Music at Blundell's

[ 2007 Choir Trip to Paris ]

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.

The Choir is 90 strong and performs a major choral work each year. Recent concerts include Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, Rutter's Requiem and Bernstein's Chichester Psalms. The Messiah, Mozart's Requiem, and Jenkins' Requiem and The Armed Man. The Soloists for these events were Old Blundellians. 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.

Christmas Choir Trips
1989 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998	Berlin Berlin Jihlava, Czech Republic Chinon Jihlava, Czech Republic Aachen Aachen Jihlava, Czech Republic Chinon	1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007	Jihlava, Czech Republic Budapest, Hungary Paris Jihlava, Czech Republic Oslo Venice Czech Republic Venice Paris

	The Orchestra plays at regular concerts and visits Prep Schools. The repertoire ranges from the Baroque to the modern. Recent pieces have included Berlioz's Roman Carnival, Holst's Mars and Schubert's Symphony No 8. The Big Band is in much demand for charity concerts and money has been raised for the National Trust, Marie Curie, the RNIB and the Tiverton Museum. The Band has appeared in jazz festivals with professional bands, toured in Britanny and Jersey, and produced its own CDs. There are several other practical collections - flute groups, string groups (senior and junior), string quartets, brass ensemble, junior choirs (who have visited the Scilly Isles), and a junior band.
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 a regular visit from the Allegri String Quartet, and others from pianists (including OB Graham Caskie) and jazz bands (Acker Bilk). Outside trips are made to concerts (e.g. BSO in Exeter and Mahler in the Albert Hall) and opera (WNO in Plymouth or Bristol). In autumn 2007 there is to be a piano duet master class and two sessions of the Alexander Technique.

Musicals are produced each year, recent ones being Grease, Cabaret, West Side Stor, The Boyfriend, Calamity Jane, South Pacific and in September 2007, Seven Brides For Seven Brothers. 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.

There are a number of bands who perform, and in May 2007 a rock concert raised a lot of money for charity.

Teachers

Mr A.H. Barlow, MA, Oxon, MPhil, PGCE, FRSA, Director of Music
Mr L. Wynell-Mayow, BA, Reading, PGCE
+ 19 peripatetic teachers