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Extra-curricular activities

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

Original poster

March Music Thread

999 replies

Wafflenose · 01/03/2017 07:36

Here you are - a new thread for March! I can't believe we are now up to 700+ posts each month. Thank you all.

I am Waffle, Mum to two girls. I have Goo (11), short for Kajagoogoo, which is 'short' for Kaj, which means... well, that would be telling! Her younger sister is Rara (8) - Rara is what she used to call herself when she was learning to speak. Goo plays the flute, recorder and piano. Rara plays the cello, recorder and clarinet. We have Grade 7 Flute and Grade 1 Clarinet booked for the end of this month. I think we might have Grade 3 Cello and Grade 4 Piano coming up next term. Goo is off to secondary in a few months, and I really don't know if she will ever manage to fit in her last couple of recorder exams. I'm all for saving money though.

I will try my best to read everything and follow this month. Last month's thread moved so fast!!

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Kutik73 · 13/03/2017 14:24

Thank you all! I have a courage to ask school now! The next hurdle is to talk to ds about it. He doesn't like missing school/lesson sort of child...

Kutik73 · 13/03/2017 14:28

I have a meeting with the teacher straight after school finished on Wednesday so I'm afraid I cannot take ds out early. I just have to grab him and run to the audition for this one. But I will try to take him out a bit early for another ones.

Icouldbeknitting · 13/03/2017 14:38

Kutik I've taken DS out before the end of the school day in both primary and secondary school after I've looked at the timings and found that there was no slack at all - even a minor holdup would make us late. School weren't that bothered because it didn't affect their attendance figures, he was there for registration. It was the same with exams in the day time, I made sure he was there for the register even if it meant him leaving immediately afterwards. Secondary school was so strict about absence that there wasn't even a form to request it until after the OFSTED inspection but they never quibbled at any of the absences (I never asked for permission but notified them it was happening).

I felt much better about doing this after I found out that someone had missed lessons every Friday throughout primary school for specialist sports coaching.

Kutik73 · 13/03/2017 14:56

someone had missed lessons every Friday throughout primary school for specialist sports coaching.

Wow, hope the child was not missing core subjects! Isn't it a pain when a child regularly misses lessons for extra-curricular? In our case, as my ds has his violin lesson in-school, he and his fellow school violinists missed (and are still missing) lessons on a weekly basis throughout primary school. It was OK before, but as he is in Y5 now, I start concerning about the amount of lessons he is missing.

For one off situations, such as a doctor appointment, exams and so on, I have no problem (hence I would like to take him out early this time). But weekly is a bit worrying.

Kutik73 · 13/03/2017 14:58

He is in school choir so again he misses lesson for choir sessions. Missing lessons twice per week!

Drivingmadness · 13/03/2017 15:44

Our really nice head teacher at primary never had a problem with it.

At sec school, both dc miss twice a week lessons because of music lessons. Only 1 or 2 teachers object. so if it's scheduled during their lessons, or when they have a test, they swap lessons.
To be honest I am a lot more relaxed about them missing lessons. They know they have to catch up, and it all makes their school experience more fun.

NeverEverAnythingEver · 13/03/2017 16:10

TBH I'm so tempted to take DS2 out every friday to go to a lunch time concert, seeing that all they seem to do is SATS revision. That's got to bore the hell out of anybody ...

raspberryrippleicecream · 13/03/2017 17:17

Schools are usually fine if DC can be their for registration. Picking up at 2, they've had their mark for the afternoon, no problem. No absence needs to be recorded.

raspberryrippleicecream · 13/03/2017 17:21

Sorry, phone caught up with other posters, and I see that was already said

onlymusic · 13/03/2017 20:44

I usually take my dd from school for the whole day when she has exams. School is strict attendance wise but I still do :)

woolleybear · 13/03/2017 20:45

Dd says the exam went quite well, she came out of school happy that's the main thing.

First two pieces went really well and she missed a note in the third, just didn't come out when she blew!

Sight reading went well as did aural which is generally her weak point but it's also difficult to judge if she got it right or not!

Scales didn't go so well. She messed up on 3, chromatic she missed the second last note but then corrected herself so did d, c, realised, did c# c. One scale she played a wrong note, and one other she played a one octave instead of a two, she's most annoyed with the last one as she wishes they had said. I'm resisting the I told you so with the scales so far and there are promises to practice more!

We've been out to dinner as a treat because really the hard work is what matters rather than the result. While we are there the subject of grade 4 came up...I'm keen to avoid exams the next two terms, bassoon exam a next term, and school entrance exam preparation the one after so I'm trying to persuade her to perhaps miss it out and head for grade 5. Is that realistic in 4 terms? I'll discuss with her teacher and see what she says when the results are in.

onlymusic · 13/03/2017 20:52

Can anyone advise please?... Am I right thinking that music lessons are good to have on clild's "CV" when applying to oversubscribed selective private school?

onlymusic · 13/03/2017 20:54

Oversubscribed is probably not the right word, perhaps very popular?

onlymusic · 13/03/2017 20:57

woolleybear good luck with the results. It does not sound bad to me, I am sure your dd will get a result she will be happy with. And she certainly deserved her dinner!

Original poster
Wafflenose · 13/03/2017 20:57

Well done to your DD, woolley. I hope she enjoyed her treat. I have never had anyone go from Grade 3 to 5 clarinet in four terms, but it I do like to play hundreds of pieces in between, and am sure it's perfectly possible for a motivated child. Amongst other things, there's a huge jump in requirements for scales, sight reading (rhythms!) and aural, although no doubt others will have taken that route.

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Paulweller11 · 13/03/2017 20:59

I think it's possible. My dd skipped gr 3, did gr 4 in autumn term, then gr5 in spring term after. On violin- but I would think your dd would be fine.

Kutik73 · 13/03/2017 21:16

woolley well done to your DD. I think scales play very small part in the exam so she will be totally fine. Anyway as you say, the process dose matter than the result. Your DD absolutely deserves celebration for her challenge. Smile

only, I'm not an expert in the area as I haven't experienced 11+ yet. But I assume any commitment and achievement will be good on cv?

LooseAtTheSeams · 13/03/2017 21:17

Good luck woolleybear and totally agree that she deserved her treat!

Greenleave · 13/03/2017 21:35

Oh nice Woolley!

On skipping exams, we skipped piano g4, Violin g2. We do loads of Sonatinas, etudes in between though. Piano comes relaxed and easy compare to violin where I havent settled down with a teacher yet the last 9 months.

March Music Thread
raspberryrippleicecream · 13/03/2017 21:36

Not the same obviously, Woolley but DD took Grade 2 sax one summer, Grade 4 sax following summer and jazz sax Grade 5 (so slightly different requirements). But in effect 2 -5 in 5 terms. She was Y6 for Grade 4, Grade 5 was new school and teacher.

We totally reward the hard work too.

Festival starts tomorrow for us, five days of classes! I can't go during the day sadly, but DH will be there for DS. I'll be there for the evening sessions

woolleybear · 13/03/2017 21:42

Waffle, thanks for the insight, I will bear in mind that it would be a big leap. I would rather just give exams a miss for now and play a bit of variety but dd seems a bit exam obsessed!

Fleurdelise · 13/03/2017 22:24

Woolley it sounds like the exam went well good luck with the results. Dd went for grade 1 to 3 piano in 3 terms and now from 3 to 5 in four terms if she will actually take it in June (as I am freaking out). On clarinet 1 to 3 in 2 terms if she takes in the summer term. I hope she won't do grade 4 on clarinet and skip again even if it takes few terms.

stringchild · 14/03/2017 05:37

Woolley - well done to dd. My dd did that jump/timescale. We then had to do s lot of tech catching up post G5 - Clarinet seems to really step up at that point technically and stamina wise. So it was fine for the G5 itself but prob maybe prepared for some big tech consolidation after ? Still can't remember why we did it that quick as we don't take many exams!

Icouldbeknitting · 14/03/2017 06:51

Woolley well done your dd. Scales are only a small number of marks, the experience may make her want to spend more time on them but I wouldn't hold your breath. We skipped G4 but I don't remember that G5 came around really quickly. I remember the timing of 1,3 and 6 but although I remember the pieces I can't remember the timing of G5.

Trumpetboysmum · 14/03/2017 07:03

Kutik echoing what others have said school ( especially secondary) don't seem to mind me taking ds out for music ( he will have missed 3 days this term!) and at primary ( ours at least) they do so little music I had no problem with it at all. Ds went from grade 3 to grade 5 in 2 terms I wasn't keen on this as an idea but it all worked out in the end though sometimes when music teachers make comments about him being lazy with his counting or technique issues I think that's why I am all for lots of playing and exams when they are securely at that level