meadowblythe

I think one thing I have found is that decisions made and challenges faced in the dancing world give us a bank of knowledge we can then apply to other situations in life. In fact I am often horribly aware that whatever is happening tends to be referenced back to DS's experiences (except he hasn't been to the US, his sister definitely is in the lead there!) When I tutor maths students, one of my mantras is "you learn more by getting something wrong than getting it right." I feel very strongly that it's the same in life.

Musical DD is on a bit of a roll at the moment - couple of lovely offers for Easter courses and now she has been accepted onto an orchestral training course in Washington DC for a month in the summer. Even better, she's got a pretty full scholarship for while she's out there, and is fundraising for her flights. I have two questions: I'm looking at her flights - she needs to get to Ronald Regan Airport but there are no direct flights from the UK. So she will be changing somewhere - how long do I realistically need to leave between flights? One has a connection time of just over an hour but my understanding is that she will have to clear immigration at this first airport so that doesn't really seem like a good idea. The second is, she only short by a hundred pounds of her total - she has a gofundme page, has received a couple of very generous donations, one from a charity and one from an individual, and we've written to the Lions. Anything obvious she's missed for a way to raise the last little bit. I know someone out there will have the answer to both of these ...

Unfortunately what you really need is a crystal ball - if you find a working one, there are several of us who would like to borrow it! There is definitely a "path less travelled," summer schools that are less high profile but less expensive. If you look at the summer schools tag here you will find lots of information. We could never afford Prague and the like. If your daughter is taking some lessons at Tring, I would personally suggest there is no harm in asking whether they think she would be a suitable candidate to audition for their sixth form courses - and you could even ask which they think she would be best suited. Make it clear you are not asking for guarantees. What have you got to loose?

Know of a student who went to the school for 6.3. Did an extra year in the school and has been in the company ever since. Certainly the company take a lot of the students from the school - DS made the final 6 of the company audition last year, and was advised to take a year in the school if he was interested. The company he did join recently offered one of the Hamburg School graduates a place.

No ..., you have to be prepared for any eventuality

You might want to think about something like a SWAT analysis of the situation - sounds daft but it's helped me. Or a simple list of Pro's and Con's for staying put or changing school. Or - write down each of the things that is bothering you. In itself therapeutic Then what you could do if the situation arises. My DD went to vocational music school unexpectedly for year 10, feel free to PM me if you wish.

Apologies if this sounds like a daft question, but what are the difficulties? I can see lots of positives in your post but I presume there is an implied "but"

Julie I have been watching Crufts and thinking of you ... also completely bowled over by the Flyball. Sadly we are both likely to be working until we drop - no early retirement for us - so therefore no dog, unless there is a breed you can leave on its own for 8 hours at a time!

Just to advise you that certainly past students at RCS included several who completed 6th form and then went there - including from Dance School of Scotland. Also overseas students who were older. There's at least one who has done that in the current first year.

Thank you Alison DD is in a slightly unusual position as she is at vocational music school 6 hours away from us. She loves it there (small town) and it really is as near "home" as here, especially as their sixth form boarding is well set up. So when she thinks about how far she wants to be from "home" she has to plot from two places! However, we can take this as a starting point and think about locales with a similar feel. She is used to being in cities at night through various youth orchestras; so can make a considered judgement. Now just to factor in the boyfriend - I am insistent that he can't be part of the equation, she is theoretically in agreement but I'm not so sure she means it ...

And it con And it continues when you get a job - particularly in the earlier years the pressure to keep your place is constant.

A general - not dance related - request. Musical DD has set her heart on a place at a conservatoire. So far so good. Whittling choice down from 8 down to 5 is do-able. Should she not get offers, or have reservations, Plan B is to study something Geology related, as that's her favourite A level. She doesn't want to do academic music. My question is. how do you decide where to apply? Both my older children were doing very vocational courses so it was not too hard to get round the open days, or read the prospectuses. We've agreed we'll get an application together in principal during the Easter and Summer holidays (personal statement, research, check information required), but not submit it until Christmas, as the conservatoires will have made their offers by then and her music teachers have all advised not to get distracted by haring around the country attending open days for Geology stuff. If necessary we'll do a blitz at Christmas so she can make her final decision of where to apply then. Any advice on where to start is vey much appreciated!

Would second BlueLou's comments: DS always got a huge amount from this course - especially his encounters with "Scary Doug" the contemporary teacher. His relationship over the years changed from abject terror (Ds was very small) to holding praise from Doug above that from all others.

Just to confirm that you can be too flexible for WL! My DS was a JA and picked up as possibly hypermobile because he was flexible. As soon as he got to WL for the finals he was whisked off for assessment. And when the current students came back at the end of the day, his build was so different from theirs in my heart of hearts I knew the answer was a "no." As the years have gone by, the lack of core stability, probably linked to the flexibility became the bane of his life. He is now a ballet dancer, but spends as much time in the gym as the ballet studio, building core and upper body strength. This is a long winded way of saying there's no point second guessing what is wanted, and there are definitely many routes to your goal.

It sounds like you have a very nice and accommodating teacher - cherish her! My somewhat jaundiced view is from a less-than-accommodating school (as you might have guessed.) Don't dismiss "less challenging" dancing at a recital though - performing "easier" pieces well can be a real challenge and a great opportunity to focus on performance rather than technical skills.

More unsolicited advice, and different studios will do things differently, but our ballet school always put in the entries for the classes. As a parent I had no say over what classes my children entered. Or who they were dancing with, even in duets! It really is their call.

Well the bucket list concert was very emotional - Vaughn Williams London Symphony was magnificent, other pieces showed, shall we say, the challenge to the participants. Next stop - Royal College of Music open day today. Which meant staying with her Godfather in London last night. Which is why I nearly had a heart attack when I got her little snapchat video of her (solo) jaunt round Trafalgar Square at 10pm. Part of me was horrified, the other part remembers I sent my son to Denmark on his own at the same age. Do we have different standards for daughters as opposed to sons?

To be fair, it's not only a job, it's the one he chose because it was in a classical company. But remember, he was also assessed out at the end of year 9, so please folks don't feel it's the end of the road if it happens to you DC. AD told him at the time he had potential as a dancer, but not in ballet. DS has spent as many hours in the gym as the ballet studio to make it happen.

My son is nowhere near the calibre of others on this board, more evaporated milk than creme de la creme, but he found that the support he got from his 16+ training was dependent upon the amount of work he put in. Staff were willing to help with application forms/DVDs but were not pro-actively scouting on his behalf. They also advised, where they had any knowledge, of the suitability of opportunities he had found, and shared ideas and experience of the companies with him. His main teacher did keep an eye on vacancies, and actually spotted the position he eventually accepted. He also discussed the offers received with my son and helped him decide which to accept.

Lisa Ikea Manchester is on the tram network, and it would probably work out a lot cheaper to make a trip there (other stores are available) than to lug everything across from Ireland. Our boys started university at the same time, and we made one trip there and split stuff between them. I still don't think it cost a lot more than £100 to get them both everything. Also, remember the trains run from the airport to Manchester Picadilly, change there for Oxford Road (if it didn't already call there) and it's a hop and a skip to the universities. Regarding suitcases, we have found it cheaper when taking stuff out to DS in Czech Republic to get battered non-trendy suitcases from Oxfam and, if necessary, abandon/recycle them on arrival or use for general storage/seating. He won't be lugging everything back every holiday.

Musical DD is playing at Symphony Hall on Sunday, with CBSO Youth Orchestra. I was somewhat taken aback when she announced that "that's one off the bucket list." She's 16! Surely too young for a bucket list? Am rashly assuming she knows what a bucket list is? Still recovering from the inappropriate use of the morning greeting from The Inbetweeners she had been watching, age 10, with her brothers who had been left to babysit.

Lisa Just checking, will he be able to complete his degree in the two years that he will be funded? Not sure how it works for the different courses. No rush to accept any places, wait till he hears from all five, one way or another. Manchester has a vibrant student scene, I am sure he will have a great time if he decides to go there. Meadowblythe

Although I have no experience of Northern Ballet, I do have experience of students in Uni accommodation at 16. They do survive. My son was at RCS in their accommodation in the middle of Glasgow, and then in a flat with a friend. He chose to take a position abroad on graduation, and I don't think he would have survived if he hadn't already experienced living on his own before hand. He is also one of only two "young" dancers in the company and the experience of living with people of a variety of ages and backgrounds again has stood him in good stead.

Have to smile too, about the ongoing boarding issues. Hairbelles, we must have been on that same tour! When I first saw the boys' boarding house my thought was that there was no way my DS was living there ... But in year 10, having been in purpose built accommodation where he had 3 frankly miserable years, he loved the Hammond boarding - as has been said, getting away from school. If they were on site, whilst they would be able to play sports all day and all night there would be nowhere to go, no walks into town, or the park. At the end of the day, it is the quality of the staff, not the quality of the day-room, which makes the difference. As an aside - most jealous I have ever seen DS of his little sister was visiting her vocational musical school accommodation. A large Georgian house, with a walled garden and the school netball court attached. Decent space between the beds, and a mix of full time and flexi boarders. Kitchen with toast and hot chocolate making facilities provided. All within walking distance of a small friendly town that they were free to visit after school every night from year 10. Actually uttered the immortal words "it's not fair .."

My favourite (but not very funny) sequins joke. "She sewed all the sequins on herself. Then decided they looked better on the dress."