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!).

DD's school has a chapel choir and she loves it. When she was on music tour the chamber choir sang anthems at a service in one of the Italian churches and it was a real highlight for her.

It'll definitely be a thing to look out for when we start looking at Unis. She'll be going for a science based degree but will want somewhere with a flourishing classical music scene and choral music opportunities. At least it'll help narrow the field!

DS and I sing in a church choir every Sunday. Four hymns, a psalm, an introit, an anthem and a mass, all rehearsed in 45 minutes then into the service! Keeps me on my toes! I don't believe in God, but it's very uplifting.

Are anyone's singing offspring doing a Rodolphus Foundation course this summer? DS is going to the one in Liverpool...

@herbaceous I hear those are lovely - though DD2 was very put off by the fact that at the one her friend went to there were apparently more people from Eton than there were from all the state schools in the country. But the standard is supposed to be very high!

DD2 is off to the Proms tonight with some of her orchestra/wind band friends. I love the fact that they apparently do this relatively often...all get standing tickets on the day and meet up to watch and listen. First time she's been able to go (she's younger than most of them going I think) - but gives me hope for musical youth as a whole. Not sure what she'll make of Verdi's Requiem but it's an education!

Hopefully the Liverpool venue will put off Etonians! Not quite cricket. Glad the standard is high though.

How fab re the Proms. DS keeps nagging at us to go, but as we're not in London I never quite get round to it. But who wouldn't love Verdi's Requem!

Just looked it up @herbaceous - four bassoons apparently, so she should be happy..seems to be her main criteria in judging a piece of music nowadays

Hope she enjoys the Verdi - some of my friends are singing in it. I obviously don't join the right choirs....

Thanks - I think technically she's supposed to be 15 to get in without an actual adult (they are all teens) and she isn't until the end of the month. Pretty sure she'll get away with it though. I have warned her she's standing, but she did the Globe the other day all the way through Richard III so should be OK!

@herbaceous the Rodolfus courses are amazing, DD has been to two and for her first one, age 11, she got to sing, amongst other things, Faure’s Requiem, so I would agree that the quality of music is high. Ralph is amazing and the pastoral care is super too. Sadly DD can’t make it this year as it clashes with something else but hopefully back next year.

I get annoyed at age limits at concerts compared to cinemas, I had a long discussion with one orchestra box office about the fact that the teen can be unaccompanied at the cinema much younger. Do they really think a 14 year old classical music lover is that rowdy? Do they check if older teens or adults are going to be rowdy? Yet an adult with any kind of behaviour issue is free to go in. They do have stewards and in many places actual security guards. I don't think they really knew why the policy was in place. Puts a bit of a downer on a group of kids going If they need a parent. If they were going Thursday/ Friday they would see the girls former teacher playing.

It’s to do with licensing. Why theatres and concert halls are licensed differently to cinemas I don’t know but certainly in London at least they are.

I guess 14 can be pretty young as well - but a London 14 year old who is 15 next week and used to covering the country and playing a lot herself isn't going to disrupt the Proms. She had a fabulous time - though complains that as she'd gone with three boys who were all six foot something and she is five foot nothing, they could see a lot more than she did.

It did sound like the beginning of a joke though - two clarinettists, an oboe player and a bassoonist walk into the Royal Albert Hall... though the punchline seems to be 'and argued all the way home about which instrument is the most difficult'

Can anyone talk to me about Nyo inspire?

My daughters at a local summer music school and suddenly come home asking about it. She's passed grade 8 flute but knew Nyo itself would be too competitive.

She'd previously assumed inspire would be full of 13 year old and she'd feel too old at 15/16. But from the literature it looks a mix? And it is of a decent standard itself isn't it? She had to audition to get into her local youth orchestra and as it's year 11 she doesn't want to take time out of this year for "everyone gets to participate" type events unless it's really good if that makes sense?!

And is it mainly London based?

I'm liking the fact it's funded....

Happy to chat further. Especially on popular instruments there will be older ones who just haven't quite got in but are definitely good enough. There are many more grade 8 players than they can take. For some it can also lead to getting to go on full NYO courses as two days guests. They also do an inspire orchestra in the summer and they are playing a piece at the proms. Mine have been to Lancaster and Blackpool, summer course was Dorset.

DS is in NYO, but worked his way in via Inspire initially (during lockdown) and has done some Inspire projects since.
I'd recommend it. It's a pretty decent standard and a very good way of potentially progressing into NYO.

It looks really interesting!! Thankyou both.

Is it really all paid for? (were low income)

Do you choose what to take part in or is it a contract.

When is the summer course? I want to make sure we're available.

Wow the proms!!

I think it would help her to see it as a potential way into NYO too.

She's quite black and white in her thinking (autistic) and really wants to spend time playing with those better than her to progress (I've pointed out that's logically inconsistent!)

Reposting from a separate thread!

Does anyone have a DC on the Royal Academy of Music’s Junior Academy Musical Theatre course?

DD’s classically trained singing teacher has suggested DD should apply, but I can’t see that it would be any better than the weekend courses at ArtsEd or West End Musical Theatre, and those courses would provide dance training as well as singing and drama.

It would be different if the RAM course provided an academic angle, eg joining with the other Junior Academy pupils for composition, conducting, improvisation and general musicianship training, which would help with her Music GCSE and A level and potentially open the door to a traditional Music degree, with all the wider career options that could lead to, including composing for musical theatre or being a musical director, rather than just the small chance of perhaps a maximum of 10 years on stage (for a female musical theatre actor) following a vocational performing arts degree.

Any advice from other families with DCs already on the course?

@GeneralMusings DD2 (now nearly 15) has done NYO Inspire for two years and loved it. There are residentials - they are completely free and she has done two in Blackpool, and there were free coaches from various parts of the country so didn't even have to pay for transport.

Some of the players are exceptionally good, and others are less so. She found it relatively challenging but not insanely so if you see what I mean. The tutor she had was very, very good this year and she learned a lot from her.

In terms of your questions, DD2 has been offered various things with Inspire and has not taken part in them all. After her second residential she was offered a free two week tour with the Inspire orchestra and the chance to play at the Proms though could not do so because of our other commitments sadly, and she wasn't able to do a playing day in Brighton because we were away - it does not seem to have stopped them offering other things. We were gutted re the Proms but just could NOT make it work.

Full disclosure, she may have got less if she'd played a more popular instrument. DD originally applied on flute which was her first instrument originally. They rang her and asked her to do bassoon as couldn't guarantee residentials on flute - but then she was right at the bottom of the age range then.

She started as a state school student (hence eligible for Inspire) but they seem to think she's still eligible now she's at specialist school on a government place so I guess she'll just keep going.

If I can tell you any more do ask. We've been really grateful for it and she's had some really good tutors. She's not applied for the main NYO (yet) but I can see the experience would help if that was something she was ready for.

Ah her main instrument is flute so that may answer that!! What makes them more likely to give them a place?? She would love it I think.

Her second instrument is oboe but she's not grade 5 level yet as she's only ha dit a year.

@GeneralMusings I would just urge caution on promising her the inspire orchestra. I think there were only about 50 in it this year, that's not their main focus for inspire. I think they say the minimum you'll usually be offered is one day in October, then hopefully a short residential in February. This is what most inspire members will do. They also do some instrument specific days during standard NYO residentials and the two day guests are where they get to take part in some actual rehearsals but not the concerts. Some people get offered things at the last minute, it just goes to whoever can take it. You couldn't really plan to be available for all those things. You can tell them about second instruments on the form. It's definitely not full of 13 year olds, they are in the minority, especially for wind instruments. Mine have enjoyed it.

Thankyou @horseymum all of that is really helpful! I compeltely assumed that was a year long programme that once in you were supposed to commit to all the activities that year (bit like our local orchestra) but it makes sense that it's a mix of activities and different people get chosen! Also helpful as I was concerned about overcommitting in gcse year if it was a lot of things!

She's a flute so knows there's always lots and she's less likely to get chosen. What's the main criteria with inspire - do we emphasise the orchestra she's done or is it more for those who've never done orchestras? Or do they want the best performers?

It sounds a fab programme.

I'm not sure about her oboe she's roughly only grade 3 so probably would rather not play that yet at a higher level! Now she has her flute she's going to try and work on her oboe this year I think :)

I think they say they are looking for those who will benefit the most. You need to be at a state school or be from an ethnic minority as those are both groups underrepresented in orchestras. I think they want people who will get stuck in and give it a go, sometimes they do improvisation etc so have to be prepared to try things. I think just be honest on the form, there are lots of questions. They don't actually audition for inspire.

Thanks will have a look at the form with her this evening :). I hadn't quite realised there was no audition - so it will go on what they write?

Always worth a shot :).

@GeneralMusings yes the first things they are offered go on what they write - when DD2 was offered more things they said it was because of her 'focus and determination' (she is very determined- though she's also a fairly decent bassoonist nowadays I guess - certainly wasn't when she got there). So once they get to know them I guess that some of their choices go on how they perform once they're in. No idea what makes them pick some above others other than that except the published criteria.

Maybe oboe next year?!