchild. My DD didn't practise at all for 7-10 days due to her injury, but her teacher thought the pieces sounded fresh, so hopefully the same will happen for yours! Is she doing cello as well today?

When DD was 8 and I rang up to enquire about levels and whether it was worth even trying out for the first time, they mentioned that the violin and flute are both popular and competitive, but in a positive "it's worth having a go anyway" kind of way. I'm so glad we did it. I also read it in a page on the old website (I will link if it's still there on the new one) about late auditions and having places still available in the new year. It said something like "this is very unlikely if you play an instrument like the violin or flute". Also, someone on the ABRSM teachers' or parents' forum (many years ago) was told that the overall chance of getting in on the violin is (or was) 1 in 4. It is all very competitive, but for the younger age groups, they get very few applications on certain instruments (mainly the bigger ones that you just can't start at 4 or 5) and for a while this past year, they didn't have a single double bass player for Training.

Wafflenose · 29/10/2016 13:47

Here

Greenleave · 29/10/2016 22:36

Stringchild, nicky: fingers crossed!

Original poster
stringchild · 29/10/2016 23:39

Waffle - thanks for that; yes she is doing both. it is a bit heavy(for us anyway) doing four pieces at this level

actually its tomorrow not today - not sure why i typed that! our accompanist is poorly and has had to pull out (only heard today) so that is going to make a couple of pieces tricky. DD is fine playing on her own normally, but unfortunately the audition pieces will have some long pauses in them where the piano will be....will try to get dd to adapt but a bit late now and don't want her to panic....

doesn't feel like this year will be her year given braces, accompanist, how pushed she is with school exams.....

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Wafflenose · 29/10/2016 23:58

You never know... I felt that last year. Goo utterly fell apart at the beginning of Oct 2015 due to a sub-par performance (actually, I think that was the beginning of a complete change in personality and the any of any confidence she once had Sad), she didn't have a teacher, freaked out at the last minute and insisted on playing a piece she hadn't played for 14 months! That one ended up having to be unaccompanied too, but apparently 50% play unaccompanied. Your DD could always count "1234 (short pause) 7234" or whatever, to show the correct intention if there are any seriously long gaps. I hope they all get in again.

Eroica · 30/10/2016 10:38

Hope all goes well today for DD, stringchild Smile

Have you been doing secondary entrance too? It's worse waiting to hear about schools than NCO, IMO!

Original poster
stringchild · 30/10/2016 10:59

Eroica - yes we have/are doing the secondary school entrances too....i think a lot of results arrive in Dec same as NCO - think i will start stocking up on wine and chocolate now :(

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NickyBella · 30/10/2016 11:29

Thanks very much greenleave, Nicky

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