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get past Grade 2 when others are gaining
Grade 8 Distinctions, it is super to see every
boy having a go and trying to turn those
strange dots on the page into a recognisable
piece of music.
Secondly, the boys must have a desire to
do well in their music: there is little point in
attending a lesson then leaving the music
and instrument in a locker untouched for
a week. Progress can be hard but, as an
amateur cyclist, I certainly know that the
last push to the top of the brow of a hill
is the hardest, but the view and the sense
of achievement once there is unequalled.
Practice makes permanent and each quarter
hour spent working on technique or a
tricky phrase is time well spent in personal
improvement and musical development.
Thirdly, the boys need guidance from
professionals. Sometimes this can be in the
form of simple praise or, equally, it might
be in the guise of constructive criticism.
None of us likes to be corrected, but if
seen as advice from someone with greater
experience and understanding who is
looking to help their pupil to reach a higher
level of understanding and performance,
then criticism can be a very positive
thing. Thinking of this, we were extremely
fortunate to welcome one of the world’s top
professional organists,WilliamWhitehead,
to give a masterclass. This wasn’t just on
playing the organ but, rather, included advice
on performance, how to look at a piece
of music and how to make your playing
original.What impressed him most was the
openness of the boys to new ideas and to
experimenting.
At the opening I referred to the
tremendously successful year we’ve enjoyed.
Perhaps a few facts and figures are needed
to support this:
• Over 220 lessons are taught here every
week.
• 20 groups take place every week ranging
from rock bands to orchestras.
• 117 ABRSM or Trinity passes, with exams
taking place at the end of each term,
yielding 52 Merits and 26 Distinctions.
• Almost 20 concerts ranging from the 1st
Year Coffee Concert to the charity fund-
raisers at Blenheim Palace andWeston-
on-the-Green.
And, of course, one of our great moments
of pride this year was the news of the
stunning results collected by boys sitting
music scholarships and awards. Seven boys
gained success at public schools including
Eton andWinchester and they deserve our
congratulations:
Claude Barker, Francis
Frankopan, Yi Feng Hu, Marc Lindgren,
Simon Luo, Ernest Newland
and
Christian
Oberschneider
. Also worthy of mention
are those who either decided not to try for
an award or who just missed out: it takes a
great effort to work towards something of
this nature and, success or not, they have
been a credit to the Department and to
themselves.
The Choirs continue to flourish. Highlights
this year included: a carol concert at
Blenheim Palace for the John Radcliffe
Children’s Hospital; Evensong in the
Headmaster’s former college, Balliol; a
recital of music and readings for summer
inWeston-on-the-Green; and the Choral
Concert in March. The latter consisted
mainly of works by Brahms and Fauré
(including his timeless
Requiem
) and was
performed by 70 boys and 30 adults
with a professional orchestra on
Maundy Thursday. Appropriately
thought-provoking readings
were interpolated between the
movements of the Requiem
and the whole event
became a genuine act of
worship. In addition, of
course, the Chapel Choir
helped to lead worship
throughout the year
with particular highlights
including Remembrance,
Carols by Candlelight
(which includedWilliam
Byrd’s stunning advent piece
ecce virgo concipiet
), the
Confirmation Service, our
Palm Sunday act of worship and, of course,
the Leavers’ Service, when we said thank
you and goodbye to a dozen singers (young
and less young!) who have been involved in
the Chapel Choir for many years.
Other events included the annual League
Music Competition, judged this year by
two of the greatest of supporters of music
at Summer Fields, APWB and JSB. Junior
and senior solos sandwiched an ensemble
performance and then came the League
Shout with every boy taking part in carefully
rehearsed renditions of popular songs. The
winners this year were Maclaren (under the
direction of MWIJ) with Moseley missing
out by the merest whisker.
As I said at the beginning of this article,
it has been a phenominally successful year
for the Department and what better way to
celebrate the input, enthusiasm and efforts
of DML. The American football coach, Vince
Lombardi, once said “The price of success
is hard work, dedication to the job at hand,
and the determination that, whether we
win or lose, we have applied the best of
ourselves to the task in hand.” The boys who
have achieved all they have at whatever
level on whatever instrument in whatever
arena have certainly shown hard work,
dedication and determination, and, in his
50th year at SF, I know that DML will be as
proud as any of us at what they have all
managed.
GIJP
S u m m e r F i e l d s
2 0 1 5 – 2 0 1 6
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