Specialist Music schools Options

[merrily]

My child has been offered a place for September in one of the main specialist music schools.
Although we understand the music education will be second to none, could any parents advise me on how this type of education sets a child up if they later decide not to be a musician.
Would it be a mistake to send a child if they are unsure music is their future.
I believe less GCSE's are studied in all these schools, but think 3 A levels are still taken.
Is it still possible for a child to do really well in academic studies when such a large part of their day is dedicated to music ?
Any advice very gratefully received

[sbhoa]

Yes they often do well academically.
I have no direct experience but both my teachers were at specialist music schools.
My clarinet teacher was accepted on the joint Manchester University/RNCM course which I've heard is not the easiest to get on. Children who are able to play an instrument to a high level have often got good organisational and motivational skills which are useful in their academic studies too.
If they decide that music is not something they want to take on into higher education it is not wasted. Skills learned from studying music seriously are useful. Even if that decide by 6th form that they don't want to continue at that level with music studies what they've gained is still good.

[Maizie]

I wonder if the website of the school in question (or other specialist schools) have a 'destination of leavers' section? Some schools put this sort of information on, it would let you know how many go on to non-musical things and perhaps where they go, i.e. possibly an indication of the academic standard.

Edit: found a couple for you:
Chethams
Purcell

[merrily]

Thankyou Maizie for your reply, and for the links
I have looked into leavers destinations and probably about ten percent go on to study something other than music. I guess logically this must mean that their A level results were good!
I wonder how the children cope with so much music (approx 3 hrs practice / day as well as ensembles etc) as well as getting good A level results. I think I must be missing something !

[BerkshireMum]

Thankyou Maizie for your reply, and for the links
I have looked into leavers destinations and probably about ten percent go on to study something other than music. I guess logically this must mean that their A level results were good!
I wonder how the children cope with so much music (approx 3 hrs practice / day as well as ensembles etc) as well as getting good A level results. I think I must be missing something !

I expect they are well motivated, and well taught. I think many children in "normal" schools end up taking so many GCSEs that they are worn out before they start A-levels (at the state comprehensive where I worked up to a year ago, the most able were taking 14 GCSEs, and the average child took 11). I don't know how many are taken at music schools, but if it's 7 or 8 they will save a lot of time. OK, they spend it on music, but as that's what they want to do it's less of a chore than another 6 GCSEs!

Again, the most able children at the school where I worked were encouraged to start 5 A-levels, and then continue 4 (or in some cases all 5) to A2 plus General Studies. (This is presumably to make the school results look good, as no UK university asks for more than 3 A-levels, and virtually none regards General Studies as a "proper" A-level.) If you are trying to do music performance on top of that, it's very tricky to find enough time. I think the music schools have the right idea: let the students do the 3 A-levels they need for university, but concentrate on plenty of music, because that's what the majority of their pupils want to do in life.

I can see why you are concerned, because if your child is not very sure about the future, it's a lot of music. A good alternative if you can afford it might be a private school with a tradition of excellence in music. However, if you think there's a good chance that your child will want to be a musician, you can't beat a specialist music school.

[Halka]

One of my colleagues had two daughters at Purcell. The younger is still there; the elder went on to study chemistry at Oxford after A levels at Purcell. I can't tell you how she fitted everything in, though. She was a first study violinist, but managed to keep up bassoon too..

[FullofWind]

The academic standards at one school in particular are abmissmal although on paper they seem to be ok (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) , and the music is not second to none. So far this year I know of six students who started in September who are leaving because of the academic standards. I believe Chethams and Wells will offer a decent academic education though. I also know of a girl who went onto study Chemistry but I'm sure her father was a chemistry lecturer so the figures do not show an accurate reflection. Many overseas pupils already turn up at these schools years ahead academically and are moved up 2-3 years so again the figures do not reflect the quality of teaching.

It also depends when a child enters. I would not send my child to such a school without a good set of GCSE qualifications. As we home ed it may be possible that my child will have a set of A'levels before joining the sixth form.

Regarding the music. Students are taught by some of the most accomplished musicians but many of them are appalling teachers. Other issues arise when the world class teacher tutoring your son is so good that they are never there because they have other commitments.

[VH2]

I wonder how the children cope with so much music (approx 3 hrs practice / day as well as ensembles etc) as well as getting good A level results. I think I must be missing something !

They manage because the specialist music schools organize their days sensibly, get through the obligatory national curriculum work much more quickly than a regular school, and so do not waste the students' time.

As for "so much music", three hours a day of instrumental practice is really not very much for someone that is serious i their ambition, and enjoys their musical studies.

[FullofWind]

I wonder how the children cope with so much music (approx 3 hrs practice / day as well as ensembles etc) as well as getting good A level results. I think I must be missing something !

They manage because the specialist music schools organize their days sensibly, get through the obligatory national curriculum work much more quickly than a regular school, and so do not waste the students' time.

Well at least one school is failing on all these points!

[Halka]

I also know of a girl who went onto study Chemistry but I'm sure her father was a chemistry lecturer so the figures do not show an accurate reflection.

Well... the colleague of whom I spoke most certainly is not a chemistry lecturer, and lives a long way from Purcell so had little opportunity for interference, anyway.

[serendipity]

I think it varies from school to school. Undoubtedly, some do better than others. Certainly, at one of the schools there is a lot of pressure to do fewer A levels - many only do 2 - and also pressure to do both music and music tech A levels. This has been problematic for several students we know. However, to balance this view, we do know of a couple of people from that same school who have gone on to study medicine so it obviously works for some.

By contrast, the students my daughter knows from another of the 'big' specialist schools all seem to do the full academic range, taking 3-4 A levels.

Can you try to find out the average number of GCSEs and A levels taken, and the range of subjects offered? Is there any way you can chat to current and past students and parents?

[Listener]

I wonder how the children cope with so much music (approx 3 hrs practice / day as well as ensembles etc) as well as getting good A level results. I think I must be missing something !

They manage because the specialist music schools organize their days sensibly, get through the obligatory national curriculum work much more quickly than a regular school, and so do not waste the students' time.

As for "so much music", three hours a day of instrumental practice is really not very much for someone that is serious i their ambition, and enjoys their musical studies.

I agree with VH2 on 3 hours not being an exceptional amount of practice for a school student (depending on intsrument - I'm thinking strings/piano rather than say oboe, tuba). One of mine managed at least this during final years at a non-specialist and academic school - and I don't think it was unusual among her cohort at a junior conservatoire who came from all kinds of schools, in fact she felt a bit of a slacker. She also did extra music (ensemble) and other unrelated extra-curriculars and held (captain/head)-type position in school which ate up time at various points. It was all good stuff. So I'm not surprised specialist schools can timetable the amount of practice they do. Also, both my girls knew people from music specialist schools at university doing demanding courses other than music (it could be quite depressing!) - Chethams, Wells at least. Probably a case of horses for courses though - you know your child.

[Misti]

I never was an especially talented musician, but this may put the time commitment into context:

I studied the International Baccalaureate at a state FE college. I left to get the bus at 8am, and got home about 5pm. The IB requires 6 subjects, an extended essay and Theory of Knowledge, plus 150 hours of volunteering/sports commitments. Its probably as nasty as trying to do 5 A Levels plus General Studies, plus DoE; if not worse.

During my first year of the course, when my work load was lightest, I was doing about 2 hours of fluting a day. This did drop down in my second year, when the workload (and my social life) went through the roof.

If you took out the 2 hours of travel time each day, did a little less studying, and eased back on the social life a little, 3 hours of music practise starts seeming very easy to fit in. I think its easy to underestimate the focus a teenager can give to something with organisation and determination!

[Village Flute]

I think the point about travelling time is a good one, specialist music schools are generally boarding so no time wasted in travelling each day. There is also no reason why you need to do masses of GCSEs, in the days of O-Levels 9 was seen as a good number so keep the GCSEs focussed on core subjects and there will be time for music practice. They probably have less compulsory team sport as well but I know that would be seen as a drawback to a rounded individual by some people.

[Misti]

*shudder*

I think less team sport is a very good thing for many teenagers! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)