Autumn / Winter 2025 Music

[northerngoldilocks]

Time for a new thread in time for the new school term!

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.

I have a question!

DS is currently thinking he won't study music at uni, and has declared he doesn't want to go to a conservatoire. He may change his mind, but in the meantime thoughts are turning to universities that have excellent extra-curricular music going on.

He's considering Cambridge for the choral scholarship opportunitites, and other formal music stuff, but also has a yearning for a 'proper city'...

He's interests lie in the politics/philosophy end of things, not sciences.

what's the question, @herbaceous

yes cambridge has great choral scholarships/tradition - oxford too (I've just spent the weekend with friends whose son is an organ scholar who has been filling me in). The more 'prestigious' the college the harder they are to get, apparently, but it sounds like your DS might not find it that hard given how good he is! They don't confer any more likelihood on you getting into the uni though so people do often get the scholarships and don't get an offer, or get the offer and miss their grades and the choral singing doesn't help and they don't end up going. I know cambridge does instrumental awards as well which are nice to have but not much money. There's a good guide to the scholarships online - i think it might be post offer application for Cambridge and pre for Oxford, but can't really remember.

The more prestigious the college, the heavier the choral workload too, generally.. Some don't mind that, some resent it

DD2 is cautiously looking at Oxbridge too - but she can't decide whether she wants to study music or history/english but she would want to sing and play whichever. She has, i think, done enough at GCSE to warrant looking at an application but I've warned her that actually getting in and then actually getting the grades is very much not a given. It's a lottery of a process.

Other places suggested to her with good choral traditions include Durham and Royal Holloway.

My DH was at Cambridge, I was at Oxford. Neither of us are very musical - but people who were had a wonderful time singing and playing alongside many, many different degrees while we were there. You can sing in some of the choirs without being a scholar.

Orchestras are pretty competitive to get into, but instrument dependent.

Thank you!

That was my question really - which universities (as well as Oxbridge) have good extra-curricular music.

Realise that a choral scholarship anywhere doesn't get you a place on the academic course. Which is a whole other ballgame!

Well, I guess Oxford feels more like a 'proper city' than Cambridge does if the course suits him otherwise. Durham not so much! York is the other one I'd usually suggest, but from the sounds of things that's home and he may well not want that.

York would be perfect. But we live here, and he wants to go somewhere else!

He doesn't fancy Durham, as not 'proper city'.

However, he is only just 16. Much mind-changing may go on!

Dd also looking at Oxbridge (sciences) and will want a college with a good “amateur” music scene. DS had a friend who wanted a uni with good choral opportunities and if I recall she ended up at Exeter where they found the director of music very helpful.

Glasgow! Loads going on. There's a chapel choir, not sure about scholarships. So much amateur music, both uni and non- uni. And every other type of music.

Also, Scottish uni system is quite flexible with subjects. Eg, you could start with music, philosophy and theology for example and then carry any one of them forward, taking an extra random subject in second year, like a language. An extra year of cost to consider though. ( For most, for some subjects you can enter second year directly).

@chickentikkasalad DD always sang, even when she wouldn't speak to us - refusal rather than an inability. She only sang in the school choir and started formal lessons six years ago (half hour once a week) during school time - her first exam was Grade 3 in year 5. She did attend courses with NYC and Rodolfus (when time permitted) in the Easter and summer breaks. If he is already singing, I think lessons are beneficial as they should include vocal health teaching. Have you looked at your local music service to see if they have a junior choir?

How about UCD - they have an amazing choral scholars programme. https://www.ucdchoralscholars.ie/

@yodaforpresident, thank you. He does sing in our local music services junior choir for half hour a week but they are very basic and I’m not sure he learned any vocal techniques. He was with them when his voice became hoarse following a viral infection. We don’t have a good choir around

news just in from 'child who teaches herself piano in the holidays for a laugh',

Grade 5 merit. Just ordered her certificate in which she has presented herself for her exam, which always makes me laugh.

news just in from 'child who teaches herself piano in the holidays for a laugh',

Grade 5 merit. Just ordered her certificate in which she has presented herself for her exam, which always makes me laugh.

Hi everyone! Congrats on all the GCSE results!

@herbaceous Manchester and King’s London are both excellent for music, both academic and extra-curricular. Slightly biased but I think Cambridge is better for extra-curricular music than Oxford.

On the round ups, I’ve got DS (7) who started violin just over a year ago and working on grade 4-5 (teacher yet to confirm which exam to do and he’s been doing a lot of random stuff) and is a probationer chorister in Southwark Cathedral. @chickentikka DS hasn’t had singing lessons but I assume they are teaching him something in the choir. I’m reluctant to add anything more to his schedule as he also does Beavers, swimming, football, climbing and it all feels a lot!

I’ve also got DD (4) who has just started piano lessons. DS has no interest in piano but I’m hoping to encourage it as so useful.

Amazing @achangeofnameisasgoodasarest - she should be really proud of that. Took DD 4 years of lessons and she got a pass not a merit at gr 5!

@chickentikkasalad I'm not sure where in the country you are, but there is a search function on NYC's website for youth choirs that might be worth a look - some of them start at age 9 - they are not always very well publicised. Alternatively, local churches may have a youth choir.

www.nationalyouthchoir.org.uk/find-a-choir

@achangeofnameisasgoodasarest- congrats to your dd! A g5 merit is amazing at any time but for self taught and in an exam year that’s incredible!

i think recording it took her mind off waiting for the GCSE results @QueenMabby !

You could have a look here also @chickentikkasalad,

https://mail.open-concerts.co.uk/performers-at-uk-concerts-and-recitals/singing-groups-and-choirs/young-persons-singing-groups-and-choirs.html

Sadly, I think a lot of these groups and churches struggle for numbers and/ or finding the staff willing to volunteer their time to keep them running.

Looking ahead to Feb half term, anyone know of any courses that DD could sign up for that they'd recommend please? I'm assuming DS will get a place in LYWB again for next year so would be good to find something for DD too.

She's 12 (will be almost 13 by then), passed Gr 8 piano last Easter and plays violin at Gr 7 standard. She also likes singing and has had a year of singing lessons and sings in a school choir and close harmony group. We're based in London. Grateful for any suggestions.

Hope you’ve all had a good summer. Congratulations to all those who’ve had GCSEs and A-levels to contend with.
@achangeofnameisasgoodasarest congrats to your DD on the self-taught piano grade 5 - that’s a fantastic achievement.

DS is 15 and is post grade 8 on clarinet and jazz sax. He’s had a tough year as he was diagnosed with autism and ADHD in February. We’ve consequently had to carefully manage extra-curricular activities to prevent him from getting burned out and overwhelmed. It’s a constant balancing act. Year 11 is imminent and I think will be really challenging for him. Longer term, his musical aspirations include clarinet ARSM, (likely early year 12), exploring clarinet jazz repertoire and A-level music (others to be decided…). He doesn’t have any leanings towards music at uni/conservatoire at present but doesn’t have any idea of what he’d like to do at Uni at all, other than that he’d definitely like to go! Hopefully the path may become a little clearer as year 11 progresses.

Brilliant uni suggestions all. Thank you. It's so overwhelming, balancing courses, cities and extra-curricular stuff!

Amazing stuff @achangeofnameisasgoodasarest! Shows what motivation and enjoyment can do. Did she do the performance grade, or have to slog through the scales?

Amazing result - well done mini mini!

Thank you so much @yodaforpresidentfor the information. Unfortunately neither of these options have anything close to us. Unfortunately our local churches don’t have anything either, possibly for the reason you mentioned. There is a little voices group though nearby, they run drama lessons which include some singing we might consider that.

thank you!

@herbaceous she does the performance ones for piano- takes endless face to face ones for everything else and actually she can do the piano scales and sightreading pretty ok so I think it’s alright. She enjoys being able to pick her fourth piece from elsewhere.