Music round-up Easter 19

It’s been an incredibly busy half term in the Music Department, with exams, festivals, workshops and numerous performances. 

The auditions for the Maurice Ellis Music Scholarship were held at the beginning of March. This award, which recognises considerable musical potential is awarded annually, and we are pleased to announce that Year 2 pupil Hebe Sargent was the worthy recipient - congratulations to her! James Williams was also the recipient of a Music Exhibition - well done to him. If you know of a child in Years 2 or 3, inside or outside of the school community, who you think could benefit from this award, please ask them to contact the admissions team

A new venture for this term was our collaboration with the Swing Band at Dorset House School. This saw members of our Big Band travel over to join them for a series of workshops, culminating in a performance for parents in their newly refurbished barn. The afternoon was a great success, and will hopefully be repeated next year!

The Chichester Music Festival has been taking place throughout March, with a number of our pupils taking part. Well done to all those who participated, and particularly to those who won their respective classes. 

The Spring Performance Platform saw a plethora of performances, including many children who were preparing for exams. Highlights included Patrick Welch (trumpet) playing One Hand One Heart, Ross Jemmett (clarinet) with Paradise Ballroom, Amelie Mazrani (piano) playing Sonatina in A minor by Benda, and the Rock Band with a foot stomping performance of Black Night by Deep Purple. Well done to all!

The annual World Music Workshop was once again a lovely event, with Years 3-5 taking part in sessions throughout the day, with a performance from Years 3-4 in the afternoon. The music of China and India was the focus, with plenty of drums and gongs being played with much gusto! 

Several days of instrumental exams took place towards the end of term, and we are currently waiting on the results. Well done to everyone for their hard work in the run-up to these. 

Mrs Rowe’s piano pupils were out in force at their termly concert, which featured some lovely performances. Tom Howeson impressed everyone with his performance of Novolette by Kabalevsky, Lucy Pitman played Musette by Bach and Evie Hamer gave a poised performance of Folk Song by Bartok. Well done to all those who took part. 

The final event of term saw the Chapel Choir give a concert at Boxgrove Priory. This was their last fundraising event before they embark on their tour to Belgium, and it was wonderful to have a capacity audience. The choir will give concerts at the cathedrals in Brussels, Bruges and Ypres, along with a performance at the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate, which is sure to be a very moving occasion. You can follow their tour via the school’s Instagram account

Learn more about music at Westbourne House.