Only 1 A Level - Music

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DS desperately wants to apply to college / conservatoire to study music. He's so far only doing 1 A level and that's in Music. Distance-learning. Equivalent of lower sixth so he'll take the exams next year. The idea was to do another A level via home-ed but nothing appeals. It looks very much like 2 A levels are a minimum for all the places he's looking at but I'm just wondering if there's any way at all of getting around that requirement. He's had a lot of bad luck and some bad things happen and he just wants to move on with the next chapter of his life - the thought of having to do another A level (he isn't interested in anything apart from Music) is getting him down.

Other (slightly daft) question is what would be the best A level to do, in addition to Music, which he could half-arse in a year and get an E. He's very bright and always did very well at school until he had a bit of a breakdown 18 months ago. GCSE results are very solid. But fundamentally doesn't like academic study.

Yes, he is taking u his Leeds place. I've got a feeling you may have private messaged me elsewhere perhaps?

I would say contact them and ask them about the qualifications all being music. I think they are generally more flexible with home ed students and really it's no different to my son's Extended Diploma Btec which is all music.

Actually I don't think it was you, the circumstances are different. Just someone else who had a son interested in jazz.

@Qwill I think you've misunderstood. The issue is that he dropped out of school and is now only doing one A level. I'm researching routes to get into music college which don't require 2 A levels. He is full of passion for music and knows the courses he's interested in but he doesn't meet the standard requirement. He'll be very passionate at interviews if he's able to get that far.

When I say he doesn't want to travel, I mean he doesn't want to schlepp around suburbia on the bus to go to a grim 6th form college to study A levels in subjects he's not interested in (it's a bit rough where we live). Once he gets to where he wants to go, it'll be very different.

He's set his sights on the five colleges I've mentioned above. Open days wouldn't really serve a purpose right now - it might just highlight that he can't go there, and will make him more unhappy. It wouldn't necessarily motivate him either, as motivation in autistic, depressed people is a very complicated issue.

@Comefromaway congratulations to your son, and thanks again for the insights into the requirements at Leeds. I will get in touch with them.

It's all so exhausting!

How about a 60 credit Open Uni module? One year long, should give you the credits, loads of different subjects to choose from

Sorry I didn’t see you had a name change, I could only see one post. What instruments does he play? I think the only way is speaking to the colleges yourself, rather than trying to build credits that might not be acceptable, as him trying for those and then not being able to qualify would be devastating.

@Qwill yes - I'll speak to the colleges. Or rather I'll fill in an online contact form and hope for a reply within 2 business days. It seems the days of talking to a person are over. I just wanted to see if others had any experience of alternatives to A levels before I do so. It's been very helpful.

www.glasgowclyde.ac.uk/courses/491-hnd-music/758

Would he be interested in moving to Glasgow after his A level to study something like this, then going on to the Conservatoire OP?

@DoReMeDo it must be so hard for you. We investigated just doing A level music and nothing else after a bit of a health scare, but DC improved enough to continue with 3 A levels.
The undergrad Film music open day at Leeds's Conservatoire was excellent. My DC fell asleep during the Music Production talk, but was buzzing after the Film music talk and it is now their first choice. My child is fortunate that their first study is a classical instrument (unfortunately didn't get on with piano), can read music and has had some experience with Logic, so should be okay.
We made the open day a bit of a holiday and stayed for a long weekend, so we all got to see more of Leeds.

All the institutions I've contacted have been super helpful, and gave good advice.

Even if you think your DS is currently a poor student, it is precisely the time you should be engaging with Trinity to put some scaffolding in place to support him. Could you afford to pay for him to go to a small independent college to do Music Tech in a year? I wouldn't recommend DLD or Ashbourne, friend's DC are very isolated there.

Is he able to take part in any ensembles or other music groups? Which exam board is his A level music? If he played a grade 7 piece and had a solid composition he could score really highly on his A level, depending on exam board. Also, I don't think conservatoire's mind what A levels you have, the audition is the most important. I think my DC's friend got offers of two EEs for this coming September from 3 conservatoires. The problem with the BA courses at university, including Manchester, Southampton Royal Holloway etc. is they are very essay heavy, and a lot less performance.

I also get the impression that the conservatoire's are much more geared up to supporting neuro divergent students, students with additional needs and those that just need more.

@Soma I will look into the Music Tech options . I'm not sure what the exam board is for the A Level Music.

He does lots of playing, including some quite high-level, national stuff, so his CV / application forms will look good in that sense. He does a lot of his own stuff as well: arrangements, covers, has a little tech set-up at home. He's a good all-rounder. BUT demand avoidant, so he'll spend days working on a brass arrangement of something, and writing/recording songs but flatly refuses to do any composition coursework. It drives me crazy.

I realise (as does he) that the standard conservatoire offers are low but his problem is that he doesn't have a second subject for A level. And he cannot even motivate himself to think about it. It might seem 'just a Grade E in any old A level' but he's so far from even picking up a pen that that is completely unattainable right now. Yet he wants to go next year!

Arrgghhh! There's no arguing / reasoning with a depressed, autistic teenager!

@Soma He definitely doesn't want to do a university course, for those reasons. My husband and I both did music degrees - many years ago, and - in my case - because my playing wasn't good enough for a conservatoire.

@DoReMeDo it is tricky if he is demand avoidant. Has he had any counselling for that? www.autismandadhd.org have support for both parents and young people.

Some institutions would make adjustments in their admissions for your son, but it's not always mentioned on their website.

I almost asked you if he had a demand avoidant profile!

snap

@DoReMeDo Might sound bonkers, but what about a language? The essays are a lot shorter because they aren't in English, and if he only needs an E then he could access some of the learning via alternative methods.

A lot of demand avoidant and ADHD DC come unstuck at A levels. It all seems so unnecessarily high stakes now. I often laugh out loud at the usual suspects pontificating about the various A level combinations, degrees and jobs young people are likely to get on the Higher Education board. Most of it is wrong, and unhelpful.

Would BIMM be an option? This is the Manchester one but I understand there are others around the country
www.bimm.ac.uk/manchester

Oh, you are all marvellous people!
@Soma he's had counselling at CAMHS (and before that at school) and I think he's just used the counsellor as an agony aunt to moan about his ex-girlfriend and us. I mentioned PDA to the counsellor and she said it wasn't a recognised diagnosis. Whereas an autism mentor I tried to get him to see suggested it to me and, when I read up about it, it was like an epiphany. Coming to the end of the road with CAMHS - they want to get rid of us despite no improvement. He's just started a second type of meds, as the first didn't help. I need to look for private help .

I'm a bit wary of asking for adjustments for him in case it backfires and they decide he's too much of a risk.

Everything at school is high stakes it seems. He did 2 weeks of sixth form (they only did IB, not A levels) and the pressure right from the outset was ridiculous. Younger son is in Year 10 and doing spectacularly badly. He's had a recent diagnosis of ADHD. I'm really finding it hard to keep everyone afloat.

@Comefromaway - aha! Has your son found a way through it?

@Innocenta I don't think he's keen because languages went downhill faster than anything in lockdown. The teachers (grammar school, specialist language institution!!) were awful. He was good at them, enjoyed them and then hit rock bottom. He more or less abandoned Russian, and lost interest in German. Such a shame as I think languages make a great combo with Music (I did French, German, Music A levels). I work in the music business now and my languages are so so useful. I could try though ... just need to pick my moment.

Unfortunately lots of counsellors are as much use as a chocolate teapot at recognising PDA. I'll try and DM you.

@DoReMeDo for some reason I can't PM you. Could you try messaging me instead?

He is/was only mildly demand avoidant. we are in one of the few areas where it is recognised too.

I guess he was lucky in a way that he was the 2020 GCSE year so his TAGS just about got him through and he instantly clicked with one of the lecturers at the FE college. There was one written module (Music Business) that was touch and go but everything else ties into his obsession.

Im not totally convinced he will last the 4 years but at least he’ll get something out of it I hope.

@Comefromaway please keep us all posted on how your DS gets on. It's lovely to hear that he's found something he loves.

I attended RCM. Someone in our year famously didn’t get 2 Es at A level but got in anyway. They (in common with other conservatoires) only cared about the audition then, not sure if this has changed.

One route is to apply for an EHCNA. This would enable you to get online or home tuition for an A level if you find one suitable or get round the no suitable college for a BTEC/other course. It would also give access to other support including therapies.

The counsellor might have meant that many areas in the UK won’t diagnosis PDA as a stand alone diagnosis, instead they diagnosis ASD with demand avoidant traits.

I can’t pm you either but I do have something else to say if you can pm me.

Computer science A level could perhaps work?