Music
Music is central to life at our school and we have an excellent reputation for producing fine musicians who experience a wide range of solo and ensemble performances throughout their school career.
In addition to encouraging creative thinking and teamwork, musical education provides a fun environment for self-expression while rewarding children for hard work. We are very keen for all of our pupils to enjoy music and to have the opportunity to play and sing for others.
We strive to nurture talent in our pupils from an early age, and encourage the development of musical skills and knowledge through our well-structured programme of music education. Twenty qualified and dedicated staff in our purpose-built Music School teach a wide range of instruments, from violin to French horn, and harp to bagpipes!
Our choirs are extremely active in our school, and we aim to offer opportunities for all ages and abilities in groups such as our large Chapel Choir, Junior Choir and the Jiminies - a small ensemble of our very best singers. We also hold an annual overseas choir tour, allowing children to celebrate music with other cultures; recent destinations have included Estonia (2008), Spain (2007) and Austria (2006).
Equally important in our community are our orchestras. Large groups such as our Wind Band and String Ensemble regularly feature in our concerts, and a number of other opportunities exist in smaller groups such as our string trio, jazz ensemble, recorder group and rock bands. Our annual String Day with musicians from other local schools has become an important community event, driven by the success and enthusiasm of our young musicians.
Class music is enjoyed across all year groups, with all students having musical instruction each week. Class work aims to develop skills in listening, composition and performance, and is broadly in line with the National Curriculum and GCSE requirements.
Scholarship opportunities exist for tuition on individual instruments, and music scholarships on transfer to the Senior School are also available. Please visit our page on Scholarships for more information.