Spring / Summer 2026 music thread

[northerngoldilocks]

Time for a new thread as the old one is filling up and think we can claim its spring now!

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.

@Compsearch wow he is doing amazingly well!

I think it depends on the region, London is a bit more competitive. Friends in London got in with grade 6 on cello, I think grade 5 is worth trying.

Thank you @678socks! he really loves it and has made great progress (got it for his 6th birthday, almost exactly 2 years ago), though there seem to be plenty of kids who started earlier and/or further ahead.

I think doing something like NCO would be really inspiring for him to meet some of those kids as he’s not in any ensembles at the moment so just sort of practices in a vacuum! But I’m sure it’s really competitive.

DD auditioned with under rehearsed grade 5 pieces the first year she did NCO projects (violin, london). Quite sad that this year she is too old to audition, it's been a happy place for her. Really encourage anyone to have a go if they're in the age range.

Don't worry too much about grade levels. Cliche but it really is quality not difficulty. Kids playing grade 5 pieces range from sounds a bit beginnerish to close your eyes and it could be the teacher playing.

I agree on the point of quality and probably musicality too.

I'm impressed with all your kids auditioning for NCO and JDs. Mine is not at that sort of level!

I'm wondering if anyone has experience of Future Talent? DD has got through round one of a junior award application. There don't seem to be auditions for the junior programme, they've just asked questions about finances, so I'm not clear whether she's got it as long as we're under the income threshold, or there are some more hoops to jump through. DD is asking me daily if there's news!

My daughter was accepted to the Junior programme last year. There were no auditions. After I sent in the financial information there was nothing else to do. I received an acceptance email mid June

That sounds hopeful, @Theoneiwantedwastaken . Was there an interesting programme of events, too?

I am hoping someone here might be able to help! Does anyone have any recommendations on where to find ankle length, white, concert dresses? I am finding a lot of wedding dresses unsurprisingly - any ideas would be gratefully received!

That’s a strange concert outfit @yodaforpresident - what’s it for? Still quite wedding-y but ghost dresses are very plain - they might have a simple style?

@yodaforpresident if you search for long white dress at John lewis there seems to be a selection. Or look at first holy communion/confirmation dresses? Certainly First Holy Communion tend to be ankle length but might not got up a big enough size.

@Compsearch yes, its a bit different! It’s for a singing course and she needs this and recital clothes - which is just what we use for school so that’s fine.

@NimbleFox good idea about confirmation clothes, I will have a look for those.

@yodaforpresidenttry ASOS

https://www.asos.com/prd/210146562?acquisitionsource=pasteboard

Thank you for all the NCO thoughts. Are the weekends usually termtime? I presume so?

@678socks the dates are in the 2027 auditions handbook so you can check for the region you’re in

Someone on here recommended Pull and Bear for concert blacks and they might be worth a look for a non weddingy white dress. Also Uniqlo seem to sell everything most of the time so another possibility?

@northerngoldilocks thank you!!

It is interesting that cellists should have some familiarity with tenor clef for weekends. In my limited experience this starts either just before or just after grade 5…!

For ABRSM exams yes but in orchestral scores it pops up with a lot of regularity so worth knowing - if your DC hasn't done it yet it would be worth looking at - there are books that introduce it

Thank you but as they have done grade 5, tenor clef is in progress. Our youth training orchestra doesn’t use it but the next level up does. I find it very annoying that grade 4 theory does alto clef and tenor is not done until grade 5 theory either!

I always used to know when my DD was doing treble clef at about that stage (cello and then bassoon) because she would always announce... 'hang on' before playing. Sort of hoping she doesn't anymore but she might well!

s

😂😂 we are at the stage with one of finding it in pieces but the other is just starting so tenor clef is in a separate book.

I had a laugh the other night as DD was looking at some early French keyboard music and suddenly took her hands off to play air cello - when I asked what she was doing she said working out what the tenor clef notes were - yet another indication of how weird the musical brain pathways can be.....

Sympathies for those navigating multiple clefs... I've been trying to help DD with the NCO excerpts this week - playing along on the piano. Turns out I can't really read anything above an E in the treble clef any more and have had to revert to writing the notes above if i'm to have any hope of being remotely helpful.

It’s ds’s final recital tomorrow. He omitted to tell me the date until now but he has been working.