King's Music Scholarships

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INDEPENDENT EDUCATION FOR AGES 11-18

MUSIC SCHOLARSHIPS Confidence in a changing world

MUSIC AT KING’S King’s offers excellent opportunities for pupils wishing to make music central to their education, perhaps with a view to making a career in the musical world. The music school consists of three full time staff and over twenty peripatetic music teachers.

Simon Taranczuk MMus FRCO Director of Music

The main teaching classroom was recently redesigned and now comprises of 25 workstations with a five octave keyboard, a laptop computer running industry-standard music composition and recording software and every workstation is linked to a high-quality classroom audio system.

More than 200 candidates achieve awards in music examinations in a wide range of instruments each year, many at high grades. A number of our musicians are members of county ensembles and take part in local and national holiday music courses such as the RSCM Millennium Choir. For many years there has been a series of successes in gaining Organ and Choral Awards at Oxford and Cambridge universities and Music Conservatoires. An overseas tour takes place every two years; The Choir and Chamber Orchestra have performed in Paris and Venice in recent years.

The school has two orchestras as well as small ensembles such as flute, sax and guitar groups, three choirs, a Wind Band, Jazz Band as well as various small ensembles. Many concerts are held throughout the year, most of which take place in the magnificent College Hall. Open Mic Nights have been a very successful introduction to the concert series and take place in the Boathouse. The choirs perform regularly in the Cathedral at school services, as well as singing Choral Evensong once a term.

The best way to get a real feeling for music at King’s is to come in and see us in action - come along to a concert, details of which can be found in our ‘Arts Programme’, attend an Open Morning, or arrange a visit to King’s on a normal working day. You can even listen to King’s concerts and music performances on the schools sound cloud (/kings-music) I look forward to meeting you.

Simon Taranczuk, Director of Music

https://soundcloud.com/ksw-music

@kswmusicschool

MUSIC SCHOLARSHIP AWARD Those students who have a musical flair and passion could be eligible for music scholarships. There is a wide range of styles and genres of music on offer at King’s, including orchestras, wind and Jazz bands and solo concerts, allowing students to demonstrate and enhance their musical talents.

• Music scholarships are awarded to pupils on entry to the school at 11+, 13+ and 16+.

• A music scholarship may be up to one-third of tuition fees and is accompanied by free tuition on the main instrument or voice.

• Those awarded a music scholarship will be expected to play a full part in the musical life at the school. The award will be retained as long as the pupil’s academic and musical progress are of a high standard.

• Music scholarship assessment takes the form of an instrument or vocal performance of two contrasting pieces of music. If a second instrument is offered, which is by no means mandatory, one piece of music is required for each instrument. It is expected that the candidate will reach as least the AB/TCL standard below on his or her chosen instrument.

• 11+ Grade 4 • 13+ Grade 5 • 16+ Grade 7 (Grade 5 for second instrument)

Music Exhibition Awards Awards for music are offered in the form of free music lessons on one instrument. As with Music Scholars they are expected to play a full part in the musical life of the school.

Next Steps For further information on our music scholarships or to download an application form visit www.ksw.org.uk/ musicscholarships or contact: Mr Simon Taranczuk, Director of Music staranczuk@ksw.org.uk 01905 721774 Mrs Deborah Paddock, Music Administrator dpaddock@ksw.org.uk 01905 721772 For general admissions enquiries, please contact: Vickie Peckston, Registrar registrar@ksw.org.uk 01905 721742

Key Dates Music scholarship auditions will be held in January (please visit ksw.org.uk/musicscholarship for audition dates). The closing date for applications is the 15th January.

• An aural test will also be given, along with sight-reading exercise on the main instrument.

Gaining a music scholarship at King’s opened up plenty of opportunities for me. I was able to really build my skills in performing and composing through learning from and participating in workshops, arranging and collaborating with other pupils in concerts and Open Mic Nights, and getting the chance to perform in high-profile events and venues. Playing the Worcester Cathedral organ on King’s Day, meeting famous faces like Bob Chilcott, and composing for the School choir are just a few of the many highlights made possible through the scholarship.

My music scholarship at King’s has encouraged me to develop in both confidence and ability as a musician.

With such an array of performance opportunities on offer, the scholarship has encouraged me to seize many which I previously did not think were available.

In doing so, music at King’s has created some truly extraordinary memories from singing in Notre Dame in Paris and St Mark’s Basilica in Venice, to featuring on an episode of The Archers on BBC Radio 4, as well as composing music that was performed by the school’s Wind Band.

Matthew Kelley (left in 2017 - currently Organ Scholar at St. Chad’s Durham)

Archie Jury U6th Music Scholar

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS What level of experience is expected of a potential scholar? Is it essential to have reached a certain certificated level of grade exams?

Candidates for music scholarships are expected to show a good level of proficiency on one instrument. At 11+ level an entry standard of Associated Board or Trinity Grade 4 is expected, at 13+ an entry level of Grade 5 and, at 16+ an entry level of Grade 7. In each case we would expect a good merit or distinction to show full scholarship potential. In practice, we would often expect to find successful candidates at each level who surpass these entry requirements.

Is a combination of two instruments stronger than one instrument and voice? Can you offer two instruments and voice?

A second or third instrument or voice can all be assessed on the examination day and may be of additional help in the awarding process if it is not possible to distinguish between two very good musicians in any other way. The Director of Music is very happy to meet and hear prospective candidates in advance.

Those candidates whom we do not meet until the day of the audition will, however, be in no way disadvantaged.

Is any weighting given to particular instruments either because they are in greater demand (because of a shortage of players at the school) or because they are considered harder to play?

No special weighting will be given. The decision of the music staff at King’s will be based entirely upon their judgements about the musicianship of each candidate, regardless of instrument.

They will, of course, use their knowledge of different instruments in making decisions about the quality of a performance.

Under what circumstances would an applicant not be called for audition?

We would not call an applicant who, compared to the others, looks most unlikely to qualify for a scholarship on the grounds of limited experience or achievement so far. This is no judgement at all on their likely progress as musicians at King’s but a practical outcome of the usual strength of the field.

What is the nature of the assessment on the day?

The principal element of each scholarship exam is performance.

At all levels there will be aural tests and appropriately chosen sight-reading tests on the main instrument.

What is the weighting of the different elements of the assessment (audition, discussion, theory)?

Excellence on a main instrument remains the prime criterion for awarding a music scholarship. A music scholar is expected, above all, to be a good contributor to music-making in the school. Conversation with the candidates about their current musical activities will help to give some idea of their likely commitment to taking part and performing at King’s.

Is any reference required from my child’s current music teacher?

Yes, we will require evidence from the candidate’s music teacher that a prospective scholar will be a willing, active and proactive participant in a wide variety of school musical activities.

Candidates can expect to be asked questions about their current musical activity, and about musical aspects of the pieces they have played as part of the audition.

When will we be told the arrangements for the assessment day?

Shortly after the deadline for receipt of entries the Music Administrator will contact parents with details of timings for the scholarship exams. On the day of the exam parents and candidates will be met at the main school reception by a member of the school’s administrative staff. Candidates will then be taken to the ‘warm-up’ room in the Music School to prepare for their auditions.

Is there any chance to warm-up or practise on the day?

The King’s School can provide accompanists and a limited amount of rehearsal time on the day of the exam. Candidates are welcome to bring their own accompanists. On the day of the exam a ‘warm-up’ room is provided where each successive candidate can practise in the fifteen minutes before their exam with the help of their accompanist.

What can parents do while their children are being assessed?

Parents are very welcome to wait at the school during their child’s assessment.

How soon do we hear about whether a scholarship has been awarded?

Academic and Music awards are communicated at the same time. At 11+ and 13+, this will normally mean that such notification will be given by the end of the Thursday following the entrance tests, with the offer paperwork.

How many music scholarships are awarded each year?

We usually award several scholarships worth up to one third of fees at 11+ and 16+, and one scholarship at 13+ if there are candidates of suitable calibre at each of these levels. Candidates who are not deemed to meet the criteria for a scholarship but are nevertheless clearly able musicians and good participators may well be offered a Music Exhibition which provides free tuition on one or more instrument or voice.

Is it possible to win an academic and a music scholarship?

Yes, but the financial value of an award, whether single or combined, will not exceed one third of fees.

What is the value of an award?

Awards can be worth up to one third of fees but occasionally we may decide to split an award between two candidates if they are considered equally impressive.

Is it possible to win an award or free tuition on an instrument at a later stage after you have joined the school?

Awards made to pupils once they have joined the school are in the nature of free tuition on one or more instruments. These will usually be made at 13+ and 17+.

What expectations are there of music scholars when they join the school?

Music scholars will be expected to play a full part in musicmaking at the school. This will usually mean membership of at least two main ensembles.

What success have music scholars at King’s had in the past both while at school and after they have left?

King’s has helped to develop a remarkable number of very talented musicians over recent decades, many of whom have won organ or choral scholarships at Oxford and Cambridge or places at specialist music colleges. Many have gone on to be professional musicians. An honours board in the Music Department records many of these successes.

THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT

Writing this article concisely is always a challenge as there is much to celebrate in the music department each year. This review is a snapshot of what goes on in a very busy department.

During the year we said goodbye to peripatetic teacher Lesley Cox who retired at Christmas. Lesley was a very popular teacher of flute and singing, directed the flute ensembles and assisted GMG each year with the Orchestral Workshop. Brass teacher, Hazel Whitefoot, also leaves King’s to return to university to study Archaeology. We welcomed Marie McNally to the department in September. Marie is a very experienced teacher, examiner and performer and we are delighted to have her with us. This year’s new music gap student was Sebastian Hill. Seb made a fantastic contribution to the department as a singer, trombonist, pianist and composer. He wrote two pieces for the choir, one for the Carol Service, the other for the Music Tour. He goes on to study Music at Oxford with a Choral Scholarship at Magdalen College.

Simon Taranczuk

with such great weather, we were able to make use of the gardens at the end of June.

One of the successes of this year has been the large numbers of pupils taking part in solo concerts such as the Young Performers’, Informal and Keys. It has been particularly pleasing to see many pupils from the Removes and Fifth Form taking part for the first time.

As ever, the first part of the school year is taken up with the two music competitions beginning with House Music. With over 50 soloists taking part this year, it became necessary for this part of the competition to take place on a separate day. There were numerous categories and 11 of the winners took part in the winners’ concert together with the top three houses. School House won the House Song with a rendition of Count On Me

by Bruno Mars. The adjudicator was the Cathedral’s Director of Music Peter Nardone, and the winners’ concert was an excellent celebration of music at King’s in the first few weeks of the school year. Just before half term it was the turn of the Fourth Form with all twelve forms performing in College Hall with lots of enthusiasm, costumes and fun! 30 pupils took part in the solo section, with 10 of them performing in the winners’ concert. The winners of the song competition were L4E and U4E. In October three King’s pupils took part in a trumpet masterclass in College Hall with Simon Desbruslais, an internationally renowned soloist. Andrew Gee, Oliver Griffiths and Henry Bowers were given individual guidance on aspects such as musical shaping, technique and posture. This was a joint venture with the English Symphony Orchestra. Later that day Simon gave the world premiere of a new trumpet concerto in a concert at Huntingdon Hall.

The biennial senior musical took place in December. Following on from The Sound of Music we continued with another Rodgers & Hammerstein production, South Pacific. Everything about the performances was excellent including the on-stage army band, which was mostly comprised of pupils. The girls had fun with ‘Wash that Man’, while the boys let their hair down with ‘Nothing like a Dame’. The lead singing from Dani Brennan, Henry James, Michael Burgess and Sarah Jackson was a particular highlight.

Another biennial event this year was the music tour, this time to Venice during February half term. A week before the tour the Choir and Chamber Orchestra had been invited to take part in the Cathedral’s lunchtime concert series. This was an excellent way to showcase the music for the tour to the audience, mainly comprised of parents, together with the regular concert goers.

Over 50 pupils and staff enjoyed 5 busy days of music and exploration in this amazing city. The main event was taking part in Mass at St Mark’s Basilica on Sunday morning. Many of the group enjoyed a visit to the famous Opera House to watch Rossini’s The Barber of Seville and there were two further concerts, one in Padua, the other in a beautiful but freezing cold church in Venice. We also spent one morning in Verona and had plenty of time to explore the streets of Venice. It was great to have a large number of parents and family support us on this tour at the concerts and service.

In March an orchestra of seventy players comprising pupils from King’s St Alban’s, King’s Hawford and the lower three years of the senior school gathered in the John Moore Theatre for a day of music-making at the annual Orchestral Workshop under the leadership of GMG. After a demanding but rewarding day of rehearsals, a supportive audience was treated to a fine concert of pieces for full orchestra, string orchestra and wind band, punctuated by solo performances from some of our leading young instrumentalists.

The termly school concert gives our larger ensembles the opportunity to perform in College Hall. All of the ensembles have been given some difficult music this year and they have risen to the challenge, particularly the First Orchestra with performances of Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony No. 8 and Elgar’s Imperial March. The King’s Swingers continue to perform with aplomb and have played a repertoire of jazz standards and more contemporary music this year. Gap student, Seb Hill, arranged Life of the Party from the musical Wild Party for the band with guest singer Dani Brennan. In the Headmaster’s review on King’s Day, the Upper Sixth members of the band, together with singer Georgie Lewis, gave an atmospheric performance of It’s a Wonderful World to the large audience

in the cathedral. The Wind Band has performed some rousing repertoire in these concerts throughout the year and for the first time gave a performance in the cathedral during the eve of Ascension Day service. This proved to be very popular and will be repeated next year. Another performance opportunity was during the May Fete. The King’s Swingers, Georgie Lewis, Hollie Avery and Alfred Annable together with the U6th band Blackout, entertained everyone on this scorching hot day.

The Open Mic Nights have welcomed many new performers this year, particularly from the Lower Remove with a new band and numerous singers. The boathouse continues to be a great venue for these occasions, though for the first time, with such great weather, we were able to make use of the gardens at the end of June. In addition to having so many performers at these occasions we continue to innovate with the technology we require to improve these events. The theatre manager Mr Haynes has taken on the sound for these events and we now have access to a digital sound desk which enables us to set up bands more easily.

Music Scholars, Natasja Enthoven, Tamara Enthoven and Jia Jie Huang continue to be successful at local music competitions and festivals such as Solihull and Hereford as well as Worcester.

The Enthoven sisters also passed their ATCL diplomas with distinction. Jia Jie gave what was described as a world class piano recital in Worcester Cathedral as part of their lunchtime recital series. Another Music Scholar, Andrew Gee, passed his ARSM trumpet diploma with merit. This year has seen the largest number of entries for practical music exams with nearly 250 successes across St Alban’s and the senior school with ABRSM, Trinity and LCM. This includes 25 pupils who have achieved grade 8. With over 500 instrumental lessons taking place each week we have an excellent team of peripatetic teachers who continue to contribute much to the success of the department.

At the end of the Lent Term, two Lower Sixth Music Scholars were busy with two large-scale musical events. Together with OV, Aaron Prewer-Jenkinson in the title role, Michael Burgess and Amy Heptinstall had solo roles in Opera Worcester’s fully-

staged production of The Marriage of Figaro at the Swan Theatre. Both gave excellent performances in an entertaining production. A few days later they had very different solo roles in the Malvern Festival Chorus’s performance of Handel’s Messiah at Malvern Priory. They both won a competition organised by the chorus to find local young voices and sang a number of the solos alongside the highly acclaimed professional tenor, James Oxley. As part of their prize they had some excellent private coaching from James.

The music department is beginning to develop relationships with local orchestras. At the beginning of the summer term, in collaboration with The Orchestra of the Swan, the UR GCSE music class had a visit from two Latin American performers, Lucia and Pedro, who gave an outline of the characteristics of the music and played some examples on piano and guitar.

Having collaborated on the trumpet masterclass with the ESO at the start of the year, they returned in the summer holidays to hold their Junior and Senior Orchestral Workshops in College Hall which included numerous King’s pupils, including U6th pupil, Harry Jackson, who helped coach the percussionists.

In the last week of August, Michael Burgess, together with OV Charlie Pollard, took part in the Millennium Youth Choir residential course at Salisbury. This included a live broadcast of Choral Evensong on Radio 3. A special moment was the first ever performance of the introit, Morning Thoughts, composed

by OV Matthew Kelley specifically for this service.

The music department is continuing to develop its social media presence. Soundcloud is now well established (King’s Worcester Music) with 400 tracks from concerts and open mic nights which have been listened to over 30,000 times. The Venice Music Tour was the first opportunity to tweet on our new page - @KSWMusicSchool. There are some 365º videos of some of this summer’s Open Mic Night in the gardens available on You Tube by searching for King’s Worcester Music Department.

Simon Taranczuk

VENICE MUSIC TOUR

On Friday 16th February, we set off from school at 2am to fly to Venice Marco Polo Airport from Heathrow. We stayed in a place called Lido di Jesolo near the beach. I had an absolutely amazing time not just sightseeing and shopping but singing in some beautiful churches and one of the most famous basilicas in the world. On the first day, despite the fact that they had had very little sleep the previous night, about half the group went to the opera in Teatro la Fenice to watch “Il Barbiere di Siviglia”. The show was amazing and everybody that went had a great time.

I stayed and had my first meal in the hotel and explored Lido di Jesolo on foot.

The next day, we departed for Verona. We visited the massive, ancient Arena di Verona, which was wonderful. There were gladiators (dressed up actors!) standing outside the Roman amphitheatre where my friends and I had a photo. After spending the morning in the amphitheatre, we went and had huge pizzas in a very nice restaurant adjacent to the arena. We went to visit Juliet’s balcony, a very busy tourist attraction, and went shopping!

Later that afternoon, we arrived in Padua where we were going to perform our first concert and take part in our first mass at Chiesa Santa Sofia. We had some free time to visit the town and then headed back to set up. After participating in mass where we sang, we then performed a special rendition of Rat-a-plan in the concert along with Dormi Jesu and O sacrum Convivium. Here,

the Chamber Orchestra also performed and so did the Keys choir and the vocal quartet who were all very good.

On Sunday, we arrived in rainy, wind-swept Venice for the first time where we were going to perform mass at midday. We had some free time when we arrived in St Mark’s Square where I met up with my parents before they came to watch us sing in the service! The interior of the building was spectacular. It was just like a sea of gold! We performed well and the acoustics of the building made the choir sound even better. We had more free time later on. My friends and I went back to my parents’ hotel and then we went to Rialto Bridge and the Fondaco Tedeschi shopping centre.

On our penultimate day, we went back to Venice and visited the Doge’s Palace, which was outstanding! We went up the bell tower in St Mark’s Square where there were amazing views of the whole city. We made our way to the next concert venue, Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli, which was atmospheric, but extremely cold. Finding the ferry to take us back to the hotel was a challenge, but eventually we returned and Mr Hill did a brilliant job at hosting the Venice Tour Awards!

The next day on the 20th February, we travelled home after a very successful, music-filled and fun tour. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and it was nice to know that hundreds of other people have been and will go into a place where we have sung together as a choir.

Felicity Quiney, Upper Remove

THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT Please complete and return this Application Form to: Mrs Vickie Peckston, Registrar, The King’s School, 5 College Green, Worcester WR1 2LL. Please ensure the form will be received before the closing date and that the candidate will be available to attend the Music Scholarship Assessment on the date advertised.

CANDIDATE DETAILS Forename(s):

Surname:

Known as:

Date of birth:

Age at entry:

Proposed date of entry (e.g. 09 / 2016):

Address (including postcode):

Name and address of current school: Name and address of current music teacher: We will contact the music teacher for a reference - please advise the teacher to expect this.

If your child has more than one teacher, please continue overleaf.

INSTRUMENT DETAILS First instrument:

Grade achieved:

Pieces to be played: 1

2

Is an accompanist required? YES / NO The candidate is welcome to audition with a second instrument; if doing so, only one piece of music will be needed.

Second instrument:

Grade achieved:

Piece to be played:

Is an accompanist required? YES / NO

PARENT/GUARDIAN DETAILS PARENT/GUARDIAN 1

PARENT/GUARDIAN 2 (if applicable)

Full name:

Full name:

Relationship to child:

Relationship to child:

Address (if different to above):

Address (if different to above):

Contact telephone number:

Contact telephone number:

E-mail:

E-mail:

Please consider my child for a Music Scholarship.

Please consider my child for a Music Scholarship.

Signed:

Signed:

Date:

Date:

Offers of Music Scholarships are limited and subject to availability. Any candidate offered a Music Scholarship shall be subject to the admission requirements of the School at the time the offer is made. A copy of the current Terms and Conditions for admission to the school will be supplied on request.

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www.ksw.org.uk The King’s School Worcester 5 College Green Worcester WR1 2LL t: 01905 721700 e: info@ksw.org.

The King’s School, Worcester: A company limited by guarantee, registered in England.

Registered office: 5 College Green, Worcester WR1 2LL. Company No: 4776324. Registered charity No: 1098236.

The information, terms and conditions set out in this prospectus and all occasional papers may be amended from time to time, and their provisions, subject to any such amendments, shall continue to apply for the whole period during which a boy or girl continues to attend the School, irrespective of his or her age.

Confidence in a changing world