meadowblythe

Stayed in a hotel last night where the Viola Suite was more or less adjacent to reception. The urge to put acoustic barriers around the doors was almost overwhelming.

One of the greatest joys of my life is playing music with my daughter, for Easter Sunday she has written some descants for the trumpet to accompany the organ (I'm really just a pianist, don't tell anyone) - however, I shall ask her to stand well back

Usually one of the skills of a brass player is being able to look interested while sitting through the long sections they aren't playing (most aren't very good at it) .. my daughter would pay good money to be able to leave - perhaps I should point her in the direction of the Opera House.

If I was the ROH I think I'd want to make it abundantly clear I was trying to protect my orchestra. The figures quoted in the BBC article are worrying - I must confess I have never considered the implications of working in close proximity with accoustic (as opposed to amplified) instruments, even brass ones. Stage Manager son is due to spend a day with a symphony orchestra in a couple of weeks, I'll get him to ask and report back about what is now standard on screens etc.

My daughter is a trumpet player, who spends all her time moaning about the noise the timpani make. Her school have now started to use accoustic screens between the sections - Suspect the school is worried about being legal action - and for her 18th birthday she requested some good earplugs. Oh, and one of her teachers is deaf in one ear which he puts down to orchestral playing (but I don't think he's planning to sue anyone). I'm glad the issue has been raised - and loved the comment about the brass being closer to the Nags Head. You're not a real trumpeter unless you're the last on stage ..

I personally wouldn't do it just for the CV - when all is said and done, 16+ places are decided by how you perform on the day. And is anyone really going to get an audition at the end of the training because they've been an SA? As others have said, the petrol money is probably better invested in other activities. I would also caution against overloading in the first year of starting at vocational school - I don't think either of my children would have thanked me for 6 hours in the car and also loosing the social time during their first year at their respective schools.

Hi Wollysocks I think your DS auditioned - have you had good news?

I would love to find the correlation between injured dancers and those spending all summer attending extra courses .. Keeping fitness up is important, but it's very easy to enrol in umpteen things because "everyone else is .." small people need time to grow, mend, sleep and keep up relationships with their local cohort. It depends on how old your daughter is and what she is hoping at achieve from the additional classes.

Congratulations to your daughter Pictures - I hadn't dared to ask !! So pleased for her.

Must admit in my DS' festival days it seemed to be a never ending procession of gymnastics, especially in character and to a lesser extent modern. But your daughter is only 8 - it really, really isn't anything to worry about. I don't think lack of cartwheel ever stopped a child getting a place at good associate scheme or similar.

@MrsMoo2 picking up on a point that I have just made on a different thread, there are definite advantages to going to vocational school a little later. My musical DD went in year 10 (went to equivalent of CAT before that) and it meant she went at a point when they could walk into town, went into the big musical ensembles .. she had a first class academic education under her belt from 3 years at the local grammar which meant she could manage the GCSEs without too much struggle which gave her time to adjust musically. She also knew how the school worked before starting A levels (original plan had been just to go for sixth form). She was always a little behind some of the contemporaries musically, but had the maturity to cope and has had exceptional offers for Conservatoire.

That makes a lot of sense. Whilst only anecdotal, my son was a different child at Hammond to his previous school - he put that down to the fact that they could support each other a lot better because there was a huge variety of focus even within the dance students. One was a brilliant tapper, another although took dance was really academic, another loved musical theatre and was a brilliant singer as well as dancer .. Picking up on the point of a claustrophobic atmosphere, he loved the fact they left the school site a night, and had a distinct "day time" and "night time" environment. And he went in year 10, and had a lot more freedom. This is only our experience. For us there's no point dwelling too much on "if only .." and I would still send him to vocational school again. For those going into the "system," just be aware of the pressures and possible pitfalls as well as very definite plusses.

Am I right in thinking this was your son's first audition? He'll have learnt a lot and boys in particular have time on their side. Look at some of the stories from this site, some of those with the most spectacular stories hadn't even started dancing at his age.

Like many others, I've been following this thread, and looking back am horrified that I kept DS at first vocational school as long as I did. One one occasion his jaw was so badly damaged in the boarding house he was taken to hospital, and then recalled to see a specialist. The social services for the area called me, and I foolishly assured them I didn't want it pursuing. I didn't realise at the time that no action would be taken against the perpetrator - although I had been assured by the school that it would. The reason they didn't take action? A TV crew was coming in to see the child in question. By the time they had gone I was told "it was too late, punishment would be meaningless." I knew nothing about ballet, and had very limited exposure to boarding life - and what experience I had (non vocational school boarding school where I worked) was very positive. I just didn't know any better, and didn't want to rock the boat. I do remember feeling from quite early on that two or three were being seriously trained, the rest were paying the electricity bill. With musical DD I have felt far more confident in building relationships with staff in her vocational boarding school - rather than my "we are not worthy" attitude with my son. Whether it's previous experience or a different vibe to the school I don't know - probably both. My advice would be: would you be happy with this at a "normal" school or teacher? If yes, fine, if no then don't let the fact it's vocational school cloud your judgement.

Flora Could you give us any information on how you researched and auditioned for the overseas schools, and made your final choice? Factors to consider? No need to name individual schools (particularly the one your DD is attending), but I think we tend not to look abroad for training as much as we possibly should.

And it also shows not getting into WL in year 7 isn't the only route to RBS US, or to a successful career ... my maths suggests that 3 girls who joined WL later still were accepted for US.

Thanks for the warning .. however, can I take this opportunity to mention "Fish Feet," telling the story of a 15 year old male ballet dancer. A bit of bad language, we could all pick holes in the accuracy of some scenes but hey, it's a book about a boy dealing with the conflicts of football and ballet, and what to tell his mates. Author is Veronica Bennett.

Pictures Hoping all goes well for your daughter - hopefully she will get through on adrenaline (and preparation!) tomorrow xx

It's an interesting one - there is no definitive answer. An analogy: my musical DD got some good offers and scholarships at some conservatoires. Of the top 3 conservatoires for her instrument she got 2 reserve places and a "no." Bear in mind there are between 2 and 4 places offered per conservatoire, and literally days of auditions for these places. At this stage I felt we should either audition again next year, there were reasons performance wasn't really up to scratch, or just accept that she wasn't quite in the top tier. Top 10% yes, "elite", no. Wind forward a month and it turns out she was the ONLY reserve place offered at both of the top 2 conservatoires. So was she good enough or not? To answer your question - look at the bigger picture, don't make judgements based on one result only. I know this is hypothetical for your DD at the moment, things have a way of becoming clearer as you move through the process.

the examples I had in mind were less to do with level 6 dance, more with other qualifications you could take alongside - one example is a student who studied for basic accountancy qualifications whilst attending a dance degree. The fallback is that if dance does not work out, the accountancy route could be pursued. A dance Btec may also be "enough" to get you onto prestigious courses in related areas - I'm thinking of institutions such as LIPA, Central, Rose Bruford,,BSA which have a wide range of courses and excellent employment records. It isn't going to get you into medical school and the point about languages is well made. There are threads elsewhere on whether a level 6 qualification precludes university funding, including anecdotal evidence.

Please don't get *too* hung up on A levels - I am assuming that you are thinking more of a fallback plan such as university. There are many qualifications other than A levels that are accepted by universities, and many that fit comfortably alongside a dance career and training. It may also be that you consider putting university on hold for a year or two to enable your daughter to get funding, qualifications and other things in place, having given dance the best shot. You don't have to have A levels to go to university, and you don't need to be 18 when you go. If Tring works for you, wonderful, but it may be worth having a slightly longer list, especially if you are not in the fortunate position of being able to privately fund a place.

Hi Julie Remind us what breed they are so we can keep a look out ... paws crossed for you!

Sounds like your daughter had good news?

Standard degree funding plus generous scholarships. Accommodation is 15-20 minutes walk away in Miller Street (Liberty House Glasgow). Almost all students are at RCS, fantastic mix of ballet dancers, MT students, jazz musicians, film makers ..... Ballet students generally split between 2-3 flats, can stay in halls all 3 years if they like. Staff are used to the fact many are under 18.

Ironically, additional needs are probably is less of a consideration than in a "normal" school setting - the only criteria for success is ability.