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Secondary education

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Original poster

Art , music, drama as GCSE options?

47 replies

PurpleRiver · 11/02/2018 08:53

Hi there, dd2 is in year 9 and wants to do art, music and drama as gcse options.

On top of this, she has to do RE, double science and obv English lag and lit plus maths.

She has wanted to pursue acting/ performing arts as a career for some time. She does have talent but I realise it’s a highly competitive field. And she might change her mind.

She is predicted 7/8 in half her subjects and 5/6 in the other half with English, arts and humanities being her strengths.

Is it risky for her to do 3 arts subjects if she decides to pursue something more academic at university? Ik trying to imagine what doors she could be closing, if any.

Or is she better to do subjects that she genuinely loves, regardless?

Any advice appreciated!

OP posts:
superram · 11/02/2018 09:04

She would be very unlikely to be able to do all 3 at my school as we would struggle to timetable them. I would encourage her to do one more traditionally academic subject but honestly, she will be fine. GCSEs are just a route to a levels. She won’t be able to be a doctor but if that not her thing I wouldn’t worry.

Original poster
PurpleRiver · 11/02/2018 09:06

She gas blood injury/ needle phobia so wouldn’t make a great doctor, lol! I think they are able to offer that combination. Her back up choice is history. Thanks for the advice:)

OP posts:
Original poster
PurpleRiver · 11/02/2018 09:07

‘Has’ not ‘gas’

OP posts:
IHeartKingThistle · 11/02/2018 09:08

I'd be surprised if a school allowed her to do all 3 tbh.

Original poster
PurpleRiver · 11/02/2018 09:09

Why, thistle?

OP posts:
VioletCharlotte · 11/02/2018 09:13

I've had 2 DS go through GCSEs in the last 3 years. My advice is to let her do what she enjoys. DS1 is creative and did Drama, photography and music, alongside the mandatory subjects.

IHeartKingThistle · 11/02/2018 09:13

Some schools are quite strict and dictate 1 art, 1 humanity, 1 language etc. But even if they're more flexible the arts subjects are often timetabled at the same time, making it impossible to do all of them.

ChangoMutney · 11/02/2018 09:16

My Dd2 wanted to do art and drama, drama being her real passion. Dd1 did art and reminded her that art is very time consuming and full on, in her case she went on to A level and now a degree, but strongly advised that unless this is your plan don't do it with another arts subject. Dd2 knew best and now in year 11 is struggling with the work required for art and has regretted taking it, in fact she's lost any love for art at all. Drama is where she wants to focus with English a close second because they work so well together. There's a lot of staying after school and working through lunch with drama.

I can't imagine fitting music in as well!

If drama is her real passion I'd suggest she focuses on that and ditch art and music for subjects less full on.

Original poster
PurpleRiver · 11/02/2018 09:18

That makes sense, thistle. There is no objection from the school per se but there could be a timetable issue, in which case she would drop music.

OP posts:
AppleKatie · 11/02/2018 09:18

Of course she could still be a doctor? She’s taking Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Maths?

She should do what she enjoys definitely.

Two years ago I waved a student off to Medical school with A levels in Drama, Physics and Biology (+AS Maths).

errorofjudgement · 11/02/2018 09:20

At 16 is your DD likely to take A levels or performing arts BTEC?
If A levels then it’s worth considering now which of those she would want to take to A level.
My DD is hoping to have a career in acting. She is taking Eng Lit, Drama and History A levels alongside an acting course. This gives her 2 A levels from the RG preferred choices list, that also inform and complement drama.
And gives her back up options of History, English, Law etc if she’s unsuccessful at getting a place at drama school (don’t even start looking at the acceptance stats!)

AppleKatie · 11/02/2018 09:20

Sorry missed your comment about being a doctor 😂

Most people don’t want to be doctors that’s obviously ok to. My point is her options are still very much open and the arts subjects open as many doors as they close.

Original poster
PurpleRiver · 11/02/2018 09:21

Change, Dd1 is in year 11 currently and doing art and drama, so as a family we know the work involved. Both dds do bits of art to relax so they don’t see it as the chore that some of their friends do.
Music is definitely the one she would drop of those three. We haven’t found drama too onerous... different board maybe?

OP posts:
Evelynismycatsformerspyname · 11/02/2018 09:23

Nobody will ever ask her which subjects she did at GCSE once she has a levels (as long as she has maths and English and whatever doesn't drop anything obviously crucial to her career aims).

Even if she does nothing performance related, for most office based careers it's totally irrelevant which GCSEs you do as long as you do English and maths.

If she's good at mfl I'd suggest keeping one, but not if she isn't.

BeyondThePage · 11/02/2018 09:23

If she wants to do acting/performing arts as a career, I would be looking at specialist schools for that, not farting about at GCSE, to be honest.

Most schools only allow a couple of the artsy subjects - DD does Music and Art and even that was frowned upon - though never in one million years would she choose to do science over music - they tried to push her than way. (she wants to teach English and sideline as a music tutor)

Original poster
PurpleRiver · 11/02/2018 09:25

Sorry, that’s should say chango, not change!!

Lots of x posts...

I agree error and apple. We are not yet sure which route into acting she would do. I am nervous of BTEC without anything more academic/ broad alongside it.

If you did English, drama and art A level, could you still do law at uni, I wonder?

OP posts:
tarheelbaby · 11/02/2018 09:36

GCSE Art is time consuming and also prescriptive - you don't just draw/create what you want, there is a set list/topic/medium.

GCSE Music covers the theory side thoroughly so pupils who enjoy music sometimes find all the joy being sucked out of it.

If she's good at MFL, encourage her to continue.

BeyondThePage · 11/02/2018 09:40

GCSE Art is time consuming and also prescriptive - you don't just draw/create what you want, there is a set list/topic/medium

Depends on the exam board. DD17(A*) has never had to do anything outside of producing a piece that she wants to - in the medium of her choice - at both GCSE and A level. The set lists are vague enough to allow a wide leeway of individual interpretation.

It is only time consuming to those whose time is not already consumed by artistic endeavour.

Evelynismycatsformerspyname · 11/02/2018 09:44

Purple yes she could do law. The only A level some law degrees specify is English, many don't specify subjects at all, just A level grades (regardless of subject) plus maths and English GCSE.

BuckingFrolicks2 · 11/02/2018 09:46

Drama schools don't give any weight to GCSEs or ALevels. It's all about the acting, being open to direction, knowing yourself, and being interested in people and life.

She could do 100% science subjects and still apply.

franzen · 11/02/2018 09:49

Our school is very large so we are able to offer 99% of students their first choices (4 subjects). We would allow Art, Drama and Music to be taken together (with 1 more), although we would expect the student to be able to articulate why they want to do this and would talk through the time expectations involved. She should do what she is most interested in.

onlyconnect · 11/02/2018 09:57

Let her do what she enjoys! It really saddens me to see young people being told that what options they pick is somehow going to affect the rest of their lives. The subjects which could have an impact later are English and maths and she has to do those. She may of course develop an interest in something else later for example history, and if she hasn't done GCSE they probably won't let her do A level but there's no way of predicting that. Let her do what she likes!

LIZS · 11/02/2018 10:05

There will be significant work to do outside the timetable on each of those so consider how tine consuming they may be to achieve a good result. While I would agree that she should pursue her interests she may find doing music out of school only equally fine, for example. Check out entry requirements of different pa courses. Drama at uni may well prefer something more traditional like history than vocational courses, although this is probably more true at A level.

Fifthtimelucky · 11/02/2018 10:53

My children had 3 free choices for GCSE (had to do maths, English x 2, a language, a humanity, short course RS and double science (choosing separate sciences took up an option).

One of mine chose drama, music and textiles. They play to her strengths, but I wouldn't have been so keen if she had chosen all 3 of them over a humanity or a language.

AtiaoftheJulii · 11/02/2018 11:59

My dd is doing art and drama. I was unsure about the workload and talked it through with the relevant teachers, who said they had plenty of kids doing two creative subjects and that as long as you are fairly organised and got on with things you'd be fine. Dd was and is always drawing so hoped it would be ok - she's only in y10 but so far no issues. So I'd talk to them about 3 but if that's what she wants to do, is realistic about the workload, and that's where her best chance of decent grades lies, I'd go for it.