Spring /Summer 24 - Music thread

[northerngoldilocks]

The old thread was filling up, so here's a new one to talk about music activities. Come and talk about music lessons, choosing instruments, exams, auditions, specialist schools, orchestras or whatever other music activities are going on. Everyone is welcome, from those with total beginners to those whose children are studying music at advanced levels. Ask for advice or share successes or struggles. There's loads of experience across a wide variety of instruments too(though bassoon's are weirdly popular on here - you'd think that every second child plays one!).

Yes, thanks, C is in the mix, but concerned about pressure and generally being rubbish compared to everyone else. Also looking at Durham, Birmingham, RHolloway, Bangor, York, Cardiff, Southampton. Visiting and reading the course modules tells you a lot, but of course nothing tells you 'what is it actually like doing this course in this place'! Not really looking at being solo performer but enjoys ensemble playing, composition and the technical/analysis bits.

BIL did music at Durham and also really enjoyed it. He works in the City now (some kind of data analyst) and I think it was helpful to him that his degree was from Durham (as opposed to say a non-RG uni), so it might be worth thinking about that aspect too - not everyone who studies music ends up in music!

DD looked at some of these but went to RCM in the end. She has a friend who went to York and loved it - quite academic with an early music bent apparently but a great campus and a friendly vibe. Holloway is a great department for research but can get a bit empty at the weekend as a lot of people go into London and Egham is tiny and pretty dull. Southampton is a good department with interesting research and a nice university - my niece went for a different subject and really loved it there - so much she's settled in the city. DD has a few friends at Cambridge reading music who like it - lots of opportunities and lots of good musicians (even if they're not reading it) to play with.

Don't know anything about Cardiff or Bangor as music departments - Bangor is quite a small town. I know people studying other subjects at Cardiff who love it (and its cheap to live in by comparison to some of the others). The only issue I could see is that if they want to do lots of playing there is a conservatoire there - same applies to Birmingham -which means that there will be a bigger talent pool that will have its plusses and minuses. Manchester might be worth a look - I know someone there whose main focus was composition who loves it and has lots of great opportunities/experience despite not being the worlds greatest performer. Also I know someone at Leeds whose focus again was composition who is loving it there.

Somewhat off piste but it is quite easy to overlook Huddersfield which has a surprisingly good reputation for music. It depends on whether he wants to go into music long term or not - if the latter then (being snobby) it isn't as good a CV booster as some others on his list.

Thanks, yes, definitely aware of advantages of going for Uni's with good overall standing. Does need balancing with how much they like the course and how much they like the setting of course. Which is what then makes it tricky. Not looking at big cities so Manchester/Leeds etc not an option.

Hi, just after some advice, well, not that DD will follow it ...so I should say other's opinion...
DD is due to sit her grade 8 oboe performance exam later this week.
I was at a practice session and saw she kept drinking water. I made a comment about it and she said she would need to do that during the exam as well as she gets such a dry mouth during playing .
She did say she would use a nice glass instead of a plastic bottle...

Is that "normal" thing to do for oboe players?

She didn't do this for grade 5 few years ago but pieces were shorter.

Also, she has decided to play sitting down. Abrsm website mention this is not an issue but wondering what others are doing?

Hi. I would appreciate your advice please. My DD would like to apply to the Junior Departments next year. Her first instrument is the violin. I am just doing some research at this stage but I noticed that the RCM fees are much higher than those of the other JDs. Does RCM offer more? Also which JD has the best program for violinists atm?

@Legato00 my DS has been at RCMJD for 6 years. When he started age 11, he did 10-4. This included his lesson, choir, musicianship, a chamber group and an orchestra. Since yes 8 I think he has done 9-5 (often with a large gap during the day). Since covid choir was cancelled, but I think it might be compulsory still for younger students. He has had 2 Chamber groups for a while. I'm not sure how fees compare with the other JDs. We only have the basic programme with no additional time/studies. The fees go up every year as well. I hope that helps, if you have any specific queries let me know. Btw, DS is a flute player, so I can't comment on violins specifically

@Legato00 Hi, I've no personal experience of RCM - DD is at another JD, but auditioned at RCM on two instruments including the violin. When I went to RCM open day, my understanding was that their programme is more flexible for multi-instrumentalists, that's why we applied, but that might be just an outsider's view.

@Legato00 - how old is your DD? RAM do the primary academy and I'd understood that they then need to re- audition once they're too old for that. RCM and Guildhall don't have the different entry points though so for me that would also be a consideration.

@northerngoldilocks She will be in Year8 in September.

Ok- so that's not an issue, guess it doesn't rule anywhere out then! I find the whole thing really hard as you have no idea when selecting who would be teaching. I think that some allow trial lessons to work out a good teacher fit- in my experience of different music teachers (3 flute, 1 violin, 4 piano across 2 kids) that is the biggest difference but I also don't have experience of that level of JD.

I sent DD to guildhall to audition post grade 5 piano in year 4 but she wasn't anywhere near the right standard then. Now she's playing around grade 8 (year 6) I wonder if we should reconsider but her current teacher is really good and she's making great progress so for now she is staying put.

@Nonoboeplayer apologies for ignoring your post, not been on here for a while. Hope the exam went well, whether standing or sitting. I think my DD would usually stand for performances but it's not essential. We're hurtling towards the end of term here, with the usual amount of concerts, which I love. Youngest is appreciating playing a rare instrument as got asked to play with another council orchestra, adding another concert into the mix.

@northerngoldilocks - DD was at Junior Guildhall for piano and the programme for her (year 9 joiner) was very well structured and exceptionally well taught (the head of piano at Juniors is a Prof in seniors and doesn't teach any of them herself so she can be objective). Not sure what they offer for younger kids but she was offered consultation lessons on joining with as many of the different teachers as she wanted before deciding who to have. Each Saturday the pianists had an hours sight reading class with the head of piano, an hours ensemble playing - duets or symphony orchestra and an hours workshop which varied from being a performance class to listening to several different recordings of the same piece and critiquing it. That was on top of playing piano in a string chamber group, composition and conducting classes and GCSE support.

That all sounds really good @londonmummy1966 maybe we will reconsider it post grade 8 for her. Its interesting to hear all the extra things they do with pianists, the sight reading classes in particular are interesting. DD does a piano trio (3 pianists on the same piano!) at the moment and hoping to do a piano duet class next year, but otherwise its just individual lessons so its interesting to understand the wider scope that could exist at a JD.

Piano trio sounds fun @northerngoldilocks.

Dd has been playing duets with her duet partner since they were 8 (both now 15) and have great fun! She's currently in an eight hands group but they have two pianos for that - all four of them on one instrument would be a bit of a squash!

No big concerts for us this half term as all the year 11s and 13s are off on study leave. Left to come are her g4 voice exam, and evensong at an Abbey about an hour away - doing that as a school trip.

She is also rehearsing for the music tour that she's going on next month. They're going to Italy and she's very excited. I think there is a pre-tour concert for that.

@QueenMabby that still sounds like plenty going on to me! DD2 has a G6 voice, which she doesn't seem to be doing much practice for, an opera that she's randomly discovered she's in, as well as symphony orchestra and a concert for the smaller ensembles she's in too - on both flute and bassoon. We won't make it to them all - sad to miss the opera which seems to be a 1960s version of Dido & Aeneas.

horseymum, thank you for responding. She did sit down in the end, and scraped a merit. She is in the middle of A level exams so just wanted to "get it out of the way"...

Hello everyone,

I wonder if I can ask for some support with a petition? My DC (musicians) go to the Junior Conservatoire at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD). A few weeks ago, they suddenly announced their plan to close the Junior Department at the end of this term. It was a real shock to everyone and absolutely devastating for the children. The RWCMD SMT say it's due to financial pressures, but it seems more like an ideological decision. They want to be more inclusive, by forming links with schools (nothing wrong with that), but at the expense of about 300 talented young musicians and drama students, who will now lose the training they need and love at the Junior RWCMD.

If you have a moment, please could you sign this petition? They need 10,000 signatures for this planned closure to be discussed in the Welsh parliament, the Senedd. (They currently have just over 8,400 signatures.)

https://petitions.senedd.wales/petitions/246232

Here's an article about the situation: https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2024-05-25/protest-held-over-royal-welsh-colleges-proposed-cuts-to-junior-services

Thank you so much for any support you can give.

i've signed this @GreenTeaWhite - it is so important - terribly sad for those kids. School music is vital but children who really want to progress need more as well.

@Nonoboeplayer congrats to your daughter - merit is fantastic!

@GreenTeaWhite Delurking to add that I've just signed the petition. Thank you for highlighting it. My DC are at a regional conservatoire JD and I think it's really, really important that kids outside of London get access to high level opportunities. Our JD also does loads of local outreach and partnership work - that's how my DC started their journey there - so it's perfectly possible to do both.

Just signed the petition as well.

Thank you so much for signing the petition
@minisnowballs , @StrangewaysHereWeCome and
@chickentikkasalad.

Yes, the level of music tuition required for those who need more, especially those who are working on the higher grades or at ARSM & diploma level, cannot have their needs met by the community style projects the SMT are proposing to replace the Junior Conservatoire with.

If anyone is able to share this petition with friends and family, all of the parents and children of the Junior Department would most grateful.😊

I've also signed. Although we are in London we are in a council where they stopped having things like Council wide orchestras instead 'pushing the resourcing into schools directly' as a result the provision isn't great and there is no step up option. Neighbouring boroughs have better provision. This in turn puts greater pressure on jds as well as not facilitating higher level music training, so based on that experience I think it's right to oppose shutting the Welsh JD as the alternative won't be an alternative for those attending.

Signed too. There needs to be opportunities for all levels of players and definitely for those outwith London.