What’s New on the Park Pianos on the Park
Summer Developments
The activity didn’t stop on the Park during the Summer Holiday, as builders, designers and decorators set to work across the School. Old School Reception, the Cadbury Room, the Parents’ Meeting Room and the Library all had an overhaul, as a touch of paint, new carpet and a change in furniture and décor of each room bought new life to the building. School House also underwent renovation, with improvements made throughout the boarding facilities.
It is not every day that nineteen brand new Yamaha pianos get delivered to your school, but that is exactly what happened at the start of this term. The delivery of the pianos, including three Grand pianos, one a nine foot Concert Grand, and sixteen uprights, signals the start of an exciting and mutually beneficial partnership between Leighton Park and Yamaha, under their Music Education Partner Programme. The pianos were assembled on the front lawn of Old School which provided a fantastic opportunity for students, who came in especially to welcome the pianos onto the Park, to play them all together. Head, Nigel Williams commented “This is such a wonderful opportunity for all our students, to have access to these beautiful instruments which will become an integral part in the musical life of the school and the wider community.” David Halford, Yamaha Europe’s Business Development Manager for the Music Education Partner Programme, who was also there on the day to see the safe arrival and installation of the pianos explained “We are delighted that Leighton Park School has
joined our Partnership Programme and we hope to add to the already excellent music provision of the school by providing the students with access to an exceptional range of varied activities and experiences which will significantly enhance not only their individual experiences, but also the musical life of the school.” The CFX Grand Concert Piano, which is the first to be purchased by an educational institution in the UK, was personally selected at Yamaha’s European HQ in Hamburg in June by Rosemary Scales (Director of Music), with the assistance of Julian Joseph, the globally acclaimed virtuoso pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger and broadcaster. Julian Joseph commented
“I was thrilled to be invited to help the school select the pianos that best suited the demanding and varied musical settings of their musical education curriculum; inspiring school, inspiring teaching and now inspiring instruments.” 4
Meanwhile in the David Linday Centre, DL1 was transformed into a fullyequipped Food Technology Facility. Brand new appliances and workstations, including some high-tech Panasonic cookers, were installed and tested ready for the start of the Autumn Term. It wasn’t long before the rooms were being used, as a Year 9 class set out to cook some pizzas. Emily MacKenzie, who made a Hawaiian Pizza, said “I really enjoyed kneading the dough…” while Jo Morea commented “It tastes surprisingly good considering I cooked it.” Another new introduction to the David Linday Centre included a brand-new Laser Engraver which took its place in our Design Technology Room. The engraver had its work cut out for it on our Annual Open Morning, as 180 Leighton Park rulers were engraved for students and visiting families. Later on in the term the film and media arts curriculum was boosted by the delivery of four specialised video cameras and associated accessories courtesy of the David Lean Foundation.
News LP’s Got Talent
Leighton Park’s signature talent show saw a revival on 27th November, as students took to the stage to demonstrate their skills. This event was organised by Leighton Park School’s charity group, Amicus, to raise money for the Mustard Seed Project, a small UK charity working in Kenya to help bring people out of poverty by providing them with education and skills to improve their way of life. Students were tasked with creating three performances per House; Dancing, Comedy, and ‘Other’. Each act was limited to five minutes with points deducted for exceeding the allocated time. The evening included everything from impressive dancing and entertaining comedy acts to a revolting eating challenge and a surreal re-enactment of the Lion King. Congratulations to Grove House, who came away victorious, and also massive congratulations to all participants who demonstrated some impressive (and often ridiculous) talents.
A Trip to the West End Boarders Feeling Festive at Christmas Market On Wednesday 17th September I was able to join A/AS Level theatre and music students to go see Miss Saigon. Miss Saigon, as a whole, is a very good musical and I think the Prince Edward Theatre portrayed it well. Going to London with the other students was really fun and energetic, even at midnight! Since this was my first time seeing a West End production, I did not know what to expect. I have been to my fair share of Broadway productions, but this was nothing like that; it was a good kind of different. It was not crowded like Broadway, or flooded with tons on tourists’ attractions either! Overall, I was really pleased with the experience and I’m looking forward to seeing another production on the West End. Lillie Sokolski, Lower Sixth
Boarders were getting into the festive spirit during one of their weekend activities as they paid a visit to Winchester’s Christmas Market this term. It was nice to get into the holiday spirit, see a different town and enjoy this time of year! It was very crowded with people shopping everywhere. There were cute mini-houses set up and people were buying lots of gifts for loved ones. The centre of the market had an ice rink and many people were skating. The atmosphere was exciting and it was interesting to see all the stalls and crafts on offer.
It was really interesting to see an English Christmas market, coming from Germany where we have so many. When you go to the German Christmas markets you hear lots of loud music playing, but in Winchester the sound was much quieter and it was the sounds of people that filled the air. There were lots of sweet mini houses which were stalls selling crafts and Christmas food and drink, and you could buy Christmas presents. Many people were wearing Christmas jumpers and you could see children playing on the ice rink. It was a nice trip to go on and I think this helps you to get in the Christmas mood!
Shanaya Khan, Pre-Sixth
Philina Bauschke, Pre-Sixth
5