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Extra-curricular activities

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

Original poster

Summer term 2019 music

855 replies

thirdfiddle · 01/04/2019 14:50

A new installment of the long running music parent threads. Everyone is welcome from complete beginners to grade 8 and beyond. Thanks as ever to the lovely waffle for starting the threads up and looking after them for years. What are your plans for the coming term? Any exams, auditions, festivals, new instruments? Please come and chat.

OP posts:
Boyskeepswinging · 04/08/2019 22:07

He does it intentionally because he know it annoys me ... But as long as he is enjoying it, that's the main thing. If MiniLots has done school residentials before I'm sure he'll be fine. And will really enjoy being with other musical kids. I would have loved to have had these opportunities when I was his age. They're lucky boys!

Original poster
thirdfiddle · 04/08/2019 22:20

I suggested it lots but DS wasn't biting. 10 minutes a day is currently his optimal music time. One day he'll find out what fun he's missing! Hope your DS and all kids at music courses are having fun.

OP posts:
PetraDelphiki · 05/08/2019 14:01

My dd (12) is at brass academy (trumpet)...pm me and I’ll get her to keep an eye out lots... it’s her 4th brass academy, plus various pro corda trips so she’s well experienced!!!

Lotsofmilkonesugar · 05/08/2019 15:53

Thanks petra I’ve pm’d you! He seemed fine when I dropped him, he thought the school looked like Hogwarts 😂

PetraDelphiki · 06/08/2019 07:02

Poor dh has to drive there again this morning...panicked phone call last night “can you bring my flugelhorn too”...

Lotsofmilkonesugar · 06/08/2019 09:24

Oh no! Hope it’s not too far for him to go....

Comefromaway · 06/08/2019 10:22

Hi - I've decided that I will just get confused if I try to catch up on this thread so I'll just jump in and excuse me if I don;t know everyones ins and outs.

I have a ds age 15 who loves music but started off being interested in musical theatre as a singer. He started piano a couple of years ago and has progressed very rapidly but more in the sense that he can sight read scores (he's not so good on classical technique. His main love though is music technology, music theory and composition/arranging. He likes musical theatre and jazz and is obsessed with Adam Neely.

He wants to apply for a btec in music Tech then go onto unversity somewhere like Guildhall, Salford, Surrey, Liverpool or Birmingham Conservatoire.

His current summer holiday project is creating a second keyboard part (and click track for certain songs) from the piano/conductor score of Chicago for his school show so that they can perform it with the limited musicians the school has.

Boyskeepswinging · 06/08/2019 18:50

Welcome Comefrom. Sounds like your DS has his sights on some great courses! Have you been to any open days yet to get a feel for the various courses and uni's?

Comefromaway · 06/08/2019 18:57

We went to an open day at our local FE college who offer the Btec courses and he really liked it. Not been to any uni open days but he’s been sending off for prospectuses.

Boyskeepswinging · 06/08/2019 19:07

You're better off looking at the websites TBH, the printed prospectus is out of date before it's printed. Can't stress enough the importance of checking the entry requirements for anything he's interested in. There's nothing more heartbreaking than being rejected because you're not doing the right A levels or BTEC. Enjoy the research and best of luck!

Chakano · 06/08/2019 19:45

Mine has gigs galore with local amateur and semi pro Big Bands, playing a multitude of woodwind, as a dep for those on holiday.
Has also performed at a Music Festival.
I've printed some cards for next year summer hols as will be 16 with GCSE's over and able to earn some money for uni.
I'm thinking full weddings from singing in church, small ensemble at the reception and main band at night, that's about £500 a time.

Comefromaway · 06/08/2019 23:35

We emailed Surrey for clarification. If he does Btec instead of A level music they want Grade 5 theory, others wants Grade 6, 7 or 8.

Boyskeepswinging · 07/08/2019 07:05

That's good to know Comeaway. How far through his Theory grades is he?

Comefromaway · 07/08/2019 07:46

He’s never done formal theory grades but he has an encyclopaedic knowledge of scales, chords, modes & intervals & time signatures We’ve bought him the Grade 4 & 5 books. He knows almost all the Grade 4 stuff except viola clef so he’s working through the books to fill gaps.

Boyskeepswinging · 07/08/2019 17:14

Great! Sounds like he's right on track to meet those entry requirements. Best of luck with it all.

Comefromaway · 08/08/2019 12:25

I have a very excited young man today. His theatre group have been holding a week of workshops with various performers who have been in west end and touring musicals/dance shows etc. Yesterday the person running the workshop was someone who is currently a swing in the tour of one of ds's shows. Ds was playing the overture and a couple of the songs on the piano and the actor videoed him and sent it to the MD. To cut a long story short ds has been invited to go and sit in the pit for a show next week. It's something he has always wanted to do!

Original poster
thirdfiddle · 08/08/2019 17:31

That's so cool comefromaway! Hope he enjoys it!

OP posts:
Boyskeepswinging · 08/08/2019 18:18

Wow that sounds fab! Enjoy!

Lotsofmilkonesugar · 08/08/2019 21:00

That sounds great comefrom ! My horn player is presumably having a good time on his brass course as I’ve hardly heard from him.. apart from a text saying he had a nice ‘bolenegse’ yesterday !

PetraDelphiki · 08/08/2019 21:55

Dd having fun st brass camp apart from hating some game this evening where people compete on how many marshmallows they can fit in their mouth! Not sure anyone did a risk assessment on that one! Thankfully she’s veggie so is staying well out of it!

MargiaStevens · 09/08/2019 21:59

Sounds like the musicians on camp are having a great time! Not quite at that stage here so just interspersing practice with fun!

PetraDelphiki · 09/08/2019 22:32

They definitely seemed to! And I met lots which was cool!!!

Lotsofmilkonesugar · 10/08/2019 07:15

Lovely to meet you petra !! My DS is already asking to go again next year so it was worth the long drive!

KittyOSullivanKrauss · 11/08/2019 15:18

Nice to hear what people's DC are getting up to over the summer. I think my DS would like that sort of thing as well once he's older. He's having a well deserved break and musically just pottering with things that take his fancy. We found out at the end of term that he has a place at SWMS for next year and he got a strong merit for his G3 piano. He worked hard & he's really pleased with himself. Hope everyone is having a good summer.

Comefromaway · 13/08/2019 12:02

So after a couple of weeks study we gave ds a sample 4 theory paper yesterday and he passed. However he lost a lot of marks becaseu he knows hardly any Italian terms.

He's not the best at leaning things from books, he's much more of a practical learner eg school revision via Seneca rather thyan a texbook so can anyone recommend any apps or resources to help learn the terms needed up to Grade 5.

He flew through chords, intervals and key signatures.