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Extra-curricular activities

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

Original poster

Autumn / Winter 24 - music thread

954 replies

northerngoldilocks · 02/09/2024 17:59

Feels like time for a new thread for the new school year!

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.

OP posts:
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Original poster
northerngoldilocks · 14/01/2025 09:45

I'm looking at courses for February for DD. Has anyone sent their kids to the London Youth Strings Orchestra - they're based in Palmers Green and have a 2 day course at half term. It looks like it might be good for her, but would love to hear from anyone with experience of it please?

OP posts:
herbaceous · 14/01/2025 10:06

On a similar 'note', has anyone experience of Gabrieli Roar courses? DS did a concert with them recently, and they've invited his choir along.

herbaceous · 15/01/2025 10:23

@minisnowballs The hand up is a 'that was me, I know what I did wrong and won't do it again' gesture. Saves the Md having to rehearse something again and go over it unnecessarily.

Some people in my choir do it. I just adopt your DD's approach. Keep quiet and pretend it wasn't me!

Londonmummy66 · 15/01/2025 13:50

herbaceous · 15/01/2025 10:23

@minisnowballs The hand up is a 'that was me, I know what I did wrong and won't do it again' gesture. Saves the Md having to rehearse something again and go over it unnecessarily.

Some people in my choir do it. I just adopt your DD's approach. Keep quiet and pretend it wasn't me!

Me too - I'm too busy marking the mistake in my copy to put my hand up.....

TreeAtMyWindow · 15/01/2025 14:01

In chorister audition news, DD is first reserve, next on the list if one of the other girls drops out. She enjoyed the audition, and reported that everything was easier than it had been in her pre-audition (two note chords instead of four, singing scales as individual notes played on the piano). I don't know if that was because she wasn't doing as well as she had before, or some other reason.

They've asked her to do the entrance exam, so I should probably be getting her prepped for that, but music lessons for this term start this evening, which means she'll be getting her bassoon (rental) and I'm tempted to just let her enjoy that.

herbaceous · 15/01/2025 15:13

Well done to her! That's a good result, considering the others may well have been coached to within an inch of their lives by expensive singing teachers!

minisnowballs · 15/01/2025 15:34

@TreeAtMyWindow that sounds really positive - congrats.. sorry it remains a waiting game though. In terms of the entrance exam, I'm sure they just want to see where she's at, so I wouldn't worry - I'm assuming the school can't be academically selective for choristers.

DD2 had to do an 'exam' for her school after she got a her music place - didn't mean anything, just meant they had an idea what she was like, which changed swiftly when she actually got there as unlike children from prep schools she'd not done the types of questions before..

Good luck with the bassoon -hope it's the beginning of a long and exciting relationship!

yodaforpresident · 15/01/2025 17:02

Congratulations to your DD @TreeAtMyWindow, hopefully she gets the news that she is waiting for. I think a genuine love of music always shines through and I am sure that the school will make allowances, given they are looking for potential after all.

My DD is a music scholar so I have heard a lot from her with regards to what the auditions involved - no help from her parents either sadly, as we are musically rather useless. It does result in a lot of self-reliance though with no parents there to fall back on.

yodaforpresident · 15/01/2025 17:07

Thank you@horseymum I will have a look at that page.

yodaforpresident · 15/01/2025 17:35

For those of you with singers, just a reminder that the Rodolfus Choral Courses are now open for registration.

https://www.therodolfusfoundation.org.uk/choral-courses-2025

Choral Courses 2025 | The Rodolfus Foundation

Choral Courses 2025

https://www.therodolfusfoundation.org.uk/choral-courses-2024

herbaceous · 15/01/2025 18:23

Ds did Rodolfus last year, non-residential. It was great . This year they all seem resi and really expensive!

yodaforpresident · 15/01/2025 18:59

Yes, it's a shame that they don't have the non-residential option this year but possibly there wasn't enough demand last year to make it viable?

I booked DD's NYCGB course yesterday and the cost is comparable - given inflation has been high for a while now, I think it was only a matter of time until that fed through to course costs. Personally, I think it is a great experience to attend and my DD made lasting friends at them. I believe they offer bursaries (as do NYCGB).

minisnowballs · 16/01/2025 08:05

This reply has been withdrawn

This message has been withdrawn at the poster's request

herbaceous · 16/01/2025 09:09

The non-residential Rodolfus last year wasn't very public school at all, probably because it was cheaper and attracted local people. So it's a shame they're not doing them again as I think it increased social diversity.

yodaforpresident · 16/01/2025 10:54

@minisnowballs DD would say it is more inclusive than NYCGB (having been to residential courses at both) and the group tends to be much smaller at 40-60 boys and girls. They all muck in and it's not cliquey - certainly not all independent school and ethnically diverse too. There is a considerable amount of information on their website about bursaries (and their outreach work with London schools) - which seem generous to me. It would be a shame to miss out because of misinformation.

Great news for your DD on bassoon - I am sure she will make a huge success of it. My DD also claims to not make mistakes in singing...

yodaforpresident · 16/01/2025 11:20

And in other news DD has finally decided to do GCSE music on timetable and carry on with coding in her own time (as that's the bit that actually interests her in Comp Sci).

yodaforpresident · 16/01/2025 11:54

For those of you with standalone musical instrument insurance policies from Allianz, just a reminder that their customers transferred to Lark Music from 1 October 2024 (unless you have opted out) but you will need to actively renew the policy with them (apparently we should receive a quote 28 days before expiry) - it will not auto-renew. I have just put in a diary note as I missed the initial email.

Comefromaway · 16/01/2025 12:16

I tried to take out public liability with Lark just before Christmas but it wasn't possible, only instrument. I went with Insure4Music instead.

Ds currently has a joint policy for instrument and PL from Alianz. Do you know if he will be able to renew the PL?

Comefromaway · 16/01/2025 12:27

Lark;s page is very unclear.

The insurance I needed before Christmas was for the band my workplace hired to play at an event (the band that ds used to play in). One of the band members has PL insurance via the MU but the hotel venue insisted everyone had it. My workplace offered to pay the cost but only for the PL, not for the instruments.

I think when the time comes I will get ds to get quotes from a few places.

yodaforpresident · 16/01/2025 12:43

That's quite annoying if they aren't offering the same service level as Allianz did. Oddly when you look at their page initially it seems that the EU page does offer PL cover?

https://www.larkmusic.com/eu/other-insurance/public-liability-insurance/

Quite disappointing as I though the Allianz cover was reasonably priced too.

yodaforpresident · 16/01/2025 12:48

I've just tried to put through a quote from Lark (not as horrific as I thought) and it did offer me PL insurance as an add on, so maybe they don't offer it as a standalone, or they have changed their offer?

Comefromaway · 16/01/2025 13:08

I think it looks like they don't offer it as a standalone. Alllianz offered band insurance and standalone PL not just personal instruement.

Insure4Music was very reasonable.

TreeAtMyWindow · 16/01/2025 13:31

Thanks, all. DD is really pleased she did well enough to get the reserve spot.

@minisnowballs They say that they use the entrance exam to ensure that all the choristers are able to keep up, but I don't know how that plays out in reality. She's doing fine academically, so it's really about familiarity with the types of questions so that she doesn't panic.

I should have taken @Compsearch's advice and started her on Spatone; she went off to school today totally exhausted and looking like a little vampire, despite eating her own weight in dark green leafy vegetables this week. I think I'm going to be telling her to put down the bassoon and rest this weekend, or she'll fall asleep over her Non-Verbal Reasoning paper.

MockCroc · 16/01/2025 14:07

Does anyone have any experience of the Brass Academy residentials? My daughter did their summer Royal Academy non-res course a couple of years ago and absolutely loved it. We're now considering their Easter residential but she is a bit anxious because she won't know anyone going. She's 10. I know the staff are absolutely lovely but it would be good to hear whether anyone's child has been.