Junior conservatoires for music

[MrsMopTop]

Reaching out to any parents with experience of Birmingham Junior conservatoire for any advice, views or feedback?
We have been offered a late audition, which if successful, will mean starting in September. I have not given notice to current instrument teachers yet, as we don’t know what the chances are and also are now away on holiday until the day before, so there will be no chance to practice!
i’ve asked for the T&Cs but was told there are none. My main questions atm are

1. what happens if you’re away on a Saturday so miss a session, I’m assuming it’s just lost?
2. what are the expectations re practice time during the week
3. are you able to defer a start date until you’ve given notice to current teachers (possibly a term)?
4. overall impressions?

my child is just going into year 11 now so needs to plan for GCSE’s as well. But I was thinking this might be a good year to do it so we can really decide whether or not to pursue music as A level in year 12-13, or just focus on performance opportunities outside of school, thank you

Not Birmingham, but in my experience of a different Junior conservatoire:

1. Not expected to be away on a Saturday, need permission to miss a week for something important, like school (I think I missed a week for a crucial school trip once, and maybe once for illness). You have chamber music as well as one-to-one instrumental classes (I just checked on the Birmingham website), and it's unfair on the other members of the ensemble to miss rehearsals without serious reason. Also unprofessional - if your DC goes into music, their peers now will be their coworkers later.
2. depends on the teacher and the student's aims. I used to do at least an hour a day of each instrument at that age, more when working towards a diploma. By sixth form my first study tutor would've like 4 hours a day, and my friends who were aiming for conservatoire would be doing this, but I couldn't fit it in around commuting to sixth form and was aiming for top unis for another subject, so we agreed less and we took the pressure off after I completed my diploma so I could focus on A levels for the last two terms.
3. Shouldn't think so. Again, it's the ensembles - you can't really join a quartet after Christmas. Current teachers should know you've applied though really, it should be a discussion with them about whether DC is ready. I applied because my first study teacher recommended it, and my teacher for my other instrument was really offended I "thought I was too good for her"! (obviously I didn't - there weren't many teachers for my first instrument around so I didn't have much choice).
4. Brilliant. Loved it. It taught me so much both musically and socio-emotionally. It gave me some opportunities I absolutely wouldn't have had otherwise, even though I didn't pursue music as a career. Obviously can't speak about Birmingham specifically, but my experience was a very good one. Demanding, but fully worth it. I was reading over my old reports the other week, and it's wonderful to see how I gained confidence and really blossomed and grew up over the years I was there.