The Cranleigh School Newsletter Issue No 45
Lent 2013
Head s Up Dear Parents,
The Lent Term sandwiched as it is between the sense of anticipation of the Michaelmas Term at the start of the academic year and the exam pressures of the Summer Term often feels like the term in which the pupils pack in as much as they can. And this term has been no exception. The School has been abuzz with preparations for one event after another. First came the highly entertaining two House plays (South and Loveday), followed by the fantastic School play, Tis Pity one of the most compelling dramas staged during my time at Cranleigh, supported by an outstanding Technical Team. Preparations have continued seemingly unabated in the Music School for the three Helen Wareham Competitions; the Cranleigh Voices Evensong at Salisbury Cathedral and then of course the phenomenal collaborative Senior School/Prep School concert at G Live only last weekend, masterfully directed by Marcus Pashley and Catherine Beddison. And just this week came the Fashion Show and ever-popular Dance Show in aid of Tildy s Trust a combination that worked very well, and raised money for a cause close to many pupils hearts. In between, the pupils have competed with their usual determination on the sports pitches, and in the process have taken another National title in girls U16 hockey; the South Regional U18 and Surrey U14 titles in boys hockey; won a prestigious rugby sevens trophy, and been picked in multiple cases for club and national representation. Not to mention competing fiercely for the House cross-country titles, training rigorously for the Devizes-to-Westminster International Canoe Race, rising to the diverse challenges of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards and, in one pupil s case, successfully taking on the truly gruelling Tough Guy course! Walking around campus, I continue to feel extremely proud to be part of such a vibrant, dynamic community, whose energy never wanes. Cranleigh s ethos centres upon the importance of an all-round education and I think it is fair to say that this term has been a shining example of precisely that.
Guy Waller Head
Cranleigh School, Cranleigh, Surrey GU6 8QQ Tel: 01483 273666
MAKING MUSIC
It is now almost three years since the creation of Cranleigh Music 7-18 . Marcus Pashley, Director of Cranleigh Music, explains the concept and its impact on musical education at Cranleigh.
How important do you think music is for a child s development? I think it is absolutely crucial musical activity develops such a wide range of important fundamentals such as motor skills, coordination, creativity, self-discipline, ability to work both independently and as part of a team, cultural awareness the list of positive benefits is really endless. What is the concept of Cranleigh Music and what sets it apart from most Schools? Cranleigh Music is the name we gave to our fully integrated approach to musical education right through from age 7 in the Prep School to age 18. Five years ago we began to investigate areas of both Schools that could strongly benefit from a through-concept; music, as well as sport, seemed an obvious choice. There were already two centres of musical teaching expertise on either side of Horseshoe Lane; it seemed a thoroughly logical development to bring these together into a single faculty. The music staff is therefore
considerably larger than most schools and we can better respond to the individual musical needs of each child as they enter the Schools at age 7, 11, 13 or 16.
What benefits have you already noticed to this approach? Music education consists of three broad areas; development of individual performance skills through instrumental/vocal lessons; development of ensemble performance skills in choirs, orchestras, bands and a whole host of smaller ensemble groups, and development of curriculum/academic skills through classroom music and on to GCSE and AS/A2 Level. We are now three years into the concept and already the benefits in each area are very tangible. For the individual, our policy of instrumental specialism at all levels has enabled children as young as 7 to have individual lessons with inspiring, professional teachers dedicated solely to that instrument. A child can now Continued over.....
For full details of all School and House news, please visit the website at www.cranleigh.org
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