New Uni starters 2015 (continued from Preparing for Uni)

[circular]

Thought we needed a new thread to continue from preparation.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/2466997-Preparing-for-Uni-in-2015-continues

Suspect all have arrived by now...

Fairenuff Halloween - of course why didn't I think if that

MrsB She's aware of the choices, but quite bloody minded and doesn't like to admit she has made a mistake. Also guess she's a bit scared of coming across as awkward, and thinks it may be too late to change anyway.
And I need to learn 'gently' .

Lol circular - I am not too great at the "gently" myself but quite happy to suggest that other people give it a go

mrs Bartlet only half a degree, I stuck with the whole thing, doh! Wish someone would have helped me change at the beginning! I think we all push the sticking with it mentality, so it's really difficult to admit you might have made an error.

alternative use of chocolate spread

My DD also chose a module that she is struggling with/doesn't like but it's only for this first semester and seeing as she is halfway through and has her first piece of work for it due in MONDAY she is sticking to it!! Fingers crossed she doesn't BOMB - although have given her a gentle talking to about not expecting the top grade!!

DD too has got the " wrong module " dilemma . Or in her case possibly the wrong subject!
I've tried to gently and not so gently convince her that she can go and talk to someone about dropping this subject. She's not having any of it ; she's adamant she doesn't like any of the other modules in her other two subjects enough to do them instead.
I'm hoping that once she's caught up on her missed work in that subject she will feel happier about it.

As others say, struggling with one module that is almost halfway through not worth changing. And no big deal, as long they can at least scrape a pass. And with DD it is more he type of assessment thatwill daunt her, although in this module it's the content too.

What is worrying me is her choices nextt Seimester, that's what I hope she will have a rethink on.

The reality is so different to the leaflets promoting the subject! re wrong module / subject. Difficult to know whether it's worth sticking with or trying to change and how you advise them. What subject is it gypsy floss? Does it lead where she want to go?

Gypsy Is she doing a joint honours where she has some flexibility in how many modules from each subject? Or is she contemplating a complete subjec change?

She's doing combined Hons so has a fair bit of flexibility . Chatting to her today however the crisis seems to have passed as she has caught up on her missed lectures and is back in control. Today, she loves Arabic

Dd is also struggling with a discovery module she has selected. It's music, she's a singer, but her new voice coach is apparently terrifying. The half hour they spend together each week really scares her and she stresses about it before and afterwards. This is spoiling her whole enjoyment of the university experience at the moment and will continue throughout year 1.

I think she is struggling with time management and not getting into the practice rooms. I don't know what to do to help/ calm her.

Glad your DD back on track Gypsy - Arabic OMG

DD pondering over my 'gentl'e advice, but doubt she wil be organised enough to get beyond pondering stage.

MrsH Whats a 'discovery' module? Is your DD also studying Music?

No she's studying English but they have to do two modules in different subjects. She's doing Classics and Performance, in her case singing. It's serious stuff, she had to have a good Grade 8 pass to be allowed to do it. It's mostly operatic so far, she was at an opera masterclass yesterday. But it's frightening her unfortunately. It's not helping her general mood.

Where is she studying? Mrs RH? Could she get some extra help? Bit if a jump from English to opera!

The difficulty is partly that she is given two songs each week to learn but she doesn't get a chance to go through it with her teacher first with a piano accompaniment before the end of the lesso. It's just go away and learn this for next week. Therefore she doesn't know the tune or how it should be sung. She is not a pianist herself so can't go off to play the music. She can sight read to a degree but this is new complicated stuff.

She has always sung, it's not a jump as such and it's not all opera, I was just trying to indicate that it's not 'pop'. She could do with a friendly music student who would spend a bit of time playing for her each week so she can practice. As she only gets to spend half an hour each week being taught in the music school she doesn't know any music students. I know she will be dreading her lesson tomorrow because she just can't learn one of the songs.

Oh bless her! It all sounds difficult to learn on your own. Could she ask the tutor (or someone else) to sing them and record it so she gets the gist? I know what you mean about not knowing the tune. It's so much easier to play something when you do know the tune.

its not like you can go away and read a book in the library is it!
My niece is an opera singer: I've seen her music, it's not easy at all!
Frustrating for you though when you can't help her. (I am presuming you are not an opera singer here...or musician! )

mrshodgilbert
My dd has also faced this challenge . I think the vocal coaches set out to terrify the new students . My dd found downloading the songs and just playing them over and over again was the best way to prepare for the weekly lessons . Is your dd in a choir where she might find a kindred spirit or two to help her prepare ? I do sympathise but by the end of year 1, my dd was fine . It is awful to hear about the upset though . Maybe it is seen as a test to see if the singers are robust enough to be professionals .

MrsH Is there a notice board or similar in the music dept where she could put a note on for a pianist to help her out? There must be some out there that want to practise their accompanying skills?
Can she join the music society if she hasn't already?

There must also be instrumentalists looking for singers to perform with and composers looking for their work to be performed - all great experience.

From what DD tells me (and she is studying music and performance her thing) the performance modules are no easy ride. Each hour tuition is meant to go with 15 hours private playing/practise.

Gosh that sounds very stressful! I second the idea of youtubing or downloading the songs to listen to throughout the week. I wonder if the tutor knows that these are your DD's discovery modules rather than part of her main degree? Surely it's supposed to be fun!

Thank you for your ideas, very helpful. She has been downloading the songs , that's how she is learning them but one from last week was so obscure she couldn't find it anywhere. I'm really amazed she is having to learn them this way and she is having to pay extra for these singing lessons. It's £16 per week for 30 minutes. I foolishly assumed the £9000 would cover if!

Joining the music society is a great idea, I'll suggest ( gently) that she finds out about the choir, she has always had lots of musician friends. Using a notice board to find a pianist is a stroke of genius. I'm comforted to hear that she is not the first to have experienced this. She is supposed to practice for an hour a day which fits with your dd circular. It was meant to be a complete change from the academic work, enjoyable and a way to continue the singing. I hope she has a better lesson today, why does the teacher need to frighten her? And no, I'm not an opera singer.

Wow, those discovery modules sound stressful! And, you have to pay too?

My DS is home tonight. I am looking forward to seeing him, despite him being a bit stroppy on the phone last night and needing to be told a few home truths.

Anyway, it will hopefully have cleared the air, so I'm hoping for a nice weekend if he can fit us in for more than 5 minutes in his hectic schedule!

Think I've gathered what a 'discovery module' is now grin.

I think on DD'S course they are allowed to chose up to 2 modules outside the subject each year, but it isn't compulsory. But if you don't in the 1st year, there are no choices in Music.
I'm surprised that when a the module counts as part of the course, and they have the required level of musicianship that they need to pay for the tuition. On all the music courses we looked at (most had performance module optional), the lessons were included up to a certain number (seemed to range between 12 and 20 hours a year for Unis). Need to pay if they want extra or another instrument.

MrsH Wondering also if they have music students that want to practise their teaching skills, and she could learn a bit of piano/keyboards. DD's not a serious piano player, but often uses it to work out complex bits of new pieces.

Another thought - if pieces are quite obscure so cannot find on YouTube , would it be available on CD in the Music library?
.

Yes, the payment bit was something of a shock to my dd. As she said, "paying all that to be shouted at too"! But, as I said, she has got better at coping with the situation, although the longer term impact on her musical ambitions is to be deplored, at least in my view.

She does get five free lessons, but has to pay for the rest of the year. The additional modules are compulsory and there was nothing on the website about having to pay. In fact, she only found out the cost last week and I'm relieved it's 'only' £16. Music lessons can be very much more.

I'm sure the music dept will have a library. I'll have a chat with her over the weekend but she's at that rabbit in the headlights point and not listening. I'm sure there will be pianists happy to do a bit of practice with her, it's what musicians do. I'll ask her if there's a Facebook page she could post on for help. If she can get a grip of this her whole mood will lift I'm sure. Actually this teacher also teaches singing at a secondary school in our home town, dd is only 30 minutes away. She is going to ask her lovely school music teacher about her, get a bit of inside info.

Funnily enough in her other discovery module classics they are reading The Oddysey. In the first session the lecturer asked for a show of hands of who had studied it before, about 90% of the group had. That worried her too and it took a few lectures to feel happy but she's loving it now.

My dd's lessons cost £40 for a (bare) 40 minutes! She had 2 a term allocated to her from a different teacher when she was awarded a choral scholarship on arrival , but this particular teacher then announced that she could not really teach at that standard so it was of no use at all . Many of my dd's friends go to London regularly for their lessons .
I hope your dd gets her confidence back soon .

MrsH There will almost certainly be a Facebook page for department and society at least.
Hope her lesson OK today.

Thinking about it, DD has a 'discovery' module that includes lab work. Hope there's no extra charge for that