# Desperate for an education!



## tonystanton (Mar 18, 2013)

Hello all,
I post here today in search of help. I applied to my local college and was accepted to study music a level and was over the moon. I couldn't wait to get started and learn everything I could giving myself a firm foundation of knowledge and insight on which to progress to conservatory or university and make myself a career out of studying, composing and performing classical music. 
Then they cancelled the course. 
Not enough numbers apparently. 
So now there's not anywhere in the area that will take me, and my 5 year plan lies in ruins. 
I've thought about doing the study myself, but that means I'd have to study music a level, combined English at a level and Gcse maths, to get me into uni, by myself, which is just not practical. 
I'm still desperate for a complete education in music but fear I may not get the chance now.
Does anybody know of anything I could do or any ideas of where to go from here. 
Lots of love tony


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## Ramako (Apr 28, 2012)

As I understand it you've just finished GSCEs, you applied to college for A-levels; the college no longer offers a music course.

What I don't understand is why it is necessary for you to self-study English A-level and Maths GSCE as well (this in particular confuses me). Surely you would normally do 4 AS-levels and three A2s at college, and that would be sufficient?

Anyway, ignoring the bits I don't get it seems to me there are a few things you might want to do.

1) Go to the best College/school in your area you can afford/get into, regardless of whether they offer music. Going to a good school, despite positive discrimination in university applications, will be your best chance to get into university, as it should help you get good grades.

2) Take whatever subjects interest you at college/school (not extra though) and try to get good grades in these. This is the central part to getting into the best university you can (for whatever course).

3) Study music A-level:
a) By yourself
b) Find a private tutor (if your parents are willing to shell out for it)
c) Talk to the music teachers at the place you go to. Teachers are often remarkably helpful people, particularly if its a private school (where they are effectively paid to be), and I have known them put on extra classes and the like. If they're not holding the course this year they should have some free time and will need occupying 

Even if B and C turn out to be impossible, a standard school load with a single self-study A-level on top of it is quite manageable - likely considerably less work than you will have at university. Music A-level (at least the one I did) was pretty easy tbh, and if you have questions then you can ask either the teachers at your school (they may answer questions even if they won't put on extra classes for you), or even here on TC where there are a number of people more than willing to share their knowledge (even if that's questionable, it will be good training in discerning sources ). That is - it should be entirely possible to self-study (and the one I did, some parts were designed to be self-study). You will lose out on some leisure time - but that is the price you pay for following your dreams.

Doing this will put you in a good position for applying for music at uni, and indeed for life. Self-studying the whole A-level will be impressive when you come to apply for uni (shows good enthusiasm) and you will learn a number of skills about independent learning which will help you when you go to uni and probably a whole bunch of other buzzwords (make sure to get them on your personal statement) which are of course essential to any fulfilled life.

Now you say you need to study a whole other A-level and a GSCE by yourself too. Doing this _and_ Music A-level on top of a normal school load is quite a lot at your level, and probably undesirable. I don't understand why this is necessary like I say (perhaps if you elaborate someone else or I will be able to help more).

As a general piece of advice I would say don't stick to life-plans too rigidly. By all means have them, but examine them honestly every so often - I ended up in quite a bad position when I pursued one idea without considering it enough and it turned out not to be well suited to me. If you are sure it is for you though - certainly go for it.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

To those outside your country, all the levels, those music levels as well, may as well be written in ______ (name the indecipherable language of your choice)

At the risk of many possibly hanging me out to dry, is their anything shameful, awful, or totally unacceptable if your five-year plan became a six year plan?

It is "just school." and in the years of youth, to graduate one year later than you anticipated, in the big picture, is "nothing."

[[ Add, the question, five or six years, alludes to taking a bit more time to fully accommodate doing all the preparatory studies required, without the crunch, and also leave time for the private music study + a part time job to at least partially pay those costs -- which would go a long way in convincing the parental units you were earnest, and they may then be willing to capitulate to help you pay the differential between what you earn and what they cost.

Not a bad plan, to my way of thinking, enter the upper level far more solidly prepared, and a hair more mature than one year earlier. ]]


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

...............................................


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## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

OK I agree totally with Ramako and PetrB. Get an education.

OK so you ploughed your GCSE Maths and need to retake it for Uni - do that as an evening class if needs be.

A Level music is a problem because of the coursework requirements. You need to look at how that can be managed. In general, there will be both composition and performance requirements.

You are playing at least one instrument to at least grade 5 and have grade 5 theory as well plus a good (A or A*) pass at GCSE music? Talk to your music teacher(s) about your problem. Basically, you should be aiming for at least grade 8 (merit or better) in at least one instrument by the time you get to A level so you need to check that that is a realistic position. You need to look at doing grade 8 theory (merit or better) which will also bring in UCAS points as an alternative to A level and talk to the Universities you are interested in about your problems.

Good luck!


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## Ramako (Apr 28, 2012)

On what PetrB said:

There is nothing at all shameful about adding one year to the plan... Though so many who go into higher education go through the standard route that there may be (was in my case) an 'out of the herd' mentality which can take a while to get out of (I haven't, but I always had it to some extent)... In sum, don't be worried about taking an extra year - my advice though if you do so though is to do it LATER rather than SOONER. You don't want to be hampered by this mindset while still at school (you may of course have no trouble).

(If you do take an extra year, or even if you don't and do this some other time, I strongly advise taking the time to familiarise yourself with a few of the things you are interested in, reading a book or two thoroughly etc. . Some of the things I did have been invaluable as during this time you have time to digest the ideas slowly... Something you may well never have again until you retire).

Re what Taggart said:

Taggart is right that even self-study requires coordination with a school you can take the exams at, particularly for coursework. I do have reservations about the necessity of grade 8 theory, but it can't harm I suppose.

Actually, what I would particularly like to highlight of his post, though, (I think he suggests it), is that it would almost certainly be a good idea to contact various universities you may consider now about your problems. Email the admissions officers, concisely explaining your problem (the shorter your email, the kinder they'll feel), and they'll almost certainly give you some good advice.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

1.) if there is the slightest thought in your head that music may later become a major, i.e. you are uncertain so being practical about another major, then I would reverse the order of "Later" as Ramako recommended. 
Reason:
Even as a music minor, you must play an instrument. If you feel you are at all behind in your technical accomplishment there, any break in the continual practice, the brain commands the hands, etc. would be critically bad. You can, without any hindrance or loss due to a one year wait, always pick up the academic study without any loss of intellectual prowess. Not so with physical playing techniques.

2.) Many Uni courses, especially those required in the first several years, not only run quite regularly semester to semester, but often enough, each semester, there are several buses running, including a night bus. This is almost never the case with courses in the arts! It is very likely there will be only one music history class per semester, one theory class at the level required of you. You will have to fit that in to your rota, and none of those courses are offered in the evenings -- just not enough of an arts student population to warrant more than running one class per.


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## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

Ramako said:


> Taggart is right that even self-study requires coordination with a school you can take the exams at, particularly for coursework. I do have reservations about the necessity of grade 8 theory, but it can't harm I suppose.
> 
> Actually, what I would particularly like to highlight of his post, though, (I think he suggests it), is that it would almost certainly be a good idea to contact various universities you may consider now about your problems. Email the admissions officers, concisely explaining your problem (the shorter your email, the kinder they'll feel), and they'll almost certainly give you some good advice.


Spot on!

The idea was that you do grade 8 theory instead of A Level because that can be done outside of a school framework and check to see how acceptable that would be.


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## tonystanton (Mar 18, 2013)

Sorry, I didn't mention my circumstances. I'm 25, so not coming straight from Gcse. This is why I'm completely unsure of what to do now.


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## Ramako (Apr 28, 2012)

Ah, obviously that changes things somewhat; I don't think I am qualified to give any advice in this case (although others may have more to say)...

Good luck.


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## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

tonystanton said:


> Sorry, I didn't mention my circumstances. I'm 25, so not coming straight from Gcse. This is why I'm completely unsure of what to do now.


Definitely one for contact your favoured institutions and see what their policies on "mature" students are. (Hate that term but that's what's used)

Much of what I said was based on a 16 year old going on to A Levels. Don't know where you are based, but one other alternative might be a Sixth Form College - OK they're full of horrible teenagers but they (sometimes) take "mature" or returning students and can provide an excellent education. I suspect you've simply gone to your local FE college and they can sometimes be very poor when it comes to A levels or standard "academic" education.


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