A Celebration of Musical Excellence!

Our talented Music Scholars took part in interesting and enlightening workshops exploring various aspects of musical performance and technique. These were presented by experts in the field; Dr Matt London, Dr Katie de la Matter, Mr James Beddoe and Mr Ben Wragg. These inspiring and highly qualified musicians represent a selection of Visiting Music Teachers (VMTs) at Caterham School. Selected pupils were given the opportunity to work with them during afternoon sessions and some participated in the Recital that took place later. A special workshop led by Mrs Richards brought together our First Year scholars as a string sextet- their work on ensemble playing balance clearly demonstrated during their performance in the Recital.

Our distinguished guest experts were extremely impressed by the standard of our Music Scholars and commented on their professionalism and willingness to embrace new ideas and approaches. The Recital was open to all; other scholars, parents, and, aspiring music scholars from local schools. They were in awe of level of musicianship demonstrated by our pupils and colleagues in the Music Department. The Recital featured mini sessions by our special guests; for Voice (exploring techniques for the changing voice), Strings (focusing on the ‘mature’ sound in Romantic music), Piano (dissecting ornamentation in the Baroque and Classical era) and Woodwind (experimenting with abstract sound-worlds).

Our audience was particularly captured by the experimental music in the Woodwind section which explored the profound experience of silence, followed by free-form, improvised concepts, ‘Sustain Piece’ and ‘Free Space’. The audience were quickly on-board with understanding how we can question and challenge musical conventions of harmony and melody.

The evening continued with a stylish and elegant Dinner Reception for our Music Scholars and parents. An amazing two course dinner was the perfect way to end the event and recognise the dedication and commitment of our wonderful Music Scholars.