NCO 2027

[DeafLeppard]

Out of the blue we got an acceptance email for NCO Weeks for 2027 - last year we didn't hear anything until October!! Has anyone else got an email? We've never done Weeks before - DC has never actually been away from home for that long and he'll be super nervous. Also HOW MUCH??

We also got acceptance email for NCO weekend today ;) It’s much earlier than I expected.

Do you mind sharing which section are they in? Haven’t heard back acceptance or rejection, so wondering if it’s out only partially.

No problem - lower strings U12 Weeks here.

Thank you for starting another thread.
We are in u12, wind section. Could someone advise how we can drop them off from London please? Do we have to send them to the venue ourselves? Couldn't find the information anywhere and over 4 hours single way is a bit much. Thanks xx

It's £2200 for U12s x

@LovingFox congratulations to your DC (and of course all the others)! My knowledge is from 2 years ago, so might be out of date. There was no formal travel assistance/coach etc, but IIRC at the welcome meeting there was a suggestion that NCO would try to put people in contact with one another if people were looking to lift share.

Thank you for your reply! Awww I'm not sure I'm comfortable with sharing a ride with strangers, it would be best if there's an official coach organised by NCO. Xxx

U12 harp here. My eldest is just finishing with the u14s and has had so much fun so my youngest will be v happy! There tends to be a spreadsheet for lift shares etc.

Yes it’s LOADS!! I thought the same - was very shocked!!

Congratulations!
So glad you have posted. I was suspecting if it's a scam, it turns out to be true :)
My DC is going to the weekends.

My DC has been put in reserve pool - does anyone have a sense of whether any place come up for those in the reserve pool?
Its for string for national weeks

We are in the same boat for my DC for brass for weekends only. My DC is too young for week residential

We haven’t received a reply yet, does anyone know what does that mean??

Yup - DC was on the reserve list last year and had a place by end November, so they do come up!

And in case there are other people out there with imposter syndrome: my kid is not playing anywhere near G8 level, is not at a JD and still has a fabulous time and fits in absolutely just fine at NCO :)

Also (and I know this will be covered in the webinars)- what do they need to bring/do for Weeks?? Is it single rooms? Dorms?

I was super surprised to get an email today. My daughter is in U14s Nationals (been in NCO for the last three years) and it’s always been late October / early November that we’ve heard previously. DD is very sad she can’t do NCO again next year, but I’ve just found out my 9yo DS has got a place in Regionals on the violin. He’s thrilled. Well done to all!

At Shrewsbury, there was a mix of single rooms and dorms. In later courses they could put in rooming requests. My DD honestly had the most fantastic time and made some wonderful friends. She said Shrewsbury School was the poshest place she’s ever been (except for the showers) and couldn’t believe people go to school in places like that (she is a state school girl though!)

For those asking about transport, a lot of the kids are from London and would arrive together by train. Again, this may have been on later courses once they all got to know each other. We’re from the opposite end of the country and extremely rural, so not a possibility for us unfortunately. Most courses have involved a 6+ hour drive, but it has been worth it!

Is NYO the next step from NCO? I haven't got that far yet but for your DD it's something to look forward to 🤗

Hello! We just heard my son got onto the U12 weeks on percussion. We are Gloucestershire and my son was saying that is was so far (2-2:30hr compared to less than an hour for the weekends last year). I did say to him that in fact we were a lot closer than most people would be!

@LovingFoxDD got through to the final round NYO audition for her instrument, which she had in London a couple of weeks ago- still waiting to see if she’s got through…. Eek. It’s honestly next level competitive though, even compared to NCO, so she will not be surprised at all if she doesn’t get a place. It was a wonderful experIence for her either way. . Just a lot of travelling!

How competitive are the weekend courses? I had a few pupils audition and wondered if everyone gets in??

It depends on the instrument. When DD was 8 she was waitlisted for the weekends in London with grade 4 pieces so not everyone gets in.

Oh fab. DS is quite shy and not the best at talking to people, not sure he'd cope with a dorm! We're also not London and Shrewsbury is 3+hr drive....

Can anyone who has had an acceptance for U14 Weeks please share what their deadline is for accepting/declining the place? We are on the reserve list so i'm just trying to get a sense of the timeline. Thank you!

The U12 deadline is Friday 9am so it's a very quick turnaround - suspect U13/U14 will be similar.