Guildhall School of Music - anyone with any experience of kindergarten?

[maggiethecat]

Am considering for my dd and know that they do 2 years of Kodaly and eurythmics - has anyone's dc done these classes and how were they?

Not had a child do these classes but I am a huge fan of Kodaly and Dalcroze and have seen fantastic results with slightly older children.

IoS can you share your experience of these results - how have they helped these children?

A singing teacher at our drama school was a Dalcrose trained teacher. She taught the Kodaly handsigns and over the course of a term I noticed a huge improvement in the children's intonation (singing in tune), their ear and their ability to learn songs and sing in parts/hold harmonies. She worked with children aged 6 and above.

Over a week long summer school I assisted her in a 4-6 year old class and saw how the children got immense enjoyment from singing, they used movements to help them keep the rhythm and compliment the music. It was huge fun for them and considering that most of them had no previous experience at the end of the week they performed a couple of lovely little children's songs.

Obviously the classes I saw were concerned with singing, her work in schools covers the whole musical curriculum and she was so succesful in local school that she was promoted to a job where she was training other classroom and music teachers.

My dd does the Guildhall Kindergarten -- she's just started. She loves it, and the staff seem great. They explain the reasoning behind the work they do at an initial meeting, and ask parents not to do instrumental lessons outside the sessions.

It is pushy music parent central, though, so you either have to buy into that or just let it wash over you. They weed the children out at Y1, as there aren't nearly as many places on the string training programme proper as there are on the kindergarten, so be prepared to be hoofed out unceremoniously if your child isn't deemed to make the grade.

You have to apply ludicrously early -- can't remember when I put dd's name down, but it was early (a friend's child was doing it at the time and recommended it) and dd still only got in off the waiting list. It also involves turning up at the Barbican at 9am on a Saturday morning, and they get sniffy about absences too.

In summary -- great, but pretty full-on.

That's been helpful IoS and Frogs. DD1 did not get in although we applied after she turned 2. She now goes to someone who teaches Kodaly and we think it's been helpful as she says that she hears the music that she reads - so great for aural development.
I will still apply for dd2 for Guilldhall altho it's unlikely that we'll get a place from what Frogs says. Think her temperament may not be suited to dd1's teacher
Frogs can you fill me in a bit about the reasoning behind the work so that I can have a clearer picture?

Both are about developing musical skills before learning instrumental ones. Kodaly about using the voice to learn about pitch, tone etc, eurthymics more about using the body to learn similar things. From the kids point of view it's just singing and fun activities.

I'm not really enough of a pushy music parent to have got much more info, tbh, and we only do it because dd seems to enjoy it and be quite musical.

Sounds similar to what dd1 does at the moment altho kids at guildhall have a shot at the strings programme.

My child?s done the Perform classes. They are so much more then just singing and dancing. Since my child started there, his confidence and co-ordination has improved 3 fold. I was searching like you, for music, to settle and focus my 7 year old. But perform, through the structured syllabus they taught him, really brought him out of his shell.

I owe them a lot and they are really worth the money.

Frogs, revisiting this topic as I am looking at the possibility of dd1 auditioning for the strings programme at some point.
Does your dd still enjoy the classes and do you know yet if she got into strings?

Are you around maggiethecat??

DD is going to City University in September (grades willing) to study music and she will be having her music lessons at Guildhall - shall I ask her to find out things for you??

Otherwise, cam me re music book exchange etc.....

Thanks D. That would be kind of her to get the scoop on how things work there - I already know that it's incredibly difficult to get in, even at the kindergarten level where no musical ability is considered - it's first come first in. The children on this programme are then assessed for strings and not all get in (not sure if they leave a few places for those not on their k/garten prog.). Thereafter, I think you can audition but it depends on someone dropping out.

Trying to find out from an insider about the chances of this happening would be useful though. Also, as a music student, her opinion on the feel and ethos of the place would be interesting.

I did contact HQ about the music exchange but had no response and assumed that they were all preoccupied with bigger issues and probably still are