Music at Blundell's
Music plays an important role in the life of the School. The department is staffed by a large team of dedicated teachers. Music features in the lower school curriculum as well as being offered at GCSE and A Level. A number of pupils have gone on to read music at university and conservatoire over the years. Practical lessons are offered on all orchestral instruments, and on piano, organ, guitar, saxophone and in singing. Over half of all the pupils take some form of musical instruction.
Practical music abounds and there are many instrumental and choral groups
giving a wide range of opportunity for participation.
There are numerous practical groups in the school. The choir is about 85 strong and sings in the main concert (recently Handel’s Messiah, Jenkins’ Armed Man, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Vivaldi’s Gloria). For this a full orchestra is used too. There is a chamber choir of about 30 voices which tackles a more advanced repertoire, and is used for events outside school, as well as some in school. There are smaller groups too – female octet, occasional barbershop, and a Glee club, for example. All are involved for Harvest Festival, Remembrance Day, Confirmation, and Carol Services. The Chamber Choir gives regular concerts and has sung Evensong in various cathedrals.
There is a symphony orchestra which plays at school concerts, and a chamber orchestra which is based on those with grade 7 or 8. There is a Big Band, Soul Band, senior and junior flute groups, sax quartets and groups, string orchestra and quartets, brass ensemble, junior choirs, as well as opportunities for piano duets. These groups perform in regular concerts ranging from informal lunchtime concerts to School house teatime concerts to charity events and performances for A level exams. It is unusual if there is a week with no performing event.
| Christmas Choir Trips | |
| 1989 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009 2010 |
Berlin Berlin Jihlava, Czech Republic Chinon Jihlava, Czech Republic Aachen Aachen Jihlava, Czech Republic Chinon Jihlava, Czech Republic Budapest, Hungary Paris Jihlava, Czech Republic Oslo Venice Czech Republic Venice Paris Prague Venice |
There are concert opportunities for
all, ranging from lunchtime concerts, tea-time concerts (for School
House, 11-13 year olds), 
a concerto concert for the most able pupils
and we have given a number of concerts in London. We have visits
from professional musicians, with regular visits from composers (e.g. Michael Omer), professional performers (e.g. Will Pool, OB, Lisa Tregale, OB, and graduates from the Central School of Speech and Drama). Outside trips are made to concerts
(e.g. BSO in Exeter and Mahler in the Albert Hall) and opera (WNO
in Plymouth or Bristol).
Musicals are produced each year, recent ones being Grease, Cabaret, West Side Story, The Boyfriend, Calamity Jane, South Pacific, Seven Brides For Seven Brothers, Oklahoma, My Fair Lady, Joseph, and in September 2011 Hairspray will be performed. The Junior Department have also produced musicals (such as Oliver, Wind in the Willows and Rats). Two home written musicals, one based on the Michael Morpurgo book, Why The Whales Came, were also performed in the Scilly Isles. In 2011 Alice in Wonderland was performed.
There are a number of bands who perform, and in 2010 the annual rock rock concert raised a lot of money for charity. Last academic year several concerts were given in aid of various charities, contributing to the raising of thousands of pounds.
During the past years pupils have taken the solo roles in concertos (with professional orchestras), taken sectional rehearsals and conducted the orchestra, and the choir (including in St Mark’s, Venice).