what should I do for the best

[allmuddledup]

Yes they have rock groups/ jazz/ pop etc.
My child has recently started an orchestral instrument and is about a grade 3, so I'm sure it wouldn't take too long to get to the required orchestra standard.
The long day does include homework but probable not instrument practice.
The music teachers seem to be good at the further away school, we would more than likely have to travel for teachers if she went to the local school.

[Waiting_For_Godot]

I agree with mystery. I know a girl who went to a mediocre comp in Devon, so an area already sparse in musicians and especially so in the instrument she chose. With practice, ability and drive she went off to Chethams at 15 folllowed by the RAM and finally postgrad at the RCM. In all honesty I don't know many private schools that produce musicians and they generally all have to supplement with a Junior Conservatoire at the weekends or they all end up at a specialist music school in the sixth form. There are obviously a few exceptions but on the whole they tend to be organ scholars at prestigious independent schools.

[allmuddledup]

I agree with mystery. I know a girl who went to a mediocre comp in Devon, so an area already sparse in musicians and especially so in the instrument she chose. With practice, ability and drive she went off to Chethams at 15 folllowed by the RAM and finally postgrad at the RCM. In all honesty I don't know many private schools that produce musicians and they generally all have to supplement with a Junior Conservatoire at the weekends or they all end up at a specialist music school in the sixth form. There are obviously a few exceptions but on the whole they tend to be organ scholars at prestigious independent schools.

That's really great to hear WFG that living and going to school in a rural area isn't always a big disadvantage.
I think everyone that's kindly offered their advice is right, that if a child has the talent and drive they will succeed regardless. I'm going think long and hard about which school is right for my daughter and we will decide what is right as a family.

[mystery]

I sometimes look back at my independent school where the music was good and think that I didn't carry on to do music because it was fee-paying and seriously academic. So from parents you kind of felt " we are not paying this for you to turn out to be a musician" and from teachers (apart from the music dept) and other pupils you kind of felt that music was a soft option. So what I'm kind of saying is that even though a school might appear to value music in the way that they aim for excellence, and enshrine it in the life of the school, it might not be valued as a potential future path for the pupils.

Muddledup, you don't sound too muddled up, hope you get to an answer you feel happy with soon. There's a lot to be said for a shorter school day, but also there's a lot to be said for not having to travel for the teachers. But beware of the worst of all routes - you get the long school day and you still have to travel for the teachers because your daughter rapidly outgrows what is on offer from the school music teachers. A good music teacher will tell you when they think that they have done everything with your child that they think they (the teacher) are capable of.

[amber3]

Hello,
Such interesting and varied view points! Just to add my own experience. My DD started the piano at five, flew through the grades, went to a music specialist school. But as she got older, she decided that classical wasn't for her. She also decided that she didn't want to be a soloist. What seemed like such early promise started to erode away and although she still loves to play the piano every day, there are other things she wants to pursue in her life. Music is hideously competitive in the real world, especially the classical music scene, where a tiny proportion make it as soloists. It is worth bearing this in mind. Even a distinction at grade 8 does not guarantee a place at a conseratoire, and the applicants seem to be so international these days.
Good Luck!

[allmuddledup]

Thanks again for all the reply's
We've decided to go for the school furthest away. Although it's a longer a day, it's the best fit. I think she may out grow the smaller school quite quickly and find the lack of musical opportunity's quite frustrating.

[mystery]

I am sure you will have made the right decision, and it feels good to have made the decision.