Hellooo,

I'm now at the point where i have to start making decisions about what subjects i'm going to do for A-level and music has always been a passion of mine, which has, however, until recently gone completely unsupported by my parents. Now after 2 and a half years of playing piano i am studying towards my grade 8 (YAY lol) but my music teacher at school (who really doesn't like me) thinks that i would struggle to even get a B at A-level because of my "rhythmical weaknesses" and says that i would be much better off doing a subject "that i am actually good at"!! (However, my "rhythmical weaknesses" did not stop me passing my grade 5 piano or affected my numerous public performances in any particularly noticeble way!? )

So do you think i should worry about what grade i will get at the end of the course and what my teacher thinks or whether i should do a subject that i really enjoy and feel very passionatly about??

I'm soooooooooooooo confused!!
Trish

Well working for grade 8 you are more than capable of taking A level music. I enjoy it, is there any chance of you sitting in on a lesson to see what its like? Or talking to students who take the course at the establishment you want to go to?

well, my school currently only has two people doing A-level music (both AS) because music isn't really very strong at our school (despite what the 1man music department likes to think because he scares nearly everyone away!! lol) and the person out of the two doing music that i know personally has his own band and has released a CD with his musical abilities being far greater than mine lol. I doubt there's much chance of me being able to sit in a lesson because the "director of music" absolutely can't stand me for reasons unbeknown to me lol (his loss lol )

I think you should take Music at 'A' level, especially since it's a subject you're passionate about.

What are you planning to do after 'A' levels? Are getting high grades essential for that?

The first point I'd like to make is that school music teachers aren't always right about grades: this is only GCSE but the music teacher at my school said about me "she'll be lucky to get a C if she works really hard" and well, I didn't work hard in music, didn't have a school music teacher for the whole of the last year and still got an A, so bear in mind your teacher isn't necessarily correct...

Secondly I would say it depends on what you want to do afterwards. If you really don't get on with the teacher and he's the only one then it could be a bit risky to do the subjet, plus they may even cause you to end up hating it. If you don't want to do music afterwards and want to do something else that needs the high grades (and you don't think that you will get one in music) then it's probably not worth taking it at A-level, just keeping it as a hobby (Grade 8 in both practical and theory is often an accepted substitution for A-level music at least by music coleges, maybe not universities). If, however, you really want a musical career and think that you can realistically have one then the best thing for you is probably to do the A-level as it would help you in getting into university; or if you don't think that you will do better in any other subjects (and could stand to do them!) than you would in music, again it's probably best to do that.

Really you (and perhaps your piano teacher rather than music teacher?) are the only ones that can decide that because you know the situation. Remeber also that performing is only roughly a third of the A-level course and you'll need to compose and do listening and analysis exams to, so don't forget that most of A-level music won't be performing (correct me someone if I'm wrong...) and inparticular I'd imagine that even less than 1/3 of the in school time will be performing because you'll be expected to do a lot of that outside of school.

QUOTE (Trisha @ Feb 5 2005, 10:28 PM)

I'm now at the point where i have to start making decisions about what subjects i'm going to do for A-level and music has always been a passion of mine, which has, however, until recently gone completely unsupported by my parents. Now after 2 and a half years of playing piano i am studying towards my grade 8 (YAY lol) but my music teacher at school (who really doesn't like me) thinks that i would struggle to even get a B at A-level because of my "rhythmical weaknesses" and says that i would be much better off doing a subject "that i am actually good at"!!

Have you looked at the syllabus? past papers can also be interesting, but would not be sufficient for A-level music because of the practical and course work requirements (if any; I don't have any recent direct knowledge).

Also, it's not too soon to be looking at the entry requirements for degree and diploma courses that you might want to follow. The point of university entry requirements is that you should know enough when you arrive to understand your lectures and do the practical work, and some universities are flexible about alternative means of demonstrating that capability. I never took music A-level, but as a mature student was allowed onto a music BA at Reading on the basis of a 30 minute interview with the Head of Department.

Conversely some exams, nominally equivalent to A-level, don't give an adequate preparation. This arose in my first year at Reading, when a student, with Scottish Highers including music, found the first year course assuming knowledge that she lacked, so transferred (successfully) to Philosophy.

I would always say "follow your dreams" because if it's something you feel passionately about then you'll be much better at it/ put in more effort than something else, in which you might be "good at" but don't enjoy.

However, you should definitely try to get on with your teacher, as it can be dificult if he is not on your side.

Still, I'd say go for it, and with grade 8 piano it surely can't be impossible to get an A?!

Good luck with your decision!

Trisha

If you want to do A level music, then you should go for it. It's your life, your studies and your choice.

Have a look at the thread "Not Good Enough...." on the students' forum, July's a couple of years ahead of you but making much the same decisions - and she got a lot of helpful advice there.

Cheers

Katyjay.

QUOTE (Trisha @ Feb 5 2005, 10:46 PM)

well, my school currently only has two people doing A-level music (both AS) because music isn't really very strong at our school

there are only 2 people doing A-level music in my school!

say do A-level music-its great!

one thing to look into if music isn't strong at your school/the teacher doesn't like you is to find out if there's any way you can do it outside school. it depends on what music schools and facilities are in your area, but definitely something worth looking in to.

well basically i want to go onto uni to study law when i finish school so music is far from essential lol but i think i'm gonna do it anyway, after all like AnotherPianist said performing is only a third of the course and my composing and listening skills in music (i would like to think lol ) arent that bad!! (YAY lol).

After all music is supposed to be something you enjoy and so what if i dont get an A, at least i would have tried. All we can do it our best and if thats not good enough for some teacher or some stupid exam board then who cares lol? I think the worst thing in life is regretting things that you havent done so following my dreams it is then lol

QUOTE (Trisha @ Feb 6 2005, 02:45 PM)

After all  music is supposed to be something you enjoy and so what if i dont get an A, at least i would have tried. All we can do it our best and if thats not good enough for some teacher or some stupid exam board then who cares lol?  :D  I think the worst thing in life is regretting things that you havent done so following my dreams it is then lol  :D

That's fine as long as it doesn't stop you from getting in to do law; I suspect however (although I don't know how important AS grades are, I did the old A levels without seperate AS) that so long as you have three of your subjects up to the A standard required then they would be happy with that; so you can do AS music and perhaps then make the decision about whether to carry it on to A-level (and then if it's not working just use your other subjects and you won't have lost anything as long as the AS level grade isn't too important if you're not considering it for A level, I don't know if this is the case) because you'll be in a really good position then to know what you can and can't do as you'll have done half of the course.

Good luck.

QUOTE (july @ Feb 6 2005, 01:49 AM)

I would always say "follow your dreams" because if it's something you feel passionately about then you'll be much better at it/ put in more effort than something else, in which you might be "good at" but don't enjoy. However, you should definitely try to get on with your teacher, as it can be dificult if he is not on your side. Still, I'd say go for it, and with grade 8 piano it surely can't be impossible to get an A?! Good luck with your decision!

I completely agree
well put, july!

well im taking 5 subjects anyway so it doesnt really matter if i dont get a terrifc mark for music but i think i might take it just to annoy my head of music because he absolutely hates me lol yay GO ME!!

im not gonna let some guy who hates me destroy my dreams and ambitions for me lol if he doesnt wanna support me i dont care because i've got my singing and piano teachers on my side i love them. they are great!!

QUOTE (Trisha @ Feb 7 2005, 03:48 PM)

im not gonna let some guy who hates me destroy my dreams and ambitions for me lol if he doesnt wanna support me i dont care

Thats the attitude needed! Hint hint Nat!

Follow your dreams.



Amber
x

QUOTE (Subatomic_Star @ Feb 7 2005, 03:59 PM)

QUOTE (Trisha @ Feb 7 2005, 03:48 PM) im not gonna let some guy who hates me destroy my dreams and ambitions for me lol if he doesnt wanna support me i dont care Thats the attitude needed! Hint hint Nat!

even though i am absolutely dreadful at aural, i will not let that destroy my dreams/ ambitions etc

that any better?!

it's a start, nat!

goodo now what do i have to do?!!

Go out and get the A we all expect from you...?

And turn out to be a fantastic music teacher (you can start by teaching me the piano...)

QUOTE (tamsin @ Feb 8 2005, 06:31 PM)

Go out and get the A we all expect from you...?

thanks but i dont think so!

QUOTE

And turn out to be a fantastic music teacher (you can start by teaching me the piano...)

but i'll teach you piano no problem!

<strangles Natalie>

<stops as she realises that a dead Natalie can't teach her piano>

so

<strangles Natalie a little bit, but not to a life threatening extent>

QUOTE (tamsin @ Feb 8 2005, 06:36 PM)

<strangles Natalie> <stops as she realises that a dead Natalie can't teach her piano> so <strangles Natalie a little bit, but not to a life threatening extent>

LOOOOOOL!!



*strangles tamsin back and throws some german sausages at her*

<strangles Natalie a little bit more, as if Natalie is capable of throwing Wuerste and strangling back, I'm obviously not strangling her hard enough...>

QUOTE (tamsin @ Feb 8 2005, 06:39 PM)

<strangles Natalie a little bit more, as if Natalie is capable of throwing Wuerste and strangling back, I'm obviously not strangling her hard enough...>

hmm lol

QUOTE

even though i am absolutely dreadful at aural, i will not let that destroy my dreams/ ambitions etc

wasnt that enough?! that took a lot out of me!

He he. It was a start. I often wonder whether you really are as worried about your A-level music as you make out, or whether you are just trying to protect yourself from dissapointment if you don't get an A.

Any thoughts? Or am I just going to get told to shut up?

I mean, me, after I did my grade 8 exam, I knew I'd failed, if I'm honest. And yet no one took what I said seriously because I'd said so many times before that my music exams had gone badly and I 'must' have failed... just in case I had.

Its a completely different scale when its real.

i wont tell you to shut up! i know for definite(and not expecting) i will not get an A, i need a B though, to get to uni

QUOTE (clarinetlover @ Feb 8 2005, 06:47 PM)

i know for definite i will not get an A

Nat... that is completely the wrong attitude. If you have an attitude like that it actually makes you LESS likely to do well in the actual exam, because you're subconsciously thinking that you're not going to do well and that you can't be bothered.

A better attitude is:

"I want an A
And I'm going to try hard to get an A
But if I don't get the A
I won't mind toooo much"

but im really not going to. i cant compose, i have to perfrom in front of 1 examiner(just like ab exams) which i will mess up with and i cant do half the written paper

Isn't it better though to aim to do the very best possible and keep working hard and aim for an A, and know you gave it your best shot? rather than spending time convincing yourself you haven't a chance? I know there are exams I look back on where I just assumed I wouldn't do well and just half gave up, and I really regret not just trying my hardest and giving it my best shot to see what would happen.

Miss Fab flute says follow your dreams because she is following her dreams too!, considering her low low music grades

i think that sarah-flute is right because if you dont try your very best then you will be far less likely to get a good grade and you'll regret that. you should try and have a bit of confidence in yourself (that's sounds pretty big comming from me!! lol) cos your best is all you can do and then if you dont get a good mark after that then at least you will know that you really tried and that it wasnt your fault!

QUOTE (sarah-flute @ Feb 8 2005, 10:56 PM)

Isn't it better though to aim to do the very best possible and keep working hard and aim for an A, and know you gave it your best shot?

yeah i want to get the best possible grade i can but that IS NOT an A. i have no hope in h.e.l.l of getting an A and im being really serious. so whats the point in aiming for it

QUOTE

yeah i want to get the best possible grade i can but that IS NOT an A. i have in hope in h.e.l.l of getting an A and im being really serious. so whats the point in aiming for it

what i meant was basically aim high shoot low, and that doesnt necessarily have to be for an A. In the the end doing your best is all you can do and thats all that matters Good luck with your A-levels