Music provision in high schools

[18yearstooold]

Dd has been incredibly lucky at her primary school with violin lessons and has progressed really quickly

I'm doing the rounds with high school open evenings at the moment and instrument tuition seems to universally be 20 minute group lessons which is nowhere near what she does now

I can't afford private lessons but don't want her talent to go to waste

Do I have any options?

that is really quite grim.
If you talk to her violin teacher you may find that she is eligible for free or heavily subsidised lessons if she has reached a particular level paid for by the County music service. If no joy with her teacher, phone up the music service yourself.

The school lessons are free and she has a 30 minute group lesson on Saturdays through the county but she gets very frustrated with it as she is the only one at her level so other than playing in a group she's not getting any corrections or things to work on

Her primary violin teacher is excellent and I'm really sad about it

Our county subsidises private lessons for those who are grade 5 and above. You should speak to her primary violin teacher about this. It would be a dreadful pity if she lost interest because the lessons aren't at her level.

Remember senior schools have lots of children, it's quite possible they will pair your DD up to have lessons with someone else equally good.

Also most schools are happy to recruit players to the senior orchestra on ability not age. DD1 has sung in senior choir for years.

She's working on her grade 4 but only picked a violin up for the first time 18 months ago

Do you think if I speak to her current head she will have any influence?

Dd is eligible for pupil premium but doesn't need any additional English/maths support so in the last 18 months of primary this has gone on music provision

County are always worth asking, our lot are lovely.

If she gets PP it's certainly worth talking to county as they give discounts on instrument hire etc.

Ask both the music service and the school. Some schools will pay for the lessons entirely out of Pupil premium and in some cases individual lessons. Music services where you pay direct should offer substantial discounts. Ring the music service and at open mornings/ evenings speak to the HoD or member of senior staff in charge of pupil premium.
To be honest it sounds like your DD could be gifted and talented reaching that standard so quickly and if in receipt of pupil premium the school has to show how they are using the money to benefit her and if she doesn't need additional English/Maths support then spending money on instrumental tuition is ideal.

If she's eligible for Pupil Premium then I think you have a very good case to request it to be used for music tuition. All of our local schools, primary and secondary, allow parents a fair bit of input into how an individual childs PP is spent.

I was going to come on and say that music tuition is expensive and requires real sacrifice - every penny I earn goes towards my 2 DCs music tuition (they have particularly expensive lessons because of the standard they have reached). However, as you are in receipt of PP, then surely this is exactly the point of it - to ensure fair access to all.

check out "Awards for Young Musicians". you can give them a ring as well.

"group"
DDs group was three, more usually two and sometimes one
fear not
she learned some excellent duets and the teachers made the lesson worthwhile for each

Hello OP

Speak to them and see what they can offer you. I'm sure your LA will have some form of support.
I agree about county orchestra as well, ours is usually only for grade 6 and above and senior school. This year so many left they had to recruit a little lower, dd has successfully auditioned is working on grade 5 and is 10, so you never know.
I can't advise about group lessons as I don't see how they can work, but it sounds like she listens to her teacher and practices well which is the main priority.

forgot to add: sign her up for group lessons. everyone else tends to drop out then if you are best you get individual lesson by default

At my school, we use PP money to pay for music tuition for individual students. Definitely worth finding out who is responsible for PP at whichever secondary school she goes to and sort it out with them. I think it would need to be done via the school not direct to county.

Unless it's a very tiny high school, there will almost certainly be at least one other person at a similar level to her in her year and probably lots. Grade 3-4 is what the kids who took up violin at DD's primary and kept going generally reached by the time they moved on (though they would have had 3 years of tuition - this isn't an attempt to do your DD down).

The open day comments will almost certainly have been aimed at attracting people whose DCs don't already play an instrument and will be total beginners.

Definitely speak to her primary violin teacher who will know what has happened with her previous pupils.

Do any of the schools have orchestras? Being thrown in at the deep end is a very good way of getting better fast, and playing in a real orchestra is much more fun than only playing in groups of people all about as good as you.

No orchestra -they have 'junior and senior bands'

The most likely school is a 9 form entry but out of this year 7 intake they only had 4 that play violin and none are above grade one

Dds violin teacher is new to the area so has no past pupils -in fact she's new to the uk education system

Last night's school said they teach within year group due to timetable issues

One more school to go but it's my least preferred

I looked in yr 5 but she was so new to music it wasn't on my radar -this years visits were just supposed to confirm our choice -gah!

If the school and county music service provision is indeed poor it might be worth looking at local charity provision - can you say what county you're in and maybe other MNers can help?