Mr and Mrs K's New Journey to a Debt Free Life.

fc123

AlexLK wrote: »

The business (any business) has it's ups and downs. So long as there are more ups than downs, I'm happy. No need to worry about it at the moment.

Currently, I'm reading an article about Music in higher education, it's rather interesting to see just how undervalued the subject is. Yet I never got that impression through my school or university days.

ETA: Just finished reading it and it has got me thinking, there was a comment that alluded to Music (in HE) being the preserve of those from specialist music schools (Chethams and the like) and those from private education. This was quite true even years ago. Of course, the discussion goes on to talk about "widening access". Personally I don't see how they can for even a first study pianist will have had many, many hours of private tuition to reach a standard of anywhere near grade 8. Play an orchestral instrument and that's said instrument plus piano lessons. Want to be ahead of the game, there's theory tuition to factor in too.

Somehow, I can't imagine your average state school parent paying for all that.

I will accept the way you wrote the above but I don't think you meant it to read as it does.


As both my children had a mix if state and private I can confirm that in our area (SE London) at a bog standard state primary, you would have to have parents who prompt the child to learn outside of school and also pay for the lessons. There was no instrument teaching at all at state primary.
Both had private education @ secondary and son did the lot. Piano (though he did that outside of school), trumpet, choir (and travelled to all sorts of places outside the UK) as he was musical and engaged with all of it. I am sure we paid extra for trumpet lessons but not choir.


My sisters kids all attend state school and she forks out tons each week for all their extra curricular activities including music but the youngest does a shared mini cello lesson with 6 others and they use cellos that are in the school. I think it costs £3 per class and they have to rent the mini cello.
She is in a state primary.]


The above just for anecdotal info really....didn't mean to waffle.

AlexLK wrote: »

Just to clarify, I was not trying to be rude, merely inquisitive following reading an article this morning (more focused on HE than school level). However, I did think it raised an interesting point about cost and perceived impressions of whom music graduates (as in classically based music degrees) are.

I'm interested in perhaps taking this music teaching a little more seriously than a couple of pocket money pupils and not knowing even what they are taught about music within state schools (well, recently ANY school) doesn't exactly help when I have pupils from local schools and it's not as if I can turn up to their schools and say "well, then what DO you teach little Johnny in Music?" :rotfl:

PippiShortsock: Not familiar but will have a look.

That's a good idea....I can't comment further as have no expertise in that area at all....but your music passion is your secret saviour.




Business-wise, January should be a good month for buying in the antiques biz....so maybe you could stock up for the March rush

AlexLK

Iwillsucceed wrote: »

Hello Alex!
How are you?

Hello there!

I'm very well today, fortunately. I hope you are too.

Iwillsucceed wrote: »

Very interesting you are talking about music in HE, to be honest I think a lot of state schools (non private) are poorly implemented in their music department!

What do you think could be done to improve the Music departments?

Iwillsucceed wrote: »

My son loves playing the piano and guitar, this year we bought him a mini grand piano and he is the happiest boy! Neither my husband or I are interested him achieving excellence in music, we bought it because he enjoys it. We pay his piano teacher £30 for a 50 mints session each week! We think is not bad, he is very good, initially he mentioned whether he was practicing yo be graded? We did not pay attention .. We only asked him to teach my son what my don asked to learn. As a result he plas all sons by the Queen ha ha sky fall etc etc but he only plays what he wants to learn..

Please see: http://gb.abrsm.org/en/home

This is the most rigorous music exam board in the UK. If you can find it read a copy of "These Music Exams", it will explain the process.

In order to take grades I would say your son would need to be a little more disciplined in his practise, there are four components to the exams: prepared pieces (3 of: A pieces are usually Baroque, B pieces are usually Classical / Romantic era and C pieces are usually 20th Century), scales and arpeggios, sight reading (unprepared piece) and aural tests (exercises in general musicianship).

The syllabus aims to develop a broad range of skills and go from Grade 1 to 8. I would say a player at Grade 8 standard will be able to play standard repertoire for the given instrument to a reasonable standard. ABRSM Gd. 8 is required to take a degree in Music alongside A-Level Music and Gd. 6 (maybe 5 at some institutions) Piano for those whom piano is not their first study. Some require Grade 8 theory also which in my opinion bridges the gap between A-Level study and university analysis.

Iwillsucceed wrote: »

On Sunday, we invited some friends for dinner, and she asked whether he was being graded, so I wondered how all this grading works and what are the benefits of it? Does it matter being graded if he is not going to be a pianist?

Regards and thank you in advance!
X

I hope the above goes some way to explaining things?

As for whether it "matters" or not, that is between you and your son to decide. Also, who knows what he may want to do in the future. Until I began my A Levels, I thought I was going to study Classics, yet ended up doing Music instead.

Iwillsucceed_2

Hello!

I am loving your diary! I think is a nutshell that encapsulates what a great father an pianist you are!! Great!!

We all have our days! Last week I was feeling rubbish !! I have finished my work and not having an income has left me rather anxious for a couple of days! However, I think times like this is a call for my creativity to act and new passions to kick! Ha ha

In all honesty, I feel sometimes rather embarrassed to pay £30 to the piano teacher so I was thinking to increase to £35 after new year! I got the impression you are really good! Parents will pay what you ask, particularly if they are the ones behind the children's music learning rather than for pleasure such as in my son's case.

Have a lovely evening!

AlexLK

fc123 wrote: »

I will accept the way you wrote the above but I don't think you meant it to read as it does.

Hello there,

Long time no see! How are you and yours?

, I did wonder how that read. Unfortunately, these past few days I have been feeling less than articulate.

fc123 wrote: »

As both my children had a mix if state and private I can confirm that in our area (SE London) at a bog standard state primary, you would have to have parents who prompt the child to learn outside of school and also pay for the lessons. There was no instrument teaching at all at state primary.

This has been my niece's experience too, so not just SE London. Though aren't state schools funded by Local Government so could vary by area?

fc123 wrote: »

Both had private education @ secondary and son did the lot. Piano (though he did that outside of school), trumpet, choir (and travelled to all sorts of places outside the UK) as he was musical and engaged with all of it. I am sure we paid extra for trumpet lessons but not choir.

I'd be surprised to hear it if you'd paid for choir and similarly surprised had trumpet been free. My parents did moan about just how much music lessons were even back in the '80/'90s.

fc123 wrote: »

My sisters kids all attend state school and she forks out tons each week for all their extra curricular activities including music but the youngest does a shared mini cello lesson with 6 others and they use cellos that are in the school. I think it costs £3 per class and they have to rent the mini cello.
She is in a state primary.]

The above just for anecdotal info really....didn't mean to waffle.

I don't mind waffling! To be honest it's helpful to see how things work as it's been a long time since I've been in education myself and considering all my current pupils are in state education and I cannot recall ever stepping foot within a state maintained school, I was interested in other people's experiences.

I presume pupils in state schools still have to do a number of compulsory ECs?

Cello lesson with 6 others sounds a complete and utter waste of time in my opinion.

fc123 wrote: »

That's a good idea....I can't comment further as have no expertise in that area at all....but your music passion is your secret saviour.

Business-wise, January should be a good month for buying in the antiques biz....so maybe you could stock up for the March rush

I hope so re. music. I'm really quite getting back into it all, much to my surprise Mrs. K. is pleased about that too.

Has been a good month for buying before so fingers crossed it will again.

Iwillsucceed_2

Thank you Alex! You are very kind indeed to post that link which I will have a look tomorrow when I can process things much better.

I really hope my son at A level age will be independent and decide the path he wants to take in life on his own. Let's hope, let's hope!
In another note, I do enjoy him playing the piano! That's is my favourite instrument! :-)

Thank you

AlexLK

Iwillsucceed wrote: »

Hello!

I am loving your diary! I think is a nutshell that encapsulates what a great father an pianist you are!! Great!!

Thank you.

I try my best with son, hopefully that will be enough.

Piano is my second study, though is the one most in demand. Violin is my first.

Iwillsucceed wrote: »

We all have our days! Last week I was feeling rubbish !! I have finished my work and not having an income has left me rather anxious for a couple of days! However, I think times like this is a call for my creativity to act and new passions to kick! Ha ha

Are you waiting to start a new job, having a break or going self employed? When I started working for myself it was rather odd at first not to have the structure of a usual working day.

Iwillsucceed wrote: »

In all honesty, I feel sometimes rather embarrassed to pay £30 to the piano teacher so I was thinking to increase to £35 after new year! I got the impression you are really good! Parents will pay what you ask, particularly if they are the ones behind the children's music learning rather than for pleasure such as in my son's case.

Have a lovely evening!

I've only had trouble with payment from one parent but that has all been resolved by now, so am inclined to agree with you in regards to parents being willing to pay what I ask (within reason).

AlexLK

Iwillsucceed wrote: »

Thank you Alex! You are very kind indeed to post that link which I will have a look tomorrow when I can process things much better.

You are most welcome.

Iwillsucceed wrote: »

I really hope my son at A level age will be independent and decide the path he wants to take in life on his own. Let's hope, let's hope!

We can hope, eh? Fortunately, my parents were happy for me to study whatever interested me the most, so long as it was a "traditional" subject at a "proper" university. They didn't understand the whole education linking to a particular job idea that goes on today.

Iwillsucceed wrote: »

In another note, I do enjoy him playing the piano! That's is my favourite instrument! :-)

Thank you

Piano is a wonderful instrument with a vast and varied repertoire.

fc123

AlexLK wrote: »

Hello there,

Long time no see! How are you and yours?

, I did wonder how that read. Unfortunately, these past few days I have been feeling less than articulate.









I don't mind waffling! To be honest it's helpful to see how things work as it's been a long time since I've been in education myself and considering all my current pupils are in state education and I cannot recall ever stepping foot within a state maintained school, I was interested in other people's experiences.

I presume pupils in state schools still have to do a number of compulsory ECs?

Cello lesson with 6 others sounds a complete and utter waste of time in my opinion.



I hope so re. music. I'm really quite getting back into it all, much to my surprise Mrs. K. is pleased about that too.

Has been a good month for buying before so fingers crossed it will again.

I am OK, got bad problems with my mother's illness (as it's terminal and has no cure) but we live each day as it comes for that is all we can do really.
Work is full on for us this time of year and worse for me after Xmas (starts 27th Dec) as I have a trade show to prep for so it's 100% concentration.


I think the idea of the shared lessons is for the kids to try an instrument out without the pressure on the parents to sign up for 10 lessons X £30 plus renting an instrument...and then discover that the child is tone deaf or not dextrous enough to play and wants to quit after 2 lessons.


I am guessing that if one of the 6 kids shows flair and interest, then it can be changed to an individual lesson.


So, not a waste of time really....just enabling young kids (she is 8) to try things out and discard them or take the playing further.


I went to primary school in the olden days+ we al played recorders and had a Recorder Orchestra (we were actually called the orchestra ) and when you got really good, you got to play a giant recorder and stand at the end.....which is where I ended up by the time I was 10. I think there were 4 sizes.
We all played in perfect harmony too....4 layers of recorder tune!

Iwillsucceed_2

Alex!


I really don't know what to do! I have an 'amazing idea'! So I hired a life coach whom I will be seeing the whole week! I just need some pointers and clarifications! Also experiencing first hand what is like to be a life coach as I am interested in this area to hopefully enhance my own career in the future!

Along my day job, I was giving privately Spanish lessons plus just like most in this forum I also benefit from a passive income...
However, I want to concentrate now on what I always wanted to do ! I am positive if I put my mind on it and don't loose faith all will work out.

Alex, fees are fees... You pay £60 to your counsellor, you were charging £25 I was charging the same for Spanish... It is what we see we are worth at the end of the day and just like you said 'within reason' of course.

Tomorrow I have an early start, so I am off to bed!
Night, night to all!

AlexLK

fc123 wrote: »

I am OK, got bad problems with my mother's illness (as it's terminal and has no cure) but we live each day as it comes for that is all we can do really.
Work is full on for us this time of year and worse for me after Xmas (starts 27th Dec) as I have a trade show to prep for so it's 100% concentration.

I'm very sorry to hear about your mother's illness. I hope you continue to create some good memories over the coming months / years.

Work sounds like it's going well for you.

fc123 wrote: »

I think the idea of the shared lessons is for the kids to try an instrument out without the pressure on the parents to sign up for 10 lessons X £30 plus renting an instrument...and then discover that the child is tone deaf or not dextrous enough to play and wants to quit after 2 lessons.

I am guessing that if one of the 6 kids shows flair and interest, then it can be changed to an individual lesson.

So, not a waste of time really....just enabling young kids (she is 8) to try things out and discard them or take the playing further.

I hadn't thought of it like that, when I started music lessons I remember it all being very formal and serious from the very start, even at a very young age. It was never a "try it out" thing.

Cello seems to be gaining popularity at the moment.

fc123 wrote: »

I went to primary school in the olden days+ we al played recorders and had a Recorder Orchestra (we were actually called the orchestra ) and when you got really good, you got to play a giant recorder and stand at the end.....which is where I ended up by the time I was 10. I think there were 4 sizes.
We all played in perfect harmony too....4 layers of recorder tune!

There are LOTS of sizes of recorders. However, I presume your school had descant, treble, tenor and bass. Unfortunately, my niece's school doesn't seem to play recorders or do much singing either. Mind, from what I've heard about what type of things she knows in other subjects if she were my child I'd be withdrawing her from the school.