After grade 8 flute?

[GeneralMusings]

Hello

My daughter (15/yr 10) is sitting her grade 8 this summer.

Her teacher has floated that she might want to stop lessons. I think she knows we are fairly low income and we've been having an hour a week (!!). She has also just got into a regional youth orchestra that required an audition and grade 7/8 and her music teacher thought that might be enough (3 hours a week plus school orchestra).

She isn't going to make music her career but I know she does love her lessons. However we are struggling financially at the moment and it is her final year for gcses and she is now committed to her orchestra for 3 hours a week and going for her lesson takes an evening a week as well.

Any thoughts? I know proper music people will say to keep learning but just wondering compared to coat/time if it's a natural time to stop?

I think your solutions for your DD's music sound great! She is going to continue to get loads of music in her life and also have time to focus on GCSEs with some down time too.

Another one here with DC with SPD and food issues, so feel your pain on that one too!

@Floboe I had NO idea about the expensive of the oboe. None at all. I thought the flute had been bad and was quite naive.

We had a loan one for a year and then we did buy one heavily reduced through the music teacher (as much due to him not wanting to see the loan one ever again I think 😂).

I'm v grateful it's her second instrument as we cannot put the money into it it needs.

I can't believe how costly it has been to stay in music. But it has given my daughter so much joy 😍 and I love hearing her play.

@GeneralMusings I do know what you mean - I cannot believe the cost of music (and DD2 still does not own her main instrument, as there is no way we can afford a bassoon). However you have given your DD a gift that will last her forever, and she will I'm sure pass on to your grandchildren. When I was 9 years old my parents randomly bought a piano and my Grandma paid for lessons for us all (we shared them between us!). From that, I 'only' ever gained Grade 5 in piano, but both my brother and sister ended up with Grade 8 - and years later my brother is now a piano teacher.

But even for me - the least musical one - it has been a huge gift - it gave me the confidence to sing in my college choir at Uni, and I used the skills I was taught to help my DDs when they were younger. Now they have far surpassed me, and DD2 looks set to do more music than any of us could ever have imagined. I always think of it as my grandma's multi-generational gift - financially very costly for her and my parents at the time, but what a difference it has made even now... You've made a huge investment in your DD's happiness - and whatever happens next she's reached a brilliant standard. Amazing!

Can she join a youth conservatoire?

@GeneralMusings your dd sounds impressive. How much did she practice her instrument on average? Did she have an outstanding private teacher throughout or did she learn at school with a flute teacher? How much did her teacher(s) focus on posture, embouchure etc? Asking as my dd loves the flute is musical but technique not great. She is 10 and practices about 10-15 min a day.

Hello!

We aren't really near a conservatoire but she did pa's her audition for the youth orchestra in our area which is well regarded. She's really enjoying it and they're going on tour next year to Europe.

My daughter is older than yours - she started about 10ish and at that age had school lessons and got to grips with the instrument I think. We wanted her to do it because she loved it not because we made her and she did stop for a term when she went to secondary. We encouraged practice but not at the level many here do.

What really inspired her was at secondary she had the chance to join the orchestra and did a summer school where she was inspired by the older learners. I think being inspired and having others to play with made the huge difference for us.

We started seeing the school music privately for an hour a week when she started to progress and has didn't do all the grades. Most progress for her came once she was already grade 5 as she loved it and could play with others and wanted to improve so this last year or so I'd say she's grown the most. She wouldn't have done if I'd pushed it when she was younger. But I know they're all different!

As for what we're doing the music teacher suggested a break! She said to let her focus on year 11 at school, and to spend time on orchestra and ensemble pieces and for fun and also on developing her oboe skills so she's not looking at grades. She's recommended the new school teacher for a change of input but perhaps for year 12.

That sounds like a wonderful musical journey, thanks for explaining @GeneralMusings Best wishes to your dd.

She passed with Merit (some wobbles on the scales) 😍.

I was wondering if we ought to look at upgrading from her (yamaha 211) or if that's not needed.