A Life in Music: 36 Years at the RGS: Peter White

Peter White in the Music School

A LIFE IN MUSIC 36 YEARS AT THE RGS

By Peter White, Director of Music 1984 to 2020

What had attracted you to the RGS when you joined the school in 1984?

I was working at a very prestigious boarding school in Yorkshire, and although I loved the countryside, I wasn’t very happy there. I think I was missing both the South and a rather more urban existence. The school was also a large Benedictine monastery and, it has to be said, a bit of a strange place; the fact that I wasn’t catholic didn’t help.

Having been a pupil at a big boarding school myself, I was sure that that was the sort of school I wanted to work in but I saw the ad for the RGS post and thought, with the arrogance of youth, well I could slum it there for a couple of years before progressing to another big public school. I came down on a sunny October day for the interview and it really was love at first sight.

What was so appealing?

The tangible sense of energy and purpose of a school that had only just opted out of the state sector really grabbed me. It seemed a happy school too, and compared with the institution I was working in, filled with relatively normal people. The business-like approach of a day school, something I had never experienced before, was refreshing. Long, slow paced boarding school days were replaced with busier but much shorter days, and of course, weekends were my own again. In many ways, my own childhood and education at King’s Canterbury and Oxford had been rooted in centuries old tradition and the relative freshness of the RGS was instantly attractive. I suspect I’d always been a bit of an iconoclastic and I’m not a great believer in tradition for tradition’s sake.

Tell me a little bit about the facilities at the school at that time.

There were about 700 boys so the school wasn’t significantly smaller than it is today, but in terms of buildings, it was probably half the size. My previous school was set in two thousand acres, there was a farm and you could even do hunting as a sports option, so the RGS seemed tiny. Music was housed in about four rooms in what is now the 6th Form Centre with a flimsy plastic ceiling, above which there was a cavernous space which amplified the sound from the rooms below. One good thing was that with no parking in Top Court or North Court, no sports Centre, no Astro etc., the boys did have much more space to play in. It seems a little cramped now.

And what about the music?

My predecessor, David Whelton who went on to manage the Philharmonia Orchestra, had achieved remarkable things in a very short time but nevertheless, by the standards of what’s there today it was still pretty embryonic. There were just a few small ensembles and a school choir but no real orchestra as such. But there were some astonishingly fine musicians amongst the pupils; I have crystal clear memories of every one of them! David had formed an orchestra called the Guildford Sinfonia and there was a choir called the Chorale and these recruited musicians from many local schools which gave fantastic opportunities for the best pupils at the school.

You have been lucky with the talent amongst the pupils.

Every year I have witnessed astonishing musicianship. The raw material at the RGS is fantastic but it’s wonderful to see talents develop, musical awareness grow and of course in many cases, see success beyond the RGS in what is a hugely challenging profession. I’m not sure if people are quite aware of how much time learning a musical instrument requires and just how much the boys give to the school. But I have had very talented colleagues too. I would have achieved nothing without them from Tim Venvell’s fantastic support when I first arrived and didn’t really know what I was doing, to the amazing team I’ve had around me in recent years. I’m incredibly proud of RGS music which I think compares well with nearly any other school in the land but it has been a team effort from the very start.

What are your stand-out memories?

Too many to list. The big things of course; my first concert in the Old Civic Hall, Shall Life Inherit, tours abroad, the orchestra playing Shostakovich 5, Verdi Requiems, the concerto concerts and the wonderful spectaculars with Grayson Jones and the High School. But little things as well, moments when you know that music has had a transforming effect on a young person.

You must have seen many changes during your time.

Huge changes both at the RGS and in the profession in general and whilst there have been massive improvements, I sometimes wonder if everything’s for

Peter White conducting a School concert in the old Civic Hall, 1986

the better. I’m not sure that computers have added quite as much to teaching as some think and they certainly seem to create a lot of work outside the classroom! Nationally, the role of the teacher has evolved significantly and it’s a little sad that ‘management’ has become a career target for so many these days. I am very proud that I have been in the classroom every day of my teaching life.

What are your reflections as you step down from being Director of Music?

It’s a wonderful job and an enormous privilege to be a teacher at such a great school. And without doubt it’s the people, colleagues and pupils that make it so rewarding. I can honestly say that I have loved almost every day of it! To work as a teacher and a musician is a double blessing.