NCO2020

[Stringchild]

So my last time of opening this thread - a place to share 😊

Got news from U13 here. Quite a surprise move from NCO. Glad I don't need to check email every 10 minutes tomorrow.

Happy to stop refreshing my emails too... I have a happy U13s Viola player (although she is more accustomed to the violin - it's the risk you take when you audition on two).

Folk there'll be lots of other opportunities... I've got two children who have had varying results over the years from NCO and have had happy experiences with other musical adventures

Thanks @Musicdoc - despite my eagerness/ anxiety over the result, I'm actually fine about the outcome and DD will be too. She's seen her older sister go through it and in her case, it set off a chain of events that resulted in her getting a place in a London JD within a year thereby proving that a no from NCO at 9/10 is most definitely not career defining 😘🤣 I'm just relieved to know so we can crack on with setting up other opportunities.

@folkmamma NSSO is fantastic too. DD has done NSSO since 2017. She won't attend next year as it is getting too expensive with the U13, NCO Regional and Junior Conservatoire. I will be broke again next year.

Yes for U10! DS will be over the moon tomorrow morning!

As expected no place for DD - but email said she is on a reserve list for the regional orchestra. Lovely encouragement for a little 7 yr old.

DD got in to U12 and is thrilled! Well done to others who have got in and commiserations to those who didn’t this time.

Congratulations to all of you with good news!

Hello! I'm new but thought I'd find an updated thread on Mumsnet. My DS has a place in U13. Totally new to all of this so TELL ME ALL!! I will probably try to sign up for the regionals as well as the repertoire looks great and hopefully it'll be good socially.

Feeling slightly bad for older DS for whom it wasn't the right thing when he was the right age - he will be very envious. Ah well.

Also wincing slightly at the cost. Beans on toast for the next year ...

Aha stringchild- now I realise who you are! Your DD is in?

Mains for DD
She will be v happy when I tell her tomorrow... have no idea of the dates tbh, I don't think I even bothered to check. We have to confirm by Thursday that's pretty soon.

U11’s percussion Dd and U13’s violin Dd in here.
Congrats all- is that it? Has everyone heard?

First of all congratulations to all who had good news!
Unfortunately, my DD got a neg for U11 (after a neg for the U10 last year), on the violin. She is a ABRSM grade 5, and (I think) she does rather great for her age. The feedback received was generally positive (but then, would they say anything negative?). The thing is I cannot place her in relation to where she should be for the NCO - is there a point in preparing and auditioning again next year, seeing as she will be up again against the same people she has been found lacking against twice? May I ask which pieces your child auditioned with (on the violin, U11)? Just trying to understand how the system works and how to proceed.
Again, congrats and thanks in advance.

@Eroica brilliant! Yes dd is in Mains too 😊

deepflatflyer regionals are, in our opinion, completely worth it. It’s a 5 hour round trip for us but we wouldn’t hesitate. Especially as your DS is new to it, it will give him chance to meet some u13s before his Easter course too.

Bumped up to U12 here on the harp (so as to be part of a section rather than Billy no Mates)- same last year too. Might be hard being a primary school kid with everyone else at high school- but dd is beyond happy- she loved 2019 and U12s have a real concert too. We can’t do spring though so hoping nco will still accept her- i emailed last night.

Mimu a lot of NCO kids go to private schools so will still be at their prep schools for U12s so I really wouldn't worry about that.

Ada in the normal world G5 for U11s is great, but Violin is probably the most competitive instrument for NCO, both in terms of the number of applications and the incredibly high grades some kids have at a very young age. It's particularly pronounced with Violin because you need relatively little physical strength to play it. You don't get too many U11 G8 Trombone or Tuba players!

Many congratulations to all. And, yes, there are a lot of other opportunities out there for those who didn't get a place. Just enjoy the journey!

Ada DD has auditioned five times, straight in twice, once in off reserve list, twice rejected. Acceptance is down to so many variables that there's no way to say whether they'll get it. I will say that violin is most over-subscribed instrument though. We know children that were G8, and studying at junior conservatoire that didn't make it in some years on violin.
As long as she enjoys what she is doing then it's worth going for. Audition experience is also useful. I hope she's not too disappointed

I have a question for the NCO veterans out there.... Can you choose your regional orchestra or does it get allocated? We're spoiled as we're living between two venues but can't make the concert day for one of them. Thanks!

Stanlin - choose the one you can make all of it for as everyone is asked to commit to all four dates (incl concert) plus your young person will kiss out not seeing the output of their work.

@squintsoftheworldunite - yes, that's my gut feeling too. Nice to have as many playing opportunities as possible too. The travel is not too bad for us - two trains, I think. I spend my life schlepping around on trains with kids and instruments so it's not an unusual challenge.

General question though: what are the residential courses like? I'm sure the organisers have loads of experience and help the kids integrate but my DS, over breakfast this morning, said 'what, I have to stay there?' Had I neglected to explain that? Possibly. I think he'll be up for it but is obviously going to be extremely nervous. He's perfectly fine socially - very friendly lad - but I can imagine how I would have felt in similar circumstances.

We did the application in a massive rush - applied after the initial deadline and by video, so we sprang it on him a bit (it was his teacher's suggestion to apply as he heard that certain instruments were still under-subscribed).

Anyway, happy I think. Just have a million questions. Not least about when they want all that money ...

We have a very happy 11 year old here. Made it into U11s on violin. This is her fourth year of NCO now. And she was overjoyed to hear from three violinist friends that they also made it.
Ada She auditioned with Praeludium and Allegro by Kreisler and It Ain't Necessarily So (arr. Heifetz). Grade 5 at under 11s is a wonderful achievement. You must be extremely proud of your DC.

Anyone new to NCO: please grab the offer of regionals with both hands. It's completely worth it especially after they introduced the sectional tutor in every rehearsal last year. It worked wonders for minority sections. We also enjoyed fewer travelling times and more focused playing in the year (March to June instead of Jan to November). DD started with SW Regional and fell in love with orchestral work. You can choose a regional that works best for you,

We have a no for U10s and a yes for U11s. U10s was at the lower end of the grades which NCO give as guidance. U11s was at the higher end, so we were sort of expecting this.

Hello @moralvictor, and congrats on your DD's success. Yes, she is doing well, which is why the NCO is just so confusing - locally I do not know any other children working at that level at that age (on the violin, plenty on brass), and indeed she won a competition here (strings by ABRSM grade rather than age category, so against older kids) last month. The Kreisler is definitely the standard of her audition pieces, so at least we seem to be on standard here - thank you for putting my mind at ease.
@Eroica - thanks, from my point of view she has learned so much in the run up to the audition that it was worth it. But she is only 10 still so would not understand that, and does not enjoy the process at all (although the video audition this year was better than the live one last year) - have not told her yet, as last year it knocked her confidence for six.
@Boyskeepswinging, thanks for the info, that is interesting as I do not know many kids playing the violin at that age. My daughter is the only one in her entire primary, and the youngest by a good two years in her local orchestra. Your other remark is also interesting: "a lot of NCO kids go to private schools". Hmm, did you know that according to the NYO state educated musicians are a minority like BME? My daughter is disadvantaged because I choose to send her to the village primary? Probably a whole different thread to that one.
Thanks everyone, food for thought here.