Yr 8 Options GCSE Drama, Music and Art. I know, I know...

[NeverPromisedYouARoseGarden]

I realise there is currently a similar thread to this one but I don't want to hijack so thought I'd start my own. DD is 13, Yr8 and choosing GCSE options.

Here's the setup. Selective school, 3yr GCSE programme, not fussed about Ebacc (us or school).
Compulsory GCSEs:
English lang and lit
Maths
3 sciences
MFL (DD has chosen Spanish)
RE (half GCSE)

Three options:
Drama
Music
Art

I'm well aware that this is a poor combination of options due to the insane amount of coursework but it's very difficult to persuade a 13yo who is viewing it with somewhat rose-tinted specs! All three teachers have said they would really like to have her in their class, which isn't helping with the rose-tintedness! Currently achieving 8/9 in all three subjects.

DD is an all-round bright kid, achieving 7 and above in most subjects. Struggles more with maths and physics. She is v creative and highly imaginative but also inclined to be day-dreamy and disorganised, which is linked to the creativity - lots of exciting ideas in her head - but not always easy to live with! She has no real idea what she wants to do careerwise or even for A levels. To break it down a bit…

1. Drama - absolute no-brainer for DD. She loves it although no particular desire to make performing arts into a career. I have never seen her so happy and focused and organised (yay!) as during her involvement with school plays and class performances. Does no drama outside of school but plans to audition for local am-dram youth group this year as previously has not been old enough.

2. Music - Loves the subject and is very talented. Plays two instruments, grades 7 and 5. Very good natural ear. Music teacher outside of school is v experienced and routinely offers additional GCSE support and advice if needed.

3. Art - Loves the subject, reasonably talented, desperate to crack on with it alongside a group of students who also love art and actually want to be there.

I am trying very hard to steer DD away from art and towards history (a subject she also enjoys and her backup choice). I think she will find the art coursework overwhelming and I worry it will suck the fun out of the subject for her. She would actually be fine if a teacher was setting the art as homework on a weekly basis because she is much better working to deadlines. But there is a lot of self-direction and self-discipline required and I doubt she will be motivated to work consistently doing, say, a couple of hours art per week outside of the lessons. She insists she will, of course!

I also favour history because I'm concerned that she will not have a humanities subject (except the half RE) and I think it would be more useful to have another subject area in which to develop writing and thinking skills. There is essay writing involved with the drama (and possibly the music?) but not to the same level.

I have discussed with the school the possibility of dropping physics in favour of history but it would not work in terms of timetabling.
Have also discussed with DD the option of dropping music GCSE as she does extracurricular music and is already very skilled but she really enjoys it and I do think it will be a relatively 'soft' subject for her and therefore potentially less stressful.

Another thought is that perhaps the three year GCSE programme will lessen the coursework burden somewhat and make it more achievable to do all three. Does anyone have DC who have found this to be the case?

So, if anyone wants to tell me that the combination of subjects is not so bad, that would be great. Or if anyone has a compelling argument to favour history over art, that would be good too. And I'll be showing this thread to DD so that I'm not the only bad guy!!

Oh my God, that's so long! Apologies!

History goes well with drama and music as knowledge of the context/time pieces were written in is useful. I studied all three subjects plus English Lit at A level.

I think I’d share your concerns about the art and coursework. Assuming she can compose & has Grade 5 Theory she should find music pretty easy is she’s already performing at that level.

I’d let her do the ones she has chosen. Minimal course work with drama, if she’s already and accomplished musician then the work for that should come naturally leaving her work to do for art.
Choosing options so young is unique to the U.K. and she can always pick up an additional subject at GCSE if needed when she is older. The worst her choices can do is delay her entry to university (should she choose that route) if she changes her mind to a different path in life. The arts are underfunded and undervalued yet we all seek solace in theatre, art and music when modern life overwhelms us.
Good luck to her, making tough decisions so young is so hard.

Dd is in y10 at a selective school. She has told me that she feels really sorry for the girls taking art as they have so much work. They are allowed extensions on the homework for other subjects because of how much they have to do.
That said at our school it's a two year course not three so this might release the pressure a bit.
You should go with her strengths but I personally think those subjects are a little unbalanced and would be guiding her towards history.
At dds school you could only chose one of those subjects.
Is there a chance of her doing double science rather than triple to free up another option?

As I posted on the other thread, we had a similar dilemma with my DD.

A poster made a really useful point about Art that I think is worthy of repeating. (This was about her DS in Year 11)

"My DS chose art on the basis that he would rather do 3 hours of art than 3 hours of history. He realises now that actually he was choosing do 3 hours of art compared to 1 hour of history and 2 hours of watching rubbish on YouTube".

I read this quote to my DD at the time and she said "but I just love art and I don't mind doing it" (and to be fair she spends hours doing art in he own time anyway). If your daughter is not so keen, it might change her mind?

That’s a really interesting perspective redsky. One thing the ops Dd maybe needs to take into consideration is that for her it could be three hours of art instead of 1 hour of history plus 2 hours of practising her instruments (Grade 5 & 7 is a very high standard for her age and will require regular practice. )

My DD takes drama and music, currently in year 10. A lot of people in her drama class took it thinking it was an easy option and it actually involves a lot of work, and it involves trips and productions outside of normal school hours. Quite a few people have dropped it and/or got poor marks because they haven't put in enough effort.

Music seems to be less extra work.

DD loves both. She has also said that people in her year who took art are struggling with the volume of work and she is glad she isn't doing it.

DDs friend does art and music. She is a talented musician who plays several instruments and is a member of an orchestra outside school. They are in year 11 now and she really regrets choosing music, she says it has taken all the enjoyment out of playing that she used to have.

DD does art and finds it takes a huge amount of her time, even though she is very artistic. Again, she says it’s taken something she loves and made it into a chore. She’s looking forward to getting the exam over and done with before the Easter holiday so she can spend more time on her other subjects.

I said this on the other thread but it's worth saying again.

Music is about more than performing (under AQA performance is only 30%).

Drama is also about more than performance.

Don't assume because your child loves the performance aspect of music/drama they will love the GCSE. In fact if your child is a talented performer the GCSE may well not teach them anything in terms of performance (e.g. you get maximum difficulty marks for a playing a Grade 5 level piece in GCSE music; there's no actual benefit in terms of the GCSE being able to play at a higher level).

I would definitely include History in place of one of those 3.

If she will truly enjoy all three then they are not bad choices but history would add more balance and lessen the load.

I most definitely would not drop physics!

It sounds like either music or art possibly instead of both might allow her to enjoy her extra-curricula activities more. Remind her that if she gets involved in her local drama group there will also be chances to get involved in the music and art side of that eg the orchestra and scenery, lighting. How will she feel if she can’t get involved in a production because she has too much art coursework?

Can't help really but am in exact same position with DS, also gifted musician (and required to take GCSE music) leaving him only 2 further options. . . . his natural choices would be DT & computer science .. ... whereas old-fashioned me balks at the possibility of him giving up history, geog and French at aged 12 (youngest in year 8). Like OP's DD he could take any subject and do well; but wants to be a techie/scientist, has already picked his A levels accordingly (!)
I don't quarrel with that; but I do think he needs a MFL (not compulsory at his comp). Negotiations proceed apace . .

Music seems a no brainer for her . Drama is a bit more wordy than many seem to expect...
History opens a lot of doors later so would suggest that rather than art .. it seems a lot of work

Following as Ds is likely to want to do both music and drama in a couple of years....As a music teacher (instrumental not class) I would echo what previous posters said, gcse music is interesting and helps their development but it is much more than just performing and while Grade 5 theory is helpful the GCSE composing and listening is not always related to the Abrsm syllabus and the composition element can be very time consuming.

I think it' would be a real shame if she effectively gave up all humanities at age 13. And it would also restrict the A level direction she could go in. My DD is a talented musician but chose not to do Music GCSE as she said that she did so much out of school that it really wasn't necessary. She is doing drama, Spanish and both history and geography. The teachers agreed that it was important to do as large a range as possible so as not to close down any options – even more important if it's a three-year GCSE course.

Don’t think of music as the easy option. Hopefully the performing bit will be ok for her. But a lot of work is required for the composition part and DD is also finding the theory / analysis part harder than she expected. I agree that dropping one for history is a good idea. The other one can then be seen as a relaxing hobby rather than something that has to be done.

I agree she should drop one and replace with a humanity. It will restrict her choices later on and coursework overload.

We've taken the old fashioned route with our dc on a similar issue and insisted on a language. School supported us. In Y9 they're not really able to visualise that they may change course later on. Y8 is so early to make decisions...

We've looked at a few Uni courses with dc to get a feel for the importance of balanced choices. I'm almost surprised school would accept those options for an academically able child.

Good luck.

If she is a grade 7 in an instrument, music is definitely a no-brainer. My DD's school made it so they had to be a grade 5 or above, so the class was full of people who were serious about the subject, unlike her drama class which was full of people taking it because they thought it was easy. I'd say to steer clear of art - the coursework is immense and it caused massive stress for a number of DD's friends who had their final pieces lost or destroyed. I'd definitely agree with other posters that she should take a humanities, and if she likes history it seems like a good choice. Liking art on your own terms is extremely different to being set a task and given a set time to do it, and she may end up resenting it.

If she enjoys drama, she should definitely go for it! My DD adored it and made some solid friends (and some good connections). I'd just say to swap drama for history

She should do one of them for fun not achievement. I suggest Art, btw gcse art is great way to ruin one's live of art.

My daughter is doing both art and music, primarily because she loves them both. Art is a lot of work but she really enjoys it - doesn't find the coursework damaging to her love of art.

Well she could take the art and just not get such a high grade in it as the others. I mean, that wouldn't be the end of the world.

Drama doesn't actually involve that much acting. It does involve a lot of writing/essays.

It does also involve coursework - although in my DDs case it does seem to be a little bit more spread out than some other subjects. They have to do quite a detailed performance log.

If it's the performing that she likes, she may just be better off getting involved in school productions and an outside club, rather than doing the GCSE.

Thank you, everyone. These replies are really helpful and insightful. I plan to show DD this thread tonight and it will hopefully help her to look at it from other perspectives. At the moment, it's really just enthusiastic teachers versus less enthusiastic mum, so we are at loggerheads.

As well as being a daydreamer, DD is also a procrastinator - hence why she works better to strict deadlines - and that's not an ideal personality trait for any coursework-based GCSEs. We had a falling out this morning when I berated her for leaving yet another piece of homework (art ) till the last minute and now having to do a rush job in her lunch hour, skipping school orchestra in the process and thus compromising both music and art! Arghh! It's so frustrating because if she was more focused and disciplined I would be much more inclined to let her to take the risk with her options. But I do feel for her - I'm a bit of a procrastinator too! - and it's a tough enough time emotionally and physically without having to make these big decisions which could potentially impact your whole future.

In response to some of your replies:

DD has not completed Grade 5 music theory, so that will be relatively new to her. She enjoys composition but hasn't done a great deal of it. To be clear, it's me that thinks it might be an easier option, not DD. She's been told by teachers and other pupils that none of her options are 'soft', quite the opposite.

Re the drama, she does like performing but I think she's more attracted to something else. I don't know what it is, I'm not sure she could articulate it either - maybe the atmosphere, the camaraderie. The teacher is also very inspiring, which makes a huge difference to DD. If a teacher notices her and encourages her, even in quite an understated way, she will give 100%. If they don't engage with her, she loses interest (and focus) in the subject.

Redsky DD's response to your quote about 3 hours homework would be the same as your DD - ie "but I just love art and I don't mind doing it." The enthusiasm will be there, no question, it's putting into practice that will be difficult!

dontletmedown I didn't even consider that GSCE Music might ruin enjoyment of music - I've heard loads about art - so that's something to consider. Although it's made me remember how A level English Lit ruined literature for me for a long time afterwards. We studied some terribly dreary texts and for the next several years I read nothing but trashy romances. A dear friend gave me a copy of Pride and Prejudice in my early 20s which thankfully rekindled the flame!

Comefromaway You make a good point about the music practice. That is certainly a bone of contention on occasion already, especially with the more challenging of the two instruments. And that will get harder before it gets easier, for sure.

OrchidFlakes I really appreciate your perspective. We tend to get so bogged down in the here and now but of course she could pick up another GCSE later down the line. I delayed entry to uni myself (a reaction to the hideousness of A levels) and had a much better experience as a result. And thank you for this... The arts are underfunded and undervalued yet we all seek solace in theatre, art and music when modern life overwhelms us. I know it might not help DD when she's in a funk and behind in her coursework but it makes my heart sing to hear that because in our house we very much value and seek solace in those things and it helps me to understand why DD is so attracted to them.

Thank you, all. Very glad to hear any more suggestions or advice. We still have a few more days before we have to make our final decision...

DD did "Drama and Theater Studies", with her board the majority marks were on the "Theater Studies" side. So lots of written work of performance arts. She is exceptional in English so this was not an issue, but it was for many of the other students who chose Drama for the acting.

The main issue DD had was with her classmates who didn't pull their weight. The acting by definition is all group based. If you get in a group where people piss about, and don't take it seriously, it is really soul destroying. DD did most of the writing, the scripting, had all the main parts, and also orchastrated the lighting and sound for her group performances. They went well, but only because DD did all the work! She would never have not done it, but it is one of those GCSE's where you do rely quite a lot on others pulling their weight, and that can be quite stressful.

Thanks, Baaahhhh. I've discussed this with the teacher and it seems they try to match the groups appropriately. Although that's no guarantee, of course. From what I can gather, in Yr7 and 8 DD has generally been grouped with one or two committed types and one or two who'd rather be anywhere else, and she does get frustrated by the latter.

The writing aspect is not a problem. DD comfortable with that. I'm secrectly hoping for extensive written work if only to balance the options a bit better. The exam board is OCR. I've had a look at the syllabus but no idea how it plays out in practice.

To be fair to DD though, the Drama option is not in contention. She has shown a lot of commitment, and will definitely be choosing that as her first option.