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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 residential - help

36 replies

lucasnorth · 03/06/2018 09:12

Hi
My DD (almost 9) is going to the residential in the summer and now getting cold feet.
Have anyone’s DC been that young? Is there anything I can tell her to put her mind at ease?
I think the worry is partly that she’s only been away on her own with school before, and doesn’t think she will know anyone (her 3 desk partners so far at regionals are not going); and partly that she has found the music at regionals really hard and is worried she is going to struggle.
Thanks in advance

OP posts:
Paulweller11 · 03/06/2018 10:52

My 9 yr old will be in under 10’s too- which regionals do you go to and what instrument does she play?

stringchild · 03/06/2018 12:02

Hi Lucas my dd first went at 8, and is now in her 5th year. Tips/thoughts from her

  • the pastoral/social staff are amazing and will be there to help and support and have a laugh
  • if she can meet someone at regionals to put on room share list it will help (ask the NCO office to help if she hasn’t met anyone at regionals - not everyone does as some are so big)
  • dd decided not to call us until end of the week as it upset her more to do so; so my advice is to let he decide herself whether she wants to - that decision. Can make a big difference and only your dd cam make it. The office will tell you if any problems and you can ri g then to check in on dd without her knowing if you are worried
  • look at the new u13 video with dd - really sums it all up brilliantly
  • everyone struggles with some of the music; see if you can spend time watching YouTube of her pieces - also make sure her teacher helps With the orchestral excerpts so she feels in charge (they do not need or be perfect and they are not a competition :))

Pm if you want t ask anything specific - we have done other courses and - for dd- the age banding really makes the course better and NCO really know how to do this :)

stringchild · 03/06/2018 12:06

vimeo.com/271565198

Pythonesque · 03/06/2018 12:53

I've got a niece who's going who has only just turned 9 (cellist).

Original poster
lucasnorth · 03/06/2018 21:33

Thanks everyone.
Paulweller - she plays viola in the London juniors
Stringchild - many thanks to you and your DD. Really good to hear the pastoral staff are good. Will watch the video.
And thanks Pyhonesque too.

OP posts:
TaggieOHara · 04/06/2018 14:56

My DS2 is going (violinist). He has just turned 10. From what is available on youtube for the younger orchestras - i.e. not much - the repertoire for the U10s/training orchestras will be less demanding than the tougher regionals pieces, some of which are seriously hard! And of course during the regional rehearsals, they concentrate on the hard bits, making it all seem impossible, if you see what I mean.

If it is any consolation, DS2 will not know anyone either. He hasn't really connected with anyone in regionals because they shift them round constantly in southeasterlies, and he has been desk partners with much older children so far.

Original poster
lucasnorth · 05/06/2018 09:32

Thanks Taggie. Yes, they move desk partners every time in London too. Fingers crossed the repertoire for training orchestra is more manageable or I fear this will be the only year we do it...

OP posts:
Radiodependent · 05/06/2018 14:05

Lucasnorth my ds is going to training orchestra too and is similarly wobbly atm. He plays double bass in Southeasterlies and has also found the repertoire hard but we are hoping the training orchestra stuff will be easier. I think one of his desk partners in Southeasterlies is also going so hopefully that will help. When he originally auditioned for NCO we didn’t think he would get in as he wasn’t that experienced so it’s been quite a learning curve!

Radiodependent · 05/06/2018 14:06

Ds will turn 9 the week before the course.

Paulweller11 · 05/06/2018 21:32

Lucasnorth happy to make contact if it helps? Message me if you want

Totalshambles · 13/06/2018 19:27

My daughter is 8 and this will be her first time away ever apart from sleepovers. She seems excited though! She is training orchestra.

TaggieOHara · 26/06/2018 19:50

Did everyone get their extracts today? The violin ones look much easier than the southeasrerlies regionals! There is even a glissando in one of them, which DS2 will certainly enjoySmile

Paulweller11 · 26/06/2018 23:22

Got u10’s but no u11’s

stringchild · 27/06/2018 06:47

No U12s yet for us

Trumpetboysmum · 27/06/2018 06:58

We've got under 13s !! Haven't looked at the music yet but for the first time ever Ds read the email and felt positive rather than out of his depth !! So that's good . He's loved his tutors in the past and was a bit sceptical that this one was going to be older - his others have been really young - but everything he's asked them to work on is stuff Ds is doing anyway !! Plus the music is right up ds's street - high and lots of Latin vibes so he's a happy boySmile

stringchild · 27/06/2018 16:21

And we now have U12s 😀

Trumpetboysmum · 27/06/2018 16:44

Good !! I do wish they would send out audition and course dates for next year though I'm starting to feel quite stressed by managing ds's diary Grin there are probably going through be lots of clashes !!

stringchild · 27/06/2018 16:54

Yes we have to pay the non refundable deposit for a school trip by Tuesday! Mind you we still won’t konw if they are in or not until Dec.....

Trumpetboysmum · 27/06/2018 17:03

I know Ds had to make a certain number of weeks for AYM if there are too many clashes he may need to choose between the two !! ( before I start paying fees!!)

Michaelahpurple · 30/06/2018 07:44

I’m a bit full of dread. My boy enjoyed both easter ones reasonably but was really miserable last summer and doesn’t want to go again. I was hoping for a change of venue because that seems a factor (Rossall) but with the age change he is back there again. Really not sure what I am going to do. Sorry / not a helpful post, just a rather stressed one!

Trumpetboysmum · 30/06/2018 07:58

It's odd as Ds really enjoyed that one ( though he says the food wasn't good ) Ds is really looking forward to the playing but says he's dreading the early bedtimes etc again Smile I'm just emphasising all the stuff that he really enjoys about it and hoping that I don't get the stressed out teenager phone call that we got mid week at easter because the internet/ bedtime rules were so unfair!! I guess it's just getting them to weigh up the positives against the negatives but that can be a hard thing for their early teenage brains to do !! ( teenagers are way much harder to parent than toddlers Grin) I don't think I'm being especially helpful - sorry - but good luck

stringchild · 30/06/2018 08:48

Hi we are the same situation of U12s again - dd did not enjoy the food at Rossall but the beach was s big plus. I think it feels longer than easter esp with the coach to Birmingham. Might you have a quiet word with the course mgr/head of social staff to check in with ds a bit more?

Michaelahpurple · 30/06/2018 08:55

That is a good idea - and thanks both for the comments. My impression is that tidal is less structured than port regis - fewer organised activities which distract him and more free form “go have a kick around” which he doesn’t do. But I think he brought quite a bit of it with him - I suspect the geographic distance might have had an effect. Hey ho. Fingers crossed

Radiodependent · 16/07/2018 20:22

We are getting ourselves in gear for ds’s training orchestra course in two weeks time. Anyone got tips on what to pack apart from the obvious stuff they tell you in the emails? Not sure whether to bother sending him with a phone as it might upset him more to call us, he wants to take his tablet although he knows use is restricted. He could message us on WiFi with it but I imagine there isn’t any?! Sounds like lots of books/comics might be good if the bedtimes are early?

Trumpetboysmum · 16/07/2018 21:10

I would pack clothes and snacks !! Otherwise they keep them pretty busy . They can use tablets etc at set times - but no access to wifi they have to use mobile data . Hope your Ds has a great time Smile