11 Plus Exams Forum

Hi

Dd and I are still trying to decide whether to sign her up for peripatetic music lessons during school or not. Dd is concerned that she will miss a lot of lessons for the music lessons and I wondered if there was anyone here who has experience of this who could let us know whether it's better to keep the music lessons to outside school or whether it's not that difficult to catch up the lessons that have been missed.

Also, are there any of the new CCHS intake this year who are planning to take up the music lessons or who have decided not to? I'd be interested to hear why you made the decision you made.

Thanks!

Experience of a different school but imagine they all run similarly.

If DD is concerned I would go with her feelings. Year 7 is a big step so not worth adding any stress.

Going in and out of lessons is disruptive. They have to remember for themselves and find their way to and from the lessons and then figure what they missed. If its a practical or test then that's extra tricky.At our school the least disruptive time slots are kept for exam years ( 11,12,13)

It may be different but ours were 15 min lessons which to be frank were not a great deal of use, especially if you have an instrument that needs putting together!

For us the music was a break from academic pressure and being able to enjoy it was important.Each DC tried different lessons at school but each went back to outside lessons.

If you can arrange out of school lessons that don't disrupt family life too much then I would certainly go down that route.

From experience at Colchester CCHS I would say there is other factors to take into account as well. Firstly does the school insist on school music group participation in order to have school lessons as ColCHS does. This can cause difficulties for those with long journeys and also for pianists whose only option is to join the choir!
On the other side of the argument is the free/ subsidised lessons that may be offered if your DC takes GCSE or A level music. DS1 took lessons at CRGS and has taken advantage of this for the last two years. DD at CCHSG had remained having lessons with her original teacher privately, but will now have to change for year 10 to school lessons if she takes music.
I am surprised at the 15 mins at secondary school, DS2 has 15 mins but he is only 9, my older two have had 30 min lessons at secondary school.

ChCHS does not offer the free music lessons to GCSE students mentioned. WHSG does.
2 DDs at ChCHS both have peripatetic music lessons at school. They have both found this OK and it saves time outside school, giving them more time in the evenings for homework etc.

Couldn't recommend the flute lessons more highly. DD is now going to have out of school lessons which will be far less convenient.

Moved, can she not have them at CRGS or are you wanting to stay with the same teacher? I know a flute teacher at CRGS, she is lovely.

Hi Talea,
Different school and area again but my year 7 DD is happy having two different lots of music lessons at school. They have a system to make it easier for them:

a) each music teacher operates a rotating timetable so the girls miss a different lesson each week. The music secretary sends it out to girls and parents at the beginning of term.

b) in each school lesson their work partner (the person sitting next to them) is responsible for helping them to catch up by explaining the work/letting them copy their book/whatever. Periods are an hour so they never miss a whole lesson anyway.

I would talk to the music department at your school to see how it works in detail. My daughter, like yours, was worried about missing lessons so we didn't put her name down initially. By the time she realised it would be ok, at about half term, the waiting lists were much longer! Luckily in the end she was able to start at the beginning of the spring term for one instrument and not long after for the other.

I find it much better than having lessons outside school as there is less ferrying about now, and she is not finding it at all stressful. The only exception would be if she wanted to learn something heavy, like a double bass or tuba, which would be difficult to get into school on the bus!

Minesatea wrote:DD at CCHSG had remained having lessons with her original teacher privately, but will now have to change for year 10 to school lessons if she takes music

Minesatea, can you provide more info on this? Do they insist on having lessons in school if taking GCSE? DD2 wants to do music, but I absolutely do not want her changing teachers!

Thanks