Youth Orchestra and finding other opportunities to play

[spaghettihoopsagain]

How do you find out about orchestras/ensembles and other opportunities for playing together in your area? Dd, just 10, is around grade 5 standard and she is too young to join County Youth Orchestra (12+). We also have Ds, just turned 8, grade 3 violin - we tried a Saturday school (also County Music run) but it was not great for either of them as most children were pre-grade 1 standard. We have a great privately run orchestra near us for grade 6+ but most members are much older (age 14+) so it could be tricky socially. If children are young but on higher than average grade level then it seems tricky.

Thanks Trumpetboysmum but we are nowhere near there. We actually live an hour north from RCM so Saturday Junior dept would be totally doable for us, as would RAM primary academy. We are total novices and only just learning that these places exist. What's the difference between these two places and are they as good as they sound? It sounds like RAM primary need to re audition for the junior academy but no re audition needed for RCM junior sept at 12 yrs. Also no idea if DD would be suitable, she started playing 3 yrs ago age 7, grade 1 distinction 18 months ago and in Nov she took grade 4 (high distinction). She is grade 4 on 2nd instrument and also plays recorder (no formal lessons) so not as high standard as others on this list. Music is her thing and she loves it. Just seems a shame we can't find more opportunities to play at the moment. The junior dept dates and times work well for us as school hols are generally not good for us as we have other commitments.

I've been the mother of the youngest player in the ensemble several times (same child, different groups). It can be difficult socially, when DS was ten we asked that he not progress to the more senior group. He met the playing requirement by two grades but he would have been the youngest player there by at least four years and I had no idea what he would have found to talk about at break times with eighteen year olds. As he has got older it has become less of an issue, at 13 he was the youngest player in the county ensemble by several years but didn't have a problem fitting in (at least with the boys, older girls were a mystery butI had no problems with that). I think there's a big change for them socially when they move school at 11, there's a huge change in status between being a primary school pupil and a secondary school pupil. I would have thought that the private orchestra with the 14 year olds in it will be easier to navigate in another year.

I'm also boggling at the cost of 8 rehearsals plus concert. Our county groups are free to play and their residentials are subsidised.

We haven't auditioned yet for jds as they are quite a trek for us and with high school homework it's a big commitment. ds would choose music everyday but I'm trying to maintain some balance as he's only in year 7 you can get advice lessons at the jds so that might be worth considering then you would know if your dd was ready yet or not ( though it sounds like she's well on the way)as a rough guide it's grade 5 distinction at age 10/11 but a lot depends on when you started etc. I also am totally new to this (ds had trumpet lessons at school age 8 and it just turned out that he was really good/ loved it) so I am also making it up as I go along

FWIW the CYM I know of has bursaries based on income and also scholarship (very generous ones at that) based on instrument depending on the need.

I wouldn't worry about the age gap.
Before we moved, my 9 yr old violinist (7/8yr old at the time) played in the youth concert orchestra, amongst all secondary aged kids, mostly 14+.
There was a 10yr old violinist there too who she would chat to.
Entry was by audition, think they needed to be gr4 +.
She loved it!
She was also in the youth string chamber orchestra, which was mostly kids aged 16+, again she didn't really mind and neither did they. Although socially, that was a little harder, as they didn't really have much in common apart from music, but they play for most of the time anyway.
Cost wise, not too bad, couple of hundred a year I think, with discounts for low income families. Yours does seem a little expensive, have you asked about any discounts available.

are you near saffron walden - they have a Saturday morning school with tutors from london. If you can't find it I'll look if up and be more precise!

or if you're near cambridge there's "quartet club" where children and adults and grouped by age and ability. In the holidays there is also Cambridge Holiday Orchestra which caters for all levels.

Thanks PianoCat - we're actually Newbury/Oxford area. There are no discounts or bursaries available at our music centre. I think we may go for the privately run orchestra (age12+) and see what they say. Dd is desperate to audition for RAM primary but really not sure she is good enough and undecided if we should go for it.

I think it really depends what's on offer locally as it's a massive commitment. For now as we're not that close to London I'm sticking with running ds here there and everywhere during the week but that leaves his weekends free for homework practice and being 11( which I think is important) if you don't have a wide variety of opprtunities locally and at school then a jd might be a better option. At the minute now that he's at high school the county and school , plus an excellent teacher, are providing all that he would get at a jd ( I hope!!)