Looking back on all that the Music Department has achieved this year, we are incredibly proud of how committed and passionate our students have been. From our smallest ensemble to the incredible Chamber Choir, which reached heights of 85 singers at points this year, every rehearsal and performance has been a joy to be a part of. 

With a focus on preparation for the last ABRSM Exams of the year as well as the brilliant debut performance of our Junior String Quartet, the variety on display at our most recent Teatime Concert was exceptional. We had impressive vocal performances in duets or as solos, including a lovely rendition of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ from the film; a strong contingent of flute performances from Gossec to Grieg; plus our Wind Trio treated us to a gorgeous piece by St. Pierre. We have been thrilled across the year with how many individuals have participated in the Teatime Concerts and we look forward to a host of new faces when Year 7 students join in September. 

Sticking with the concert theme, we now reach the final large-scale concert of the year, our Summer Concert. These larger performances give our ensembles a goal to work towards, as well the opportunity to perform what they have been working on during their weekly rehearsals. We kicked off the evening with Sinfonia performing the final two sections of ‘The Firebird’, a large-scale ballet and orchestral work by Igor Stravinsky. We were exceptionally proud of the immense sound Sinfonia pulled off, especially as every peripatetic teacher responded with an open mouth when told which piece we were ambitiously practising! Vocalise then gave us a peaceful rendition of ‘Psalm 23’ by Schubert, followed by Clara Schumann’s lively performance of the ‘Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, Mv. 1’ by Bach where our Year 12 A Level student, Tiana, acted as conductor with great presence. Swapping the baton for a bow, Tiana then joined the rest of the Senior String Quartet who rounded off our classical section of the evening with a soaring ‘Notturno’ by Borodin. 

We then shot directly into the 21st century with The Rollin’ Tones performing one of Mr Denman’s favourite musical theatre ensemble numbers, ‘On My Way’ from the musical ‘Violet’. Need For Reed ramped up the pop feel with a fantastic arrangement of Dua Lipa’s ‘Don’t Start Now’, arranged by Mr. Hignell, leading onto the Year 9 Rock Band who rocked a solid performance of ‘Nothing Matters’ by The Last Dinner Party. We rounded off with two brilliantly contrasting classics from Jazz Band - ‘Summertime’ and ‘The Chicken’ - with Mini Rock Band following with the girl-power anthem ‘Girls Just Want To Have Fun’ by Cyndi Lauper. We ended the evening with our largest ensemble, Chamber Choir, performing a rousing version of ‘Sing’ - which was written to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II – and ‘Seasons of Love’ from the musical ‘Rent’ – where our Year 13 Music student, Sophia, performed an impressive solo. It truly was a fantastic evening and we hope that you were there to experience it first-hand. If not, make sure you join us for our next big concert at the Old Royal Naval College in December! 

Even though the last week of term was only two and a half days, we still managed to fit in two days of ABRSM Exams and a further concert, so we truly are the Department which never stops. We’re very proud of all of our students who took their ABRSM exams from both the Junior and Senior Schools, and we’re looking forward to receiving the results very soon. Between the two days of exams, Ms McGhee gave the girls the opportunity of a Taylor Swift themed Informal Concert after the school day on Monday 8 July. We had the full range of Taylor Swift’s repertoire on display creating our very own ‘Eras Tour’, and we were thrilled with how much fun each performer had.  

As a department, we are very proud of our brilliant GCSE and A-level students who will be awaiting their results over the coming months. We know you have all worked exceedingly hard to achieve your best and we will be pleased, whatever your result. We are also thrilled with the many and varied concerts we have managed to put on this year, as well as how full our co-curricular provision has been. These activities would not happen without the hard work of the music department staff and peripatetic teachers who all lead the students in every style and genre of music on offer, so we would like to take this opportunity to thank them. Our final thank you goes to the families of our girls who continue to support the music department through busy periods, with the knowledge that their lives will be more enriched in the future. We hope you have a wonderful summer break and we cannot wait to get stuck in as soon as we’re back in September. 

Written by Mr Denman, Graduate Music Assistant