I think it is unfair that you HAVE to have grade 8 on your instrument to enter BBC young musician of the year. There are people much better than grade 8 that haven't done it and they can't enter.
This annoys me because I haven't done grade 8 and I am just as good as people who have!!
Alex

Looking at the rules it states:

You must provide proof of age and citizenship with your application form along with a copy of your Grade 8 or diploma certicate or an accreditation from your teacher.

So, if you have a teacher who is willing to state that you are at the required standard you should be ok.

Lis

Thanks!
Alex

Nil desperandum Alex. Where's there's a will there's a way. If you're a shining light you will be found. In all fairness to Auntie Beeb it isn't unfair. They must get inundated with applications so they have to have some guidelines or a lot of time will be wasted auditioning people who just think they're brilliant. But hark at what Onion says and in special cases like this it sometimes pays to try and get a relevant phone number and speak to someone so you can explain your situation.

Let us know if you get further with this. And if you don't it's not the end of the world or your world.

On a slightly different tack, has anyone applied/got dates?
I applied and got the receipt of entry, but still haven't got my date, which is annoying, as there's a 50% I won't be able to make the audition, and I need to know whether to practise those pieces!

Unfortunately I think the entry date was in April.

Alex: we just love modesty on this forum! Good luck!! LOL

best of luck....
( i couldn't participate because i'm not a british citizen)

I didn't mean that - I applied before the closing date and was wondering if anyone else did. I know my entry was accepted, just not when my audition will be!

Look forward to hearing how you get on, cellocase... let us know if you get on TV!!

I think that's a rather slim chance! Especially as they have STILL not sent me anything...

Well you never know.

Oh dear!

What will you play at audition assuming you can make it?

IF I can make it and they ever get round to sending me something...!
My planned programme for round one is:
Bach - Sarabande from cello suite no. 4
Faure - Romance
Bloch - Nigun

and for round two:
Bach - Sarabande from cello suite no.....######! which one did I say?!? no 3? no 2??
One of the pieces from Spectrum - can't remember the name off the top of my head
Popper - Hungarian Rhapsody <--- a bit of a bete noire! very difficult, but impressive when up to scratch.

As you can see, I've kind of forgotten my programme......but never mind; it's looking like it's not going to happen anyway!!

Edit: should say that the hashed-out word was a very mild one beginning with b.....

I think it hashes out b-- because it's an American system

Do they preselect even before the audition then? I would've thought they'd be eager to hear someone who has a dip - didn't you get distinction??!

Did you have to send in recordings or what?

Good memory! Yes I did.
No recordings sent in, though I sent in my dip marksheet to prove that I had the requirements.
No, they shouldn't preselect before audition - everyone gets an initial audition. At least, I thought they did...
Perhaps I should ring, but that seems a bit scary.....

Good memory - due to being seriously impressed


I would've assumed so!


I hate phones too might be worth it though, you deserve a chance at it!

Do you know anybody else who has entered and has got their audition date?

If you're worrid that you might have been forgotten or your audition appointment lost in the post then you should ring. It would be terrible if you didn't turn up because of a lost letter. They won't mind if you just politely ask if they have sent out the letters yet. It will set your mind at rest.

I have one student who has entered - no date yet......

^ Absolutely.

Thanks - though I think that your lovely confidence is rather misplaced! Certainly the more I improve, the more I realise just how bad I really am.






Oh, this makes me feel much better. Although it's still annoying - I need to know whether to practice those pieces or stick to my lovely ones I'm working on at the moment! I may well crack and ring after all...

....or not, as the case may be....

What instrument is your student, harmony2?

Often the way, though I suspect your "bad" is still pretty good

Ditto Go Cellocase!

Thanks - but again I have to disagree, unfortunately!
It's funny, actually - when I was younger, I thought that as I got older, I would get better and better and closer and closer to my heros. But, in fact, the better I get, the farther away all my heros get - getting better only means that I realise more specifically just how amazing they are!

Yes, I feel the same, the better I get (nowhere as good as you though), the more I see to improve.

But it doesn't mean you AREN'T a good player

She's a flute player, only 13, so just doing it for the experience really. She is concentrating on the first round pieces though as she thinks it will be in June/Julyish.

Edit - just checked the web site and they start 24th June, depending where you live.

^ what Nicki said. Your frame of reference has changed, that's all. You are a good deal closer to the standard of your heroes than you were - you just have a far better understanding of the distance still to travel!

Let's face it, most kids think they're awesome if they can play Twinkle Twinkle reasonably in tune. When you get to grade 5, you think you're OK, really, and that grade 8 will mean you're actually pretty good and well on the way to being ace. When you're at grade 8 you think you're not that bad but you know how great you're not, but you think that if you get to diploma level then you'll be a reasonably good player... having got your dip (with distinction, no less, so let's face it, two independent and unbiased examiners thought your playing was worthy of a professional qualification...) you're just so aware of the gulf that still exists between you and the greats.

BUT STILL. You can see with clarity that you're a heck of a lot better than you were even at grade 8, let alone when you learned Twinkle Twinkle! You got a distinction in your dip, so no matter how much you see the bad stuff in your playing, logic says there must be a lot of good stuff too.

I'm not trying to puff your head up to huge proportions, and to be honest I think it's really refreshing for someone who clearly IS talented to be so honestly modest and aware of their shortcomings too. BUT... evidence suggests you're still a lot better than a LOT of student cellists out there

*whispers* thanks, i'll pay you later......

Awww, cheers, guys! You've put a smile on my face now. Of course, my problem might be exactly that - I could be better than some student cellists out there, or cellists my age, or whatever, but I want it all! When you get past a certain point, people shouldn't care what age you are, or how long you've been learning or whatever (though they often do) - I think that any players dip upwards should be judged on pure sound, and not the fact that they're 6 years old and have been playing for two and a half weeks (okay, maybe slightly exaggerated...!)

That's my problem with all these youtube posts saying "OMG I may as well just give up" - watch the video and okay, you've got a bucket-sized tot playing Rach 2 on the piano, but just listen, and you'd never listen to that kind of thing if it didn't have the label of child prodigy on it. Fine, it's all very impressive that they can get their hands round the notes, but once past a certain stage, people need to realise that they need to compare themselves with people NOT in their age-group. All only in my humble opinion, of course....

But anyway, this is why I'll never accept myself as a good cellist - or at least, not until I get to the stage where I could give a pleasurable and close-to-flawless recital where people would come and listen. Then, if I ever get there......actually, no. If I ever get there, I'll be wanting to play like Feuermann! But I'll be closer....

The reason I'm doing YMOTY is just for the very, very remote possibility of that concerto with a fabulous orchestra (maybe I should buy a lottery ticket for similar odds...!). Also, it should be good to get a programme together and as good as I can get. But I'm under no illusions!

I can identify with that - sadly I'm even further away from having it all musically

I do know what you mean - and like I said, I do find it refreshing that someone who clearly IS talented is also very grounded and modest...

Just don't do yourself down too much! All power to you, strive to be the best you can, but don't forget to enjoy what you can do now, which is clearly pretty good


Amen to that!

...any news, cellocase? and indeed, harmony2's student?

Nothing yet.............. published provisional dates are getting a bit close

Absolutely nothing. It's getting ridiculous!

When are the provisional dates?

Maybe ring them up?

Sounds like it's time to ring them up, I agree with Nicki.

Oh I'd love to go for BBC Young Musician of the Year playing one of Mozart's oboe concertos, wow ... I think the limit should be Grade 7, working on Grade 8, because there are so many people who are amazing and just because they haven't got their grade 8 yet or don't do grades they can't go for it. Although I think that people should always do grades instead of just going through all the work because then you have qualifications ...

As has been mentioned either earlier in the thread or in another thread (I forget offhand) if a student is of the appropriate standard even though they haven't taken the exam, a teacher's letter affirming they are of the correct standard will suffice.

I suspect with the number of grade 8 distinction+/diploma level candidates entering, someone who was just "working towards" grade 8 would not stand much of a chance. It would depend if the person was working towards the standard (ie was not yet really at G8 standard) or had simply not yet done the exam.

I suppose. What's the age limit?

Note - grade 8 standard - which does not exclude those who have not yet taken the exam, as far as I am aware.



Edit: just found this about standard:

I have entered - have no date yet, or time yet:( Im just doing it for the experoence this time, then next time I will do it & really go for gold!!!

Good luck to all those entering!

Im entering this other competition which will be shown on BBC2 later this year, where they are looking for a young classical musician with the potential to launch a solo career. The winner gets a recording contract!

Don't think I will get very far....theres 3 rounds of auditions, 1-screening based on application(this took too much effort to fill in!) 2- 10 minute recital, 3-15 mins recital including a baroque and contemporary piece.
After all this the selected few go to this music 'camp' like Big Brother where they have to perform each week to a panel and the rest of the time they stay in a house etc etc etc. The finalists then perform in a top UK venue where the winner is chosen.

Im hoping just to get through the screening round!

Ooooohhh so that's what you were doing on saturday

I know someone else who went for an interview for that programme !!

Heck, you have talent and personality, you're bound to get in

Hehe no Im not doing the London auditions! Im hoping to get through for the Birmingham round. Was too late to apply for Birmingham
(I thought I told you I had a VERY late night on friday! )
Playing Enesco Cantabile (no presto) and Messiaen Le Merle Noir.

oh yeah ..... i remember now, as drunk as a skunk

No clarinettists then?

Just read the rules, Its a baroque or early classical piece. Probably to accomodate for the clarinettists!

Finally! It's come through!

and...
...
...
I can't do the date!
Well, I thought that might happen. Never mind. To be honest, I doubt I'd have got anywhere anyway!

Hehe... Although if transcriptions are okay then there is one baroque piece I know of for clarinet.



Oh no!! How annoying not to even get a chance... How much notice do they give?

Bah! Well, you tried!