What an incredible Christmas treat our Year 4 pupils had when parent, Richard Birchall, a much respected cellist and member of the Philharmonia Orchestra, performed for the year group via Zoom.
Mr Birchall played three times for the children, with breaks in between for questions, and they were mesmerised. He played Silent Night, Tchaikovsky’s Flower Waltz from The Nutcracker and JS Bach.
What a joy just before Christmas for the children to experience a private concert with a professional cellist - it was totally magical.
Mr Stewart
The children took it in turns to approach the screen to ask questions:
Q: What is your favourite piece of music? Bach: The First Cello Solo.
Q: What’s it like playing the cello in front of people? It’s exciting, but lately I have been spending a lot of time on my own.
Q: Why did you choose the cello? Because my brother played the violin
Q: How do you become a professional musician? Lots of practice when you are young and then go to music college.
Q: Do you travel a lot with the orchestra? Usually, I have two/three big tours a year to places like America, Japan and China for ten days or so as well as regular trips to Europe.
Q: Do you ever make mistakes? Yes all the time!
The three cheers and applause could be heard throughout the junior department as Mr Birchall waved goodbye.
It was really nice to hear the music live in our classroom because for such a long time we haven’t been able to go anywhere. I also liked seeing my friend say 'Hello' to her dad on the screen!"
Pupil, Year 4
