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.

@herbaceous - yes hugely competitive. One of the kids in the year above is off to do it from dd’s school. He’s a brilliant pianist - also an academic scholar. Dd isn’t really sure she stands a chance but she would love it.

@DitheringMusicParent I don’t think you need to worry - your DS is already in a completely different position than you were. DH and I were both late starters from non musical families and I do often find myself telling DS when he’s moaning about practice how lucky he is as no one ever helped me…unsurprisingly doesnt go down so well ha.

Im sure by the time your DS has matured enough to be interested and up for the exam, the preparation required will be minimal as he’ll know most of it already. He’ll be in his late teens before he needs exams for anything (if at all). My friend is principal oboe in one of the London orchestras and doesn’t have grade 8 oboe.

Thanks @Compsearch - yes we have the same here - I try not to say it too often!

I think my perspective on exams is generally that they're unnecessary (until the need for qualifications comes up) if the kid is progressing appropriately and being taught appropriately. We had been doing them because I really didn't feel qualified to teach everything all the time without reference to something external, and Teacher A wasn't doing much teaching.

In countries where music is dominated by an achievement-focused mindset, and seen as one of a list of accomplishments that must be ticked off, merely an addition to the child's CV, exams can often become the sole focus, and that's really counterproductive. Here, high level players are often extremely boring and clueless about broad context and style, because as kids they've been shoved from one extracurricular exam to the next and never really listened.

DS has a 10 year old friend who only ever learns exam material each year, i.e. 3 pieces each for cello and piano, plus the grade level scales and exercises. Every year she gets high-ish marks in the exams and wins the music excellence prize at her school. She is regarded by many in the school as a musical prodigy. At 6 pieces a year played very confidently and loudly, she's got time to make sure the pieces sound pretty good. It is an addition to her CV (along with ballet, tennis, Kumon maths tutoring...): she isn't actually interested beyond exam results and the school prize.

DS has been learning more like 6 pieces a week on organ for quite a while (repertoire, choir accompanying, hymns), and each year on cello generally completes a Suzuki book or more, most of the pieces for whatever grade syllabus, plus plenty of other pieces in eg the Editio Musica Budapest books, real repertoire, chamber music parts, plus two orchestras a week at about 10 pieces a term each. We also go to a lot of concerts and listen to alllllllllll the recordings so he understands style and interpretation. Which is why he doesn't have time to learn theory!

And the obvious response to that is: 10 yo friend is obviously doing too few pieces, but DS9 is obviously doing far too many, at least on organ!

Thankfully the new teacher is working mainly on technique so the difficulty and length of the pieces has dropped massively, and e.g. there's no longer the expectation that if he learns one movement of piece that he'll automatically need to learn the rest as well (two Bach Trio sonatas, three big Preludes and Fugues, Mendelssohn Op 65 No 3, all last year... taking Grade 5-6 single movements and making him learn the rest of a 15 minute sonata that is on diploma lists, at age 8-9)

@DitheringMusicParent I think parents have to accept a few things around very young musicians and theory: (a) with a few exceptions most of them are averse to the idea. (b) the ABRSM G5 theory is out of date, dry and boring. (c) with young ones I have found theory is best tackled in a short block(s) if you need to heavy lift them through the exam. (d) if they pass it, it is unlikely to have any great benefit to any future musical plans they have (again I am sure with some exceptions) because they have forgotten what they have crammed by about 3 weeks later. (e) if they are too little for it you have to decide as a parent whether to go through the misery of making them do it anyway, or whether you shrug, accept that, revisit it when they are a bit older and recognise that despite the fever that can develop around talented little ones, it actually doesn't matter.

Two of mine did their G5 theory at 10 because of imminent G6 exams. I definitely would not have wanted to tackle it with them any younger than that. With both of them they were mature enough by then that we talked about it and discussed how much it really mattered. They both chose to give it a go because they had their own ambitions around their practical exams. I think that it was important that they had made the decision themselves and were therefore willing to put the effort in. The elder dropped in, did a short online course, didn't find it too hard and passed about a week later (she is very good at picking up concepts in subjects like maths). The younger one processes things completely differently, had to do two courses and work much harder but did get there.

I found having to do the exams at that age counter productive because it put them off theory. Funnily enough my eldest developed the greatest aversion despite finding it relatively straightforward. My younger one, because she had done more of it, did get some more secure understanding and sense of pride in grasping bits of it.

Overall it is a shame because theory, when learned alongside the playing they enjoy, is actually interesting and valuable. My eldest is now 14 and the grasp she has of theory has come about in more recent years through discussing the concepts in an applied way with her teacher as she learns repertoire.

My youngest is 9. We will come upon the G5 theory question in the next year. When we do we will have the same conversation about whether it is something he wants to do. At the moment he would not want to do it and I would not want to make him. I probably could, with bribery and coercion, but I suspect we would both be miserable. The sudden cognitive leaps they take at that age (9-10, 10-11, 11-12 etc) are huge. In a year's time we might be in a different place but we might not. But he hands down loves his playing and that is great.

My reading of your message is that you don't actually think your son is ready to learn theory at that level and, if that is the case, that's fine. He can still love his playing and develop as a musician. It won't hold him back in the future. He just won't have a piece of paper at 9 and will either have to hold off ABRSM exams or carry on with Trinity. No music school in the future would give a hoot about that. My younger daughter was at a JD when we went through the G5 process. If I had said to them that actually I thought she wasn't ready, they really wouldn't have cared. They aren't fussed about exam grades. They are much more bothered about the damage that can come about from pushing children when it is counter productive and making happy future musicians unhappy child musicians. And you may well find that your son, at 10 or 11, is in a completely different place.

I think music leads to choices about what sort of parent you want to be. There are other JD parents who, I am sure, would take a different approach and have done what it takes and got their child through G5 theory at 7 to have them at G8 by 8. I just think that's a bit nuts and sounds deeply un-fun for everyone. For me music is about enjoyment, the immense valuable lessons about teamwork, resilience and life it teaches and the sheer pleasure of being part of something so fabulous.

I do think that it is important not to get too swept up in the future with little ones and music, however talented. They are their own people. If it is a passion he will find his way with the support you are giving him. And he might grow up to be a great doctor or save the world doing something else. None of mine want to be musicians and if they said they did, I would want them do go into that tough career with their eyes open, because they love it and because it is a positive choice made by them as adults, not made for them as children by the adults around them.

Totally agree, and yes, I think he's too young and ADHD-inattentive (despite medication) for it to be anything other than a cramming exercise, which as you say, he'll forget 3 weeks later. Much better to tackle it later on when he's decided he needs it. As per toilet training which took 2 days, and shoelaces which took 20 minutes, when he was ready (and not a moment before).

I find with him I constantly have to tread the tightrope between "he's too young, immature, with underdeveloped technique, and galloping ADHD" and "he's got a raging fire of blazing ambition, extreme stubborn hyperfocus, and the ability to sightread and memorize like nobody's business". He can confidently memorize pieces 15-20 minutes long the first time he sees the music.

Teacher A always tipped over into seeing the second bit but not the first, and put things in front of him that fed the ambition instead of the technique, while treating him like an organ scholar. I had to constantly run behind attempting to shore up the technique, musical understanding etc.

Teacher B, thankfully, is much more like his cello teacher: has his head screwed on about happy future musicians with solid understanding and technique, being infinitely more desirable than pressured, unhappy child musicians. So now I can step back a bit and let them get on with it and be less overinvolved.

Totally agree with @MockCroc on the theory. DD2 did it at 10. She did fine, but remembered nothing later.

It feels bizarre to now have to put it on her UCAS form now - like a total fraud. She is doing higher 'theory' as part of her A Level but won't take exams in it.

As an organist @DitheringMusicParent he really will just imbibe what he needs. DDs friends who do organ are now taking things like advanced counterpoint diplomas in Year 12, that she wouldn't be able to tackle at all - grade 5 will seem irrelevant. He really doesn't need it, or other exams, yet. It will come later.

We are having tearful composition stress from DD2. It's 25% of the A Level, she hates it, feels very unequipped compared to the rest of her class - she's in the top set for music, which in her school (might be the only one in the country that only sets for music) is quite a thing.

Everyone else is a genius, she says, and she can't do it. In fact, everyone else is a pianist, or an organist, or first study composition, or took their music gcse at 13 - many of them are all of those things.

She is in the top set because the rest of her music is very, very good. On the long essay questions for example she gets the top marks in the year by some way and she needs that top level teaching. How can we help her (without actually helping her write music IYSWIM) get the comp over the line this summer so it's better? She has MuseScore(?). Sometimes it feels like music A Level is in fact three a levels. She's great at the Appraisal and Performance bit and the comp really lets her down.

@achangeofnameisasgoodasarest is it decision paralysis? Could you help her pick a highly structured format, like, say, a Mag and Nunc? I know not of what I speak though.

Our friend who is now organ scholar at a large college on the river in Oxford did a string quartet for his A-level equivalent. He turned it into an exercise in shoehorning in every motif like BACH and DSCH in as many ways as possible, while pastiching the original pieces the motifs had come from. It hung together OK but could perhaps have been less complicated.

I don't know anything about A-level music as we are not in England, but I know here the composition bit doesn't need to be 'good' to get a good mark, but fit the criteria. Depressing, but means those who aren't amazing at it can still get a decent mark. Is it worth going back to the criteria to initially aim for 'good enough'. I'm sure once she has something down, she can refine and add some more creativity to increase the marks.

@DitheringMusicParent she does now have a structure - and has predictably gone for a bassoon sonata. At least she understands how a bassoon works I guess.

I think it is paralysis to an extent. She thinks she can't do it, so she can't. I keep telling her OK is good enough.

@achangeofnameisasgoodasarest it sounds to me like your DD could probably flunk composition and still get a very high mark in the A level overall. She doesnt need to be as good as anyone else in her class (who are obviously not a representative sample of the people doing the exam), she just needs to do fine? Agree with checking the criteria and just ticking the boxes. It’s great she’s doing it for bassoon as she will be able to write something very idiomatic and play to her strengths! Does she need to do it over the summer or could she just chill and start next term?

@MockCroc really good post (probs because it has confirmed my approach with DS!). I did all the theory exams as a child (except grade 7!) - starting with grade 1 at about 11, and really enjoyed working through them slowly, with a real sense of achievement. I’m sure I could force DS through some of it now, but have no desire to put either of us through that ordeal!

I’ve come to the same conclusion about the 11+ recently - think we probably will conform to the terrible middle class cliche of moving house near to a good comprehensive with a good music dept, rather than having to start prep next year (in year 4!), which seems quite soul destroying.

@achangeofnameisasgoodasarest if finances stretch to it could you get her some tutoring? When I got stuck with one of mine because the teacher did no aural I reached out to one of the tutors on the Guidlhall short courses and she gave her a few online lessons. You could consider doing the same with a composition tutor to give her a bit of a hand? She might be able to get some informed feedback and inspiration to help her get over the blank page fear? An external eye, away from school and her perception that she is less good might give her a boost. I know these things are ANOTHER musical expense, but it might help her work out how to tick the boxes to do well enough.

I also think it helps teenagers to remember that, again with the exception of the tiny few, no one is brilliant at all the competencies of an exam. It sounds like she has the two parts that it is hard to "box tick" nailed - which is brilliant. So now she just needs to work out what she needs to do to tick competent on composition and not worry too much about being brilliant. That way madness lies. But I am very sympathetic to those who have that nasty little voice in their head because I have one too. I always thought that everyone around me was brilliant at everything and I was hopeless. But in adulthood I have come to accept that the truth is more nuanced than that!!!

I used to teach Grade 5 theory and I did have 10 and 11 year olds pass but it was a weekly theory class at school that they did for 3 years (once they'd passed a Grade 3 practical). I kept a lot of it more practical - made up board games for learning note lengths etc, wooden "dice" for assembling scales etc

I mentioned above but there is a very good weeklong theory course in Gloucester (not residential though so youd have to find somewhere to stay) - they do a lot of practical clapping games and playing to reinforce the theory. Might be worth a look next year?

@achangeofnameisasgoodasarest if you want a composition tutor recommendation then please feel free to dm me.

@se22mother thanks so much- her school is adamant that she must not have a tutor otherwise they will decide it is not her own work and fail her.

seems a bit mad to me but what do I know? Half the kids seem to have tutors for things like history and English coursework so why not music.

the good news is that everyone is aware that her dad and I are absolutely no help so they aren’t going to think we’re all over the chord progressions.

going to try to encourage her to chip away at it a bit at a time over the holidays and keep a log of what she’s doing. Perhaps a bit of time off her genius school cohort will help.

currently on holiday with no instruments! A joy.

Does anyone have recommendations for a rollout mattress topper or such? Daughter away at a few orchestra residentials this summer and one of the places she is going twice has the worst beds

@achangeofnameisasgoodasarest - I really really sympathise. DD1 was in exactly the same boat at this point - also in top set and otherwise really good at it all but simply cannot compose and the composition teacher she had really didn't get that. If you can afford a tutor just get one and don't tell them. I really wish we had. I so don't think they should have to compose - they should be able to take an arrangement/harmony paper instead but it is what it is.

Eye wateringly expensive but Junior Guildhall do a summer composition course - the tutor there is also at music Hogwarts I believe so they wouldn't be able to turn round and say it wasn't her work..... They do offer bursaries and so she might get lucky?

@achangeofnameisasgoodasarest sometimes a different perspective helps things click. Most unfair of the school.
also on holiday . DD did ask her teacher re taking instruments but was told to just relax as said instruments might crack.
DD has 4 weeks of music courses this summer so plenty of time to catch up with playing.

@Londonmummy66 good to know thanks! She absolutely loves her composition tutor- he also takes academic music seminar where she shines in a big way- but he does not seem to get at all that she doesn’t understand it (organists!) she thinks everyone else has just come out from
the womb being able to compose and she has not got some kind of missing piece installed in her brain.

but wailing about it will get her nowhere!

I’ll take a look at guildhall. It’s annoying because she’s just had her mocks back. Clear a stars on her other two subjects - but the composition drags her music down. She doesn’t NEED an a star but it would certainly help with her ambitions.

Spent yesterday risking heatstroke to sample the delights of Cambridge and its music faculty. All of course completely wonderful. Now merely a question of increasing expected grades, choosing a college, passing the entrance requirements and getting A*AA. 🧐

@herbaceous sounds familiar - not that we went but DD knows it is marvellous and will go in Sept to have a proper look - did the online masterclass and adored it.

For DD, also small matter of 'learn how to harmonise a chorale'. Ho hum.

@herbaceous @achangeofnameisasgoodasarest We used to be there (we were not in the Music faculty but many close friends were). Such a wonderful place. DS9 is totally obsessed with wanting to go to a particular college with a very large chapel, having played its organ a few months ago; but (1) he'd never get in and (2) if he did get in, he wouldn't have the exec function skills to cope. I guess he can live in hope for a few more years while being gently directed elsewhere (preferably, places with lower fees for international students...)

It is lovely @DitheringMusicParent - but DD knows she can't get too attached. Meanwhile it is summer of 'I hate composition' and a determined sprint on Grade 6 piano - she continues to teach herself and reckons she'll get this one recorded by the end of the summer holidays. Doesn't want a teacher because 'they'll only tell me I'm doing it all wrong'...!

Doesn't want a teacher because 'they'll only tell me I'm doing it all wrong'...!
Ha ha, that made me laugh. Good luck to her!

Offspring 1 not interested in oxbridge even though his teachers (non music subject) suggested it. It sounds too much like hard work. He doesn't know where he does want to go though, maybe researching unis also sounds too much like hard work🤐

Offspring 2 wants to go to music college 'but I don't want to be in a big city'. Umm...? But at least she's got a few years to think about it.

DS is spending the summer proving to his non-music A-level subject teachers that he can get the required A grades, by actually writing essays in the way they've been telling him to, and not coming over all creative, which resulted in non-stellar marks in y12 exams.

(Which is of course what I told him to do in his exams but of course 'I didn't understand'. Despite being a study skills tutor. I've been very restrained and not said 'I told you so'.)