Music

Our school buzzes with the sound of music, whether it’s pop, jazz, classical, instrumental, choral or orchestral – and most of our students grab the chance to make some noise.

The music department is a busy part of the school, with hundreds of students visiting the music rooms each week for individual instrumental and singing lessons, and rehearsals for choirs, bands, orchestras and chamber music ensembles, in addition to their normal class music lessons. Music is studied by all students in Key Stage 3, and classes are available for those who pursue their studies to GCSE or Pre-U.

In all parts of the school, our aim is to provide a musical programme which is stimulating, fun, friendly and open to all, whilst also providing opportunities for the most gifted students to excel. Opportunities exist for music making in a wide variety of styles and on a full range of instruments.

Extra curricular activities and concerts

In the Senior School and Sixth Form we have six choirs, two orchestras, a Big Band, a number of instrumental chamber music groups and a large number of rock bands who rehearse as part of our thriving Rock School activity. We also collaborate regularly with the drama department in staging musicals.

A thriving concert programme is integral to this, and we make the most of all the venues available to us in school and beyond. Our modern school hall is the setting for most large scale concerts, but we also perform annually in the University Concert Hall on West Road. Our choirs sing at Great St Mary’s each year for the Carol Service, and our older choirs regularly perform in college chapels, in particular St John’s and Gonville and Caius. Our rock musicians perform an annual gig in the Portland Arms, and our choir and chamber orchestra regularly take part in European tours. Our most able musicians perform a regular series of Friday lunchtime concerts in Michaelhouse Chapel.

Experienced, dedicated staff

We have a large number of dedicated and highly qualified music teachers to support this level of activity; there are four permanent members of staff, who teach class music lessons and run the majority of our choirs and instrumental ensembles, and a visiting team of nearly 30 instrumental and singing teachers, who between them teach over 400 individual lessons each week.

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