GCSE Drama or Music

[Kez100]

My sons chosen his options with one major dilemma (pretty good I thought, it's usually far more problematic!)

Does he take Drama or Music. This is his fun option. He is 6a in both (currently year 9). He already does both outside of school - local theatre group and has trumpet lessons (he has been playing for 6 years and is in school band). So, whichever he picks, he will continue the other outside of GCSEs.

He is a bright boy but suffers from severe dyslexia. He isn't going to be looking at RG unis or anything.

He really is at pulling a name out of a hat stage! He just cannot decide.

I thought Music would be better but then wondered if the Drama would support his literacy more (he is 4a in English and that is the only subject he is not a level 6 in)

Any thoughts that might help me guide his decision?

He's not work shy but everything does take him much much longer.So I'm not sure he'd keep up with the quantity but - if it's not for the actual exam - the teacher might accept that and, given practice, he will continue to improve (but he is never going to be the speed or spelling accuracy of the others in a two year timeframe).

I can't imagine music will be for the workshy either though. Music practice is quite a commitment.

Lots of questions for us to ask at the subject evening.

The drama diary doesn't have to be quite so long as Rach suggests but don't tell her son Certainly none of the pupils I teach would write that much (but maybe her school gets better results than us)

As someone who teaches both, I'd also strongly disagree with the idea that drama is 'English with talking' - first of all, your DC should be doing plenty of talking in English and secondly, your drama class should be more about performance (either watching or participating) whereas English is about analysing texts.

Neither are the 'fun' option.
Both require dedication, talent and interest. And some bloody hard work

For life skills I would highly advocate drama. As someone who is naturally quite withdrawn I have found the things I learnt in drama to benefit me every day. Acting helps you with interview techniques, networking, giving presentations, learning how to improvise and think on the spot, interact with people and use appropriate body language. It is a great course.

I did both and now help teach both and trust me - they may be 'fun' subjects when it comes to the practicals, but they are actually two of the harder subjects to get good grades in because a lot of the theory is very difficult.

Go with whatever subject he is better at the practical side of - or if the school does BTEC then go for that instead. Also, consider if he wants to do A-Levels or not. A-level Drama (in my experience) is a bit easier than A-level music as has a bit less theory and what there is of it also has less complicated 'rules' and 'structures'.
Alternatively would the school offer 'Performing Arts' which is a mix of both Drama and music with a bit of dance? That subject is far more demanding practically, but writing wise may be easier as most of the written work is critical reviews of performance and so a bit less technical.

Hope my rambles help a bit.

You do not need to be grade anything for GCSE music. I know a girl who got a B at GCSE music- she couln't play an instrument, sang averagely and could not read music.

My DD is 7c in music (currently in year 8) Her school starts key stage 4 in year 9 and she has been accepted onto the GCSE music course. She plays the guitar and tinkers on the piano but has not passed any grades.

The requirements for A level music however are much higher- many schools require grade 5 theory and practical and or at least A grade GCSE.

Drama is emphatically NOT an English lesson with talking. If it appears to be so then there is something awry with the teaching (of both English and Drama; English should have lots of talking, drama should have lots of DRAMA and less talking).

The Edexcel Drama GCSE course is 60% coursework, but only half of that is written work, the rest is awarded for practical work in two 6 hour workshops. Some schools do these in lesson time, others do them in 2 whole day blocks. The marks for these sessions are awarded for exploration of a play or a theme using drama, rather than for acting skills, but they are 100% practical. These workshops are then written up in a 'documentary response', which forms the written element (plus a theatre review).

Given what you've said I'm sure he'll enjoy either course. Good luck with his decision!

He won't go anywhere near a course with much dance in it. He's dyspraxic as well as dyslexic and finds dance difficult and he is not very good at it. That said, if Drama includes a bit of dance for a particular reason , he'll do it (but it may well turn, unwittingly, into a comedy act)

His practical ability is equal in both Drama and Music. Both teachers say, on his report, they think he is well suited to the subject to take at GCSE (Although Drama does mention she hasn't covered the written side when saying that - which, of course, is his major problem area)

He can do Btec Music but that takes two options and, if he was going to use two, he could do Music and Drama GCSE.

He is considering doing both now (and dropping History). I've told him to talk to all the five teachers and let them sell him their courses and also speak to SEN and find out what help he is entitled to in each. From his five choices (extra science making it triple science, ICT, History, Music and Drama) he is allowed four.

For the sort of things he wants to do as he gets older he needs Physics and Maths (and hopefully English). Plus an overall 5 A*-C.

My Y9 son is looking at GCSE music or drama too. He is Grade 5 on a couple of instrument and about Grade 3 on piano. So I'm not an expert but having been asking questions too.

I understand that you need to be about Grade 5 standard performance at the end of the course, and certainly at my son's school it is policy to regard the voice as an instrument. There is more theory of music in ABRSM Grade 5 than GCSE.

As an SEN assistant myself I can say that in our school we do not help in Music or Drama but only with 'academic' subjects, though no idea what the provision will be in your son's school. (We do occasionally do some music and drama for kids who are sufficiently needy - I am involved with the after school GCSE stuff which is how I do it as it my speciality.)

I'd say if he is badly dyslexic then he may be wise to drop history as I also did that (history, English lit, Music, Drama, and Performance studies) and I found it to have loads of writing. Saying that however it us a fantastically interesting GCSE to take and from what you've said he will enjoy it loads.

Dont worry about dance - there will be hardly any of it in drama unless your school has a specialist dance teacher who gets in on the lessons! Lol.

To some extent, no SEN help suits him. He is a very independant lad who likes to get on with it. He had the chance of extra time for sight reading in his music Grade but decided against asking for it because, if the notes are jumping around, there is absolutely no way an extra minute will help (or whatever it is - not long as the whole test is only 15 mins). He did OK with 9/10 and said he was lucky as the notes seemed quite clear to read and the tails were all going up (when some note 'tails' go up and others down the notes move on the page even more)

However, in heavy writing subjects, he just has to be able to have some SEN help. No way anyone would be able to read what he puts if he has to write a lot under time pressure. The spelling will always be sub-standard but the words work phonetically and extra time means he can write slower and it is then more readable for the marker. Why on earth he can't use a computer, as we all do in real life, I don't know. OK, spelling will still be poor, but at least the marker won't lose the will to live.

The original reason for picking History is that he is very, very interested (and knowledgeable) about classical history and also has a general interest in all things historical. However, the GCSE syllabus doesn't cover his main interest.

He may be eligible to use a computer to type his GCSE's - it's certainly worth asking at the school. I have invigilated many exams in separate rooms with kids using laptops with either 10 or 25% extra time.
(Great job for jobbing actor musicians or those 'resting' due to children! )

Thanks Properformer. We will speak to SEN as well. We are currently in the loop with them because he has in year 9 had a great deal more problems with the dyslexia and they are rescreening him in school and we are going through the irlen process (colour overlays) with an optician to see if that helps. During our dialogue I will ask their advice on what he is allowed to use.

OP, I did both drama and music GCSEs.

Both were very much 'fun' subjects, although that shouldn't be read as 'easy' or 'doss' subjects.

When I did my GCSEs you didn't need to play to any standard, you just needed to be assessed as having made progress by the teacher. There were certainly some pupils who took it who didn't have much experience playing. You did need to be a min of grade 5 (I believe) to do A Level though.

Drama was fantastic for confidence.

Thanks to everyone for their input. It has been really useful.

We spent some time yesterday looking at how not doing History might affect his future choices. It affects him not a jot. He needs to nail Maths, Science and English. I think, actually, it is important foe him to surround himself with options he is good at because, with his difficulties, he is going to have to apply himself that extra degree to get the English and also to manage his best in exam conditions for the Maths and Science too.

My daughter thinks they will only allow one 'arts' subject but he says, in that case, he will write to them explaining why!

Just to add - he's not losing the chance to get English bacc by dropping History because he is targetted D in MFL and hasn't been advised to do a MFL.

(He is continuing MFL - probably Spanish - privately so he doesn't lose what he has learned but at his own pace in the areas he is better at (listening and speaking) without the stupid learning by rote writing test which he can't access properly due to his difficulties. He wants to be able to join the informal languages group at college at 16 but not do formal exams in it - not yet anyway.)