Felsted Music Events 2012 - 2013
A Guide for Students, Teachers and Parents
As I’m sure everyone is now aware, the shape of the day and week at Felsted School has changed somewhat for the senior pupils (Years 9 – 13). The aim of the changes has been to create better managed, improved quality time for pupils, with many demands upon them; to avoid as far as possible the incidence of conflicting requests and expectations, and to ensure that the school as a whole can focus on the quality of what it does. The Music Department has been involved all along with this process of reshaping the schedule, and we are very keen indeed to be at the forefront of making the changes a success. The following is intended as a guide for all involved to what we hope will happen over the course of this academic year. It is inevitable that things will crop up as we go along, so please do let us know when this is the case.
James Lowry Director of Music
Contents Music Lessons Major Events Concerts Chapel Ensembles and Routines
Music Lessons Arrangements and logistics for individual music lessons will not alter too much, but it is worth going over a few things for new parents and those who may have forgotten some of the details of the various terms and conditions. Music lessons are available for voice and most instruments, and can be requested at any time by emailing musdept@felsted.org. Please remember that our contractual obligations to our visiting teachers require that we have a term’s notification for lessons to cease. cease The finance office is always prepared to discuss individual queries over terms and conditions as they arise. Remember also that lessons are billed in arrears, unlike the main school fees. Instrumental teachers will always do their best to accommodate individual requests for lesson timings, but please do remember that they work in all parts of both the Senior and Preparatory School, and so will be working with three different timetables and various calendar-dictated restrictions on their schedules. It is inevitable that pupils taking music lessons will need to miss some of their academic lessons – indeed the whole system would cease to function if they didn’t.
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Lesson times will be available to pupils in plenty of time for them to seek permission from their class teachers to attend the lesson. My various colleagues are always incredibly good about this. Occasionally there may be a good reason why it is not possible for a pupil to come out of a class (tests/exams etc), and music teachers are mindful of this and will always try to reorganize times for pupils as long as they are given notification that this is the situation. The Music Department will notify parents by email if a music lesson is missed, and we appreciate your support in getting pupils to lessons, thus ensuring that time and money are not wasted. The vast majority of music lessons are successfully and productively attended, but some issues do arise as the year goes on, and dialogue with parents may be a key part in helping to solve them. The new shape of the week allows more time for all students to practice, and we would urge them to make the most of this. Teachers are always happy to advise pupils and parents about how to use practice time meaningfully, and everyone should remember that the absolute key to successful music practice is regularity. Vocal and instrumental teachers are always happy to be contacted by parents – many develop productive relationships with parents. We are very happy to put parents and teachers in touch – again, please email musdept@felsted.org.
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Major School Musical Events Although it may be a little invidious to categorize events in this way, the following are flagship occasions that will involve large numbers of pupils. Sunset Boulevard - 12th-17th November 2012 The Orchestra will be working on playing as a full pit-orchestra for this production. This will involve preparations over the preceding Wednesday afternoons and will also include some work on Sundays as the production approaches. Many of those not playing will be involved in the cast or chorus. Live Lounge - Friday 1st February 2013 This concert will feature music from large ensembles including Jazz, Wind and Funk Bands – there will be a hint of ‘Swing Into Spring’ here for anyone who is familiar with this event from the Prep School. It promises to be engaging and enjoyable. A Summer Celebration - Friday 27th April 2013 Dinner and Music – we will hear from groups of pupils and instrumental teachers, and there will be food and drinks. This will involve – I hope – a very large number of Felsted’s musicians.
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Speech Day Concert - Friday 5th July 2013 All departing musicians and scholars will perform in the BKA with many of the distinguished guests and governors in attendance. Concerts Concerts Soloists and Scholars - Friday 30th November Solo and Chamber items from Music Scholars and advanced students. Chamber Music Concert - Thursday 7th February 2013 For small groups, this event will coincide with Felsted’s participation in the Pro Corda Chamber Music Competition. Specific names and groups to be confirmed. Fast Fingers - Wednesday 27th February 2013 An informal concert for pianists of all levels from beginners to the most advanced.
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Sound Bytes - Friday 15th March 2013 Music Technology students, working with guitarists, bass players, drummers and vocalists will recreate music by Scouting for Girls. GCSE Music Recital - Monday 18th March 2013 All Year 11 GCSE candidates will perform their coursework recitals Sixth Form Music Music Recital - Wednesday 20th March 2013 All AS, A2 and IB candidates will perform their coursework recitals Rising Stars - Friday 21st June 2013 A platform for performances from musicians in Years 9 and 10 – all standards from beginners to advanced.
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Chapel The Music Department plays a key role in enhancement of Chapel services, and the choirs contribute much over the course of the academic year. There are two choirs – the Full Choir, which is non-auditioning and has between 50 and 60 members, and Schola Cantorum, which is aimed at the more serious singers and has about 25 members. The Full Choir will contribute to the major services of the academic year. These are: Services of Nine Lessons and Carols Thursday 13th and Friday 14th December Speech Speech Day Service Friday 5th July The Full Choir will also contribute to the twiceweekly morning chapel services, and will take part in concerts throughout the year. Schola Cantorum will sing most of the regular chapel services. Please note that by accepting membership of Schola Cantorum, students do undertake to support this aspect of school life and their attendance at Sunday and Monday Chapel Services should be as near to perfect as possible. For parents’ information, the Sunday services are as follows:
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9th September 7th October 9th December 20th January 10th March 19th May (Founder’s Day) 30th June With the exception of Founder’s Day, these will involve rehearsal at 8.45am, with a service at 9.30am. Services will usually be finished at around 10.30am. Founder’s day will involve a late afternoon rehearsal for an evening service – precise details will be available nearer the time.
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Ensembles and Routines There is, with the new shape of the week, a real intent to make better use of everybody’s time in an increasingly busy schedule. In the Senior School, the usual routine of rehearsals is as follows. Mondays 1.30 Full Choir (Summer Timetable) 6.30 Full Choir (Winter Timetable) Tuesdays 1.30 Choral Scholars 6.30 Steel Band 6.30 FPS Choir for Choral Scholars Wednesdays 1.30 Jazz Band 4.45 Ensembles – this is a session that will adapt in use according to the concert schedule detailed above. However, all pupils who are allocated to this time will spend it making music in preparation for an event. Thursdays 6.30 Schola Cantorum Fridays 5.15 Funk Band
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The new weekly routines also allow students time for scheduled, supervised music practice. Music Scholars should, of course, avail themselves of as much of this time as they can, and I will monitor their progress against specific targets set by their individual music teachers. The Music School is now supervised on Tuesday and Thursday evenings for pupils to practice; again, all scholars and public exam candidates should take advantage of these opportunities. The Music School is open for a large proportion of every day and I hope that everyone who has invested time, effort and money into individual music lessons will now feel able to find time to be involved in practice and in an ensemble of any kind. I hope very much that students will communicate with their parents about all of these things – but if parents are unsure about lesson times, whether their child is a member of a particular ensemble, involved in an event etc., then please do not hesitate to ask us. The Director of Music and all of the Music Department staff are happy to discuss any aspect of this at any time – please do not hesitate to contact any of us on musdept@felsted.org.
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