Specialist Music schools Options

[barncottagecat]

Ooh Tis all very cloak and dagger,which school, which school! We looked at the one whose name begins with the letter that is fourth from the end of the alphabet that rhymes with something that old churches often have. My daughter would've been there at the drop of a hat, ,but they wouldn't let her keep on with her existing teacher, and I was reluctant to have her boarding. They were suggesting 9 GCSEs - I'd have been completely happy with 10, 9 worried me a bit I have to say. But their prospectus is full of children who've succeeded both musically and academically, so it's certainly possible. Depends on your child wanting to succeed academically as much as anything. Also (possibly naively) feel that if a child is boarding, you aren't so able to see whether they are completely on the ball with their academic work or not....

[STRINGMUM]

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Although it is supposed to be academically selective there are kids who are years behind academically and have been put back. [/quote]

This has me confused because the five specialist music schools select on musical ability and potential not on academic ability.

[FullofWind]

[quote name='STRINGMUM' date='Jun 7 2012, 09:21 PM' post='1152323']
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[/quote]

Although it is supposed to be academically selective there are kids who are years behind academically and have been put back. [/quote]

This has me confused because the five specialist music schools select on musical ability and potential not on academic ability.
[/quote]

The one I know also selects, or says it does, on academic ability.

[Clari Nicki1]

Ooh Tis all very cloak and dagger,which school, which school! We looked at the one whose name begins with the letter that is fourth from the end of the alphabet that rhymes with something that old churches often have. My daughter would've been there at the drop of a hat, ,but they wouldn't let her keep on with her existing teacher, and I was reluctant to have her boarding. They were suggesting 9 GCSEs - I'd have been completely happy with 10, 9 worried me a bit I have to say. But their prospectus is full of children who've succeeded both musically and academically, so it's certainly possible. Depends on your child wanting to succeed academically as much as anything. Also (possibly naively) feel that if a child is boarding, you aren't so able to see whether they are completely on the ball with their academic work or not....

A child from DD's school has got a Music Scholarship and an academic award to this school- as a full specialist musician.... (on Government place) and a "Young Academic Leader Award". The school must think it's worth it. It's a very good academic school and I would recommend it if your child loves music. The scholar boy's sister is a music scholar there and the parents are very pleased with it. Father is a musician so knows what he's talking about......The music teachers are good there and the practice is supervised by specialist post grad gap year students......

[soccermom]

They were suggesting 9 GCSEs - I'd have been completely happy with 10, 9 worried me a bit I have to say.

According to my children's (academically selective, independent) school, no university is interested in more than 10 GCSEs. The vast majority of children there do 10 GCSEs. The only children who do more are those who are native speakers of other languages, who might do an additional one in whatever language they speak.

Instead of quantity, the school prides itself on quality (74% of GCSEs taken there last year were awarded A* and 95% were A*-A) and on keeping the children involved in extra curricular activities like music, sport and DoE, all of which look good on cvs as well as helping to create more rounded individuals. Every year 25-30% go on to Oxbridge, so they must be getting something right.

9 good GCSEs is a perfectly acceptable number, even in a non specialist school.

[Village Flute]

*shudder*

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

Not sure I agree, I think playing in an orchestra is a wonderful team sport (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I think it is too and I hope things have changed from when I was applying for graduate jobs and one interview they basically said they didn't think I would be suitable for the job in retail management because I had never played in a school team and did not participate in sport, they brushed aside the idea of music being a team activity. I'd had a summer job in retail management and a saturday job in a shop for three years before University so it was all rather trying.

[Listener]

They were suggesting 9 GCSEs - I'd have been completely happy with 10, 9 worried me a bit I have to say.

9 good GCSEs is a perfectly acceptable number, even in a non specialist school.

It does depend rather on what those GCSEs are and what the young person wants to go on to do (you might struggle to fit in more than one language, or three sciences, or music + art, for example, depending on choices allowed) EDIT: assuming the usual restrictions of 'you have to one of these' etc., applies. Both my girls did ~10 and there was agonizing in both cases about what they had to drop at that very early age. And both subsequently changed career paths indicating how important it is to keep options open. It is not just about collecting pieces of paper - skills are acquired and knowledge gained (yes, even in derided GCSEs!).

*shudder*

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

Not sure I agree, I think playing in an orchestra is a wonderful team sport (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I think it is too and I hope things have changed from when I was applying for graduate jobs and one interview they basically said they didn't think I would be suitable for the job in retail management because I had never played in a school team and did not participate in sport, they brushed aside the idea of music being a team activity. I'd had a summer job in retail management and a saturday job in a shop for three years before University so it was all rather trying.

What a narrow-minded, tick-box attitude to selection! Hoping you since found somewhere that appreciated your abilities rather better, would you actually have wanted to work there?!

[Maizie]

I think the 10 GCSEs vs 9 GCSEs isn't something to get too hung up on. Yes, they may "only" have 9 GCSEs, but they're going to have 'beyond GCSE equivalent' in instrument playing. OK, it's 'extra curricular' rather than a 'paper GCSE', but I think it should count as the extra GCSE and more!

[soccermom]

It does depend rather on what those GCSEs are and what the young person wants to go on to do (you might struggle to fit in more than one language, or three sciences, or music + art, for example, depending on choices allowed) EDIT: assuming the usual restrictions of 'you have to one of these' etc., applies. Both my girls did ~10 and there was agonizing in both cases about what they had to drop at that very early age. And both subsequently changed career paths indicating how important it is to keep options open. It is not just about collecting pieces of paper - skills are acquired and knowledge gained (yes, even in derided GCSEs!).

I know what you mean. We spent weeks agonising over what my daughter would drop and in the end she didn't make the final decision until the morning the forms had to be handed in. But given the amount of revising she's done this year for her exams, and the lack of practising on her three instruments, I'm very glad she's not doing 2 or 3 more subjects!

[Tenor Viol]

I'm unqualified to coment on most of this. I would just note the following. My O Levels in 1976 were: maths, physics, chemistry, biology, English language, English literature, French, history, Latin. Only optional subject was between chemistry and Ancient Greek (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif) . I went to a grammar school.

[Chris H]

In our day, Tenor-Viol, it was usual to do fewer 'O' levels than they do GCSEs nowadays. I did nine at my comprehensive school, but it was more usual for pupils to do eight. My sons did ten GCSEs, which seems to be usual at their comprehensive school. I would have been happy for my son to have done nine at a specialist music school. However, I am encouraging him to get three decent A levels as a fall back option if he needs to change career path after conservatoire.

[sunil]

Both myself and OH never had something to fallback, it was always do or die! I think daughter chose the same style, which could be reason for her to chose music over anything.

She appears to be so excited to start a new life in Secondary specialist school (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Chris H]

Both myself and OH never had something to fallback, it was always do or die! I think daughter chose the same style, which could be reason for her to chose music over anything.

She appears to be so excited to start a new life in Secondary specialist school (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

The fallback is my idea - son seems intent on burning his bridges (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

[Halka]

In our day, Tenor-Viol, it was usual to do fewer 'O' levels than they do GCSEs nowadays. I did nine at my comprehensive school, but it was more usual for pupils to do eight.

I'm not sure that's altogether true. I went to comprehensives, leaving after A levels in 1978. By that time I had 13 "O" levels, and only one of those was sat while I was in the sixth form. I'm eternally grateful that because of the way my 11-16 school arranged things, I never had to drop anything at all that I actually wanted to pursue until the sixth form.

[merrily]

Both myself and OH never had something to fallback, it was always do or die! I think daughter chose the same style, which could be reason for her to chose music over anything.

She appears to be so excited to start a new life in Secondary specialist school (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

The fallback is my idea - son seems intent on burning his bridges (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

My feelings are increasingly that specialist music schools are perfect for those that know from a young age that music will be their future, and have the determination to make that happen.
I have great admiration for those children.
For a child undecided on their future , is a a traditional school better- no matter how talented they may be ?