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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 2018

991 replies

stringchild · 23/08/2017 19:07

The new annual thread for those interested and/or auditioning! Ask questions, update your news - lots of nco parents on board and those hoping to be :)

OP posts:
hapsburg · 11/10/2017 07:55

Good luck everyone - I am still a bit sad that DD has decided not to audition this year.
Asked her about sightreading and she said it's always been really easy so she just kept going going til they told her to stop - but they have always let her carry on til the end. Mind you this is probably because she would not have been paying attention to whatever the steward told her Hmm

TaggieOHara · 11/10/2017 08:00

Thanks! I may give them a ring. Although his accompanist would be also be able to help him.

To be honest, it is about time DS learned to be a bit less reliant on me in his practice. It is one of the (many) pitfalls of being the teacher and the parent. Another major pitfall is being overinvested in processes like the NCO auditions... which is unfortunate, as it is so competitive.

Trumpetboy I would see being asked to do something more challenging than expected as a strong positive. In my non-music life, I will occasionally ask a student /candidate to have a go at something advanced, just to see what they can do. But only if they seem very promising :-).

folkmamma · 11/10/2017 08:28

Taggie - yes you can go in but have to leave for prepared sight reading. We had about 15 mins (which noo spent mostly plonking out vocal warm ups on the piano. Of course.)

Good luck!

TaggieOHara · 11/10/2017 09:51

Thanks!

Trumpetboysmum · 11/10/2017 14:24

Tagging I hope so. Hapsburg ds was certainly very surprised by the difficulty level of the unseen sightreading this year. Last year he found it fine but this year he said they had 2 piles a pile of photocopies ( which his came from last year) and then what sounds like a book of excerpts - we have one at home. Ds was given a piece from the back of this and he declared it the most difficult piece he had ever seen Shock- but I think that's because it included transposition which he just wasn't expecting

Trumpetboysmum · 11/10/2017 14:26

I hope I'm not putting anyone off by what happened yesterday they were all very nice and on the whole I think ds found it fine he was just a bit uncertain about what had happened- though he now says he thinks he can cope with anything Smile

Nigglenotes · 12/10/2017 11:16

Hello,

About 10 days to go and both pieces sound good. But, there is that extra thing, called musicality, and I have explained it to DD as being similar to acting - when she had a part in a musical, apart from learning the words and her place on the stage, on top of that she "acted" it all. I think maybe it is also about having an overview of the whole piece in your head as you play it.

Is that a really bad description? Can you explain musicality, or do you just have to develop it?

DD is ten today! She is at a village primary, and she still insisted on wearing her big "10 today" badge. I'm wondering about the chances of this happening next year in her final year of primary!

Wafflenose · 12/10/2017 11:24

Happy birthday, MiniNiggle! It's Goo's birthday next week. I have bought her a normal sized badge instead of the usual enormous one, because I wasn't sure that her secondary school would allow them.

Goo is on a Sports Leadership (aka Bossiness) course today. Rara has school, art club and brownies. Nothing musical to report.

Wafflenose · 12/10/2017 11:25

I think your description is very good, Niggle.

13 days until our audition day.

Minimusiciansmama · 12/10/2017 11:35

Happy birthday mininiggle! Seems to be the season for it- my mini is 8 next week and still has a handmade rosette badge. She's very excited to wear it to band and dancing! I shall be sad when she stops wanting them.

2 sleeps......

Nigglenotes · 12/10/2017 11:54

Thank you! She is wearing one of those extra large ones, that covers half her chest! She has PE today, so will have to find a way to take it off..

Younger DD(7), started the day weeping and will probably end it in tears. Such are my daughters' birthdays. It started when she saw the large balloon with DD's name on it, next to presents. "Why didn't I get a balloon with my name on it for my birthday" type of indignation. I expect similar after school. Always the same, every year. I live in expectation, though, that I will not be wiping away their tears when they are in their twenties! They are both so competitive with eachother.

Wafflenose · 12/10/2017 11:58

Mine get something very small on each other's birthdays, which are very far apart... one in October and one in May. I've just got Rara a book. I won't do it for ever, but they do like it! They are competitive too, and don't really get on.

I do have musical news actually... I applied for Rara to audition for SWMS mid-year, and she's going to do it at half term. She has four pieces ready.

Trumpetboysmum · 12/10/2017 12:11

Good luck Rara and happy birthday mini niggle. Ds won't wear badges anymore but his sister has a large one ready for her 10 th birthday in a couple of weeks time . Smile my two are usually ok about birthdays although dd was quite upset that ds will be away for her birthday this year but I think she's got over it now . She'll have to get used to it as he's never here anyway ( and still wants to board at music school though we are currently resisting this one )

Nigglenotes · 12/10/2017 12:12

Waffle, that is a very good idea. I will get a little something for younger DD. My two do get on, except on their birthdays. When the overwhelming unfairness of life suddenly manifests in sisterly jealousy! And of course the secret suspicion that I prefer one over the other..

Trumpetboysmum · 12/10/2017 12:26

Good luck Rara and happy birthday mini niggle. Ds won't wear badges anymore but his sister has a large one ready for her 10 th birthday in a couple of weeks time . Smile my two are usually ok about birthdays although dd was quite upset that ds will be away for her birthday this year but I think she's got over it now . She'll have to get used to it as he's never here anyway ( and still wants to board at music school though we are currently resisting this one )

folkmamma · 12/10/2017 12:28

OMG niggle, mine are EXACTLY the same. Nightmare! We do get them something small on each other’s birthdays but even that is subject to scrutiny and they’ve started to have expectations now (“for Moll’s Birthday, can I have...”). So ungracious! It drives me potty.... 😂

Nigglenotes · 12/10/2017 12:33

I know, I know. I have tried to explain that it is actually quite rude to burst into tears of misery to see your sister showing happiness with a new present, but it falls on deaf ears. Luckily this drama unfolds at home.

Nigglenotes · 12/10/2017 12:50

Waffle, is that an orchestra?

Wafflenose · 12/10/2017 13:41

South West Music School. It's our local answer to a Junior Dept, as it's nearly 100 miles to our nearest one. They don't meet weekly, but the baby ones have six Sunday workshops per year. Goo's group have mini residentials, a mentor, a budget to spend on courses, and first study lessons paid for. I teach Rara's less able friend, who got in this year, and then I kind of went, "hang on...!"

Rara's getting well into music at the moment, which is lovely. It ranks below reading and making things, but she wants to join the town children's orchestra too. We tried to talk Goo into it to make my life easier, but she pooh-poohed that idea. Oh well, we're pretty busy. Lots of auditions and things coming up.

folkmamma · 12/10/2017 13:49

Waffle, that’s really interesting.... been thinking about junior departments for my two but it would mean giving up their beloved theatre school. This could work!

Wafflenose · 12/10/2017 13:59

The next official round of applications opens in Jan/Feb... I filled in an application form for Rara last spring, and she bottled out. I know there is space in the baby programme, so I emailed them. They are being accomodating about it because she has some SEN and couldn't cope with an audition back in the summer. We'll see if she goes through with this one.

Wafflenose · 12/10/2017 14:02

Eek! accommodating (sp.)

folkmamma · 12/10/2017 14:12

Good luck Rara!

se22mother · 12/10/2017 14:18

Good luck Rara . Is she auditioning both instruments?

Ordered loads of new books at dd's teachers requests for both instruments. Hopefully that is it in music expenditure for the time being

Wafflenose · 12/10/2017 14:25

Yes she is, se22. They like to hear everything they can play. Neither DD really plays the recorder any more, although it was first study for both of them for so long!