Lines and Spaces, Autumn 2020

Lines & Spaces Notes from St Mary’s Music School

Issue 1

Autumn 2020

Handing on the baton Looking back… and looking forward Lessons learned during lockdown Sharing exceptional musical experiences Any plans for the weekend? … and more! i

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Contents Handing on the baton

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Greta (Head of School 2019/20) and Eve (Head of School 2020/21) say goodbye and hello as the new term begins

Looking back... and looking forward

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A round up of stories, news and events from the school year, including our 2019/20 leavers’ destinations

Lessons learned in lockdown

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Find out how we rose to the challenge of teaching, learning and performing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Celebrity Six Series

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Introducing the world-class musicians who shared their expertise with our young musicians

All under one roof

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Life at St Mary’s Music School - maths wizardry, EcoSchool ambitions, perspectives from a chorister’s parents and why boarders are never late for school!

Sharing exceptional musical experiences

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How philanthropy and fundraising help us to open up access to excellence

Any plans for the weekend?

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Parents and children explain why they love coming to school at the weekend for our Friday and Saturday Music Classes

The Seven Hills Project

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As we look forward to the School’s 50th anniversary celebrations during 2022/23, we’re planning our most ambitious musical project to date!

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We present concerts and events throughout the year that are open to the public, as well as to our own pupil, parent, staff and alumni community. To keep up to date with everything that’s happening at St Mary’s Music School during 2020/21 – including concerts, masterclasses, open days, auditions and advisory auditions – please visit www.stmarysmusicschool.co.uk/sign-up and register to receive our regular e-newsletter!

Greta and Eve, Heads of School 2019/20 and 2020/21

Handing on the baton

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I am really grateful to have had the privilege of being a pupil at St Mary’s Music School and I’d like to thank all the academic staff for their infinite patience – you showed care and interest, you understood and supported us. I would like to thank the boarding house team for making us feel at home, the kitchen staff for being open to our suggestions and everyone in the school office. I would also like to thank the pupils, especially Momo and Phoebe, my great deputies. Finally, I’d like to thank all the music and instrumental teachers for being an incredible inspiration to us all – I really don’t know enough words to express how grateful we are!

We often talk about supporting each other and I think it’s fundamental to understand that everyone comes from a different past. The way you play your instrument doesn’t define you as a person – you are not here to judge or be judged. You are here to learn and grow, as a musician and as a person.

You shouldn’t be afraid of being fragile, because that makes you resilient. Don’t let disappointment indelibly mark you, but use it to become the person you want to be. Kindness is a true gift. Being a nice person takes effort and energy, everyday, so keep fighting. Fight for your rights and fight even more for other people’s rights. Be curious, be critical, be inclined to listen to opinions – especially if they contrast to your own. Be more than the amazing musician you already are.

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St Mary’s Music School is a big small family. I owe a lot to this school… I owe my future to it.

Greta

I joined St Mary’s Music School in S1 to study jazz saxophone and composition. When I first moved to Edinburgh, it was to a flat overlooking the School and I could hear music coming from the building every day. It’s funny looking back – I never thought I would end up as Head of School of such a fantastic place!

Throughout the year, with deputies Lachlan and Sophie, we are going to focus on wellbeing, raising awareness of both physical and mental health. I’m hoping to promote the benefits of exercise and how it can help with our wellbeing – it’s something I’m passionate about and I feel will benefit everyone.

We also thought it would be nice to bring the juniors and seniors together more so we plan to implement a buddy system to give each junior a senior to look up to and develop a friendship with. And we’re going to continue Greta’s work on raising awareness of climate change, looking at how we can contribute by being as eco-friendly as possible – as a school and as individuals.

St Mary’s might be a small school, but there’s certainly a lot going on. Almost every week, Mr Stubbings organises a trip to an ‘unmissable concert’ and Dr Taylor takes pupils out running – rain, wind or shine – he definitely understands the benefits of exercise! The school is a really supportive environment where we can progress in our music as well as our academic studies. We receive incredible opportunities that I feel are unique to the School and the teachers are always willing to dedicate time to helping and inspiring us.

Eve

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As Greta (Head of School 2019/20) hands over to Eve (Head of School 2020/21), they share their thoughts on St Mary’s Music School, their aspirations for the future and their belief in the inspiring environment of this very special ‘big small’ school.

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Looking back...

Performing the première of Gwilym Simcock's 'Union Overture and Celebration'

From the choir stalls In November 2019, the Choir of St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral released a CD of Kenneth Leighton’s Sacred Choral Works, recorded by Delphian Records, to mark the 90th anniversary of the composer’s birth.

Excellent reviews included The Herald commending Nora Trew-Rae and Olivia Massimo as ‘fine young female soloists’. Well done girls! Earlier this year, the choristers were due to join forces with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in a performance of Bach’s St John Passion. Sadly, this was postponed due to lockdown but we’re committed to forging evercloser links with the SCO and will reschedule once restrictions are lifted. Watch this space!

Celebrating 40 years of the Music and Dance Scheme Only five specialist music schools in the UK are funded by the government and offer up to 100% bursary support to access the finest music training.

Each of these schools, of which St Mary’s Music School is one, belongs to the Music and Dance Scheme (MDS) established in 1981. To celebrate 40 years of championing excellence in music education, all five schools came together over the summer in a unique collaborative project.

From their homes around the world, around 80 young musicians, aged between 15 and 18, recorded their own individual parts of a new piece, Union Overture and Celebration, written especially by critically acclaimed pianist and composer Gwilym Simock – a graduate of the MDS funding system himself, having studied at Chetham’s School of Music. Kimberley, Phoebe, Greta, Emma, Audrey, Momo, Daisy, Ruari, Layla, Cliodhna and Sofia all took part and the piece was broadcast for the first time at 10am on Wednesday 19th August, simultaneously launching on the YouTube channels of all five schools; the piece was also featured on the BBC Radio programme, Classics Unwrapped on 31st August.

CD cover

Directors’ Recital Prize goes digital Our partnership with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra has shared values of performance excellence and engagement at its heart and we were delighted when they stepped in to produce our first online concert, the Directors’ Recital Prize 2020. The judging panel of Jo Buckley (CEO, Dunedin Consort and a Director of St Mary’s Music School), Alistair Mackie (CEO, RSNO and a former pupil of the School) and Peter Whelan (Artistic Director, Ensemble Marsyas and the Irish Baroque Orchestra) selected the two winners – flautist Cliodhna (16, Scotland) and accordionist Sofia (18, Spain) – in a programme which went out as a live broadcast on YouTube. You can see the full broadcast on the School’s YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/StMarysMusicSchoolScotland

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Masterclass with Adam Walker (flute)

Sharing musical expertise Every year, masterclasses provide our pupils with amazing opportunities to work with some of the most highly regarded musicians in the world and also allow us to share the musical expertise that comes through our doors with teachers and young musicians the length and breadth of Scotland. During 2019/20 (before lockdown!) we held a flute masterclass with Adam Walker (Principal Flute with the London Symphony Orchestra), a viola masterclass with Lawrence Power, a Strings Day with the Maxwell Quartet and the Nigel Murray Masterclass with cellist, Nicolas Altstaedt. Five of our first-study pianists, getting ready to leave school in the summer, took part in a virtual masterclass with Danny Driver (piano) and, over the course of the year, we ran lectures and workshops with Michael Kanan ( jazz), Ashley Wass (piano), Nic Pendlebury (viola), Steven Osborne (piano), Allan Neave (guitar) and Dr Gareth Williams (composition) – Gareth is Chancellor’s Fellow at the Reid School of Music and was the judge of the School's Isobel Dunlop Prize for Composition.

Masterclass with Adam Walker (flute)

Nigel Murray Masterclass with Nicolas Altstaedt (cello)

Strings Day with Duncan Strachan (former pupil) of the Maxwell Quartet

Virtual masterclass with Danny Driver (piano)

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... and looking forward School Choir, directed by Paul Stubbings, Director of Music

A new string to our bow This term, we’re delighted to welcome Dr Valerie Pearson as our new Head of Strings.Valerie joins us from the University of York and her background combines performance, composition and teaching.

Valerie studied violin with Diana Cummings at the Royal Academy of Music during her undergraduate music degree at King’s College London and says Diana’s teaching gave her a deep understanding of the physiology of playing, which completely transformed her relationship with the violin and had a huge influence on her own teaching. Her interest in modern music – and in the relationship between performer, composer and audience – formed the basis of her doctoral research at the University of York, where she also developed ways of combining performance and composition through improvisation.

With a wealth of experience as a teacher, Valerie’s skills range from starting off three-year-old Suzuki violinists to leading university projects and teaching at international summer music schools. While completing her PhD at the University of York, she began building a private teaching practice that became highly successful and widely sought after. She also created a close network of confident young players through extra group activities, chamber music and concerts, and enjoyed supporting them in their successes in national competitions as well as through National Children’s Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra and conservatoire auditions. Valerie is excited about her plans for the String Faculty, Junior Music and our Outreach and Engagement Programme – as are we.

Welcome to the St Mary's Music School family!

Dr Valerie Pearson, Head of Strings

Onwards and upwards…

Congratulations to all our 2019/20 final year leavers as they begin the next step of their education!

We're delighted to reveal their destinations and chosen subjects...

St Chad’s College, University of Durham University of St Andrews Christ Church College, University of Oxford Royal College of Music Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Royal Northern College of Music King's College, University of Cambridge Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Royal Northern College of Music Trinity College, University of Cambridge Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge St Hilda's College, University of Oxford Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

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(Music) (Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry) (Music) (Violin) (Guitar) (Violin) (Music) (Piano) (Harpsichord) (Piano) (Mathematics) (Accordion) (Music) (Music – deferred place) (Cello)

The String Academy conducted by Gordon Bragg, Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Building on success with the SCO Youth Academy As our outreach projects develop, more and more young musicians across Scotland are able to access excellence in developing their music skills and talent. In spring 2019 we were delighted to launch the SCO String Academy in partnership with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra – an opportunity for young musicians to experience ensemble playing and learn from the musicians of the SCO over a series of Sunday afternoons.

Due to its overwhelming success, we followed this with a further String Academy in winter 2019 and a Wind Academy in spring 2020. Now, by popular demand, we can announce that the SCO Youth Academy, a new youth orchestra for school-aged musicians, will begin as soon as current restrictions are lifted. Directed

by SCO’s Gordon Bragg, St Mary’s Music School pupils will, once again, serve as peer mentors, helping to provide support and encouragement for other young players.

Young string and wind players from schools throughout Scotland enjoying our Sunday String and Wind Academies

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Lessons learned in lockdown

Online prize-giving with pupils and staff

It was a case of intensive teamwork, agile thinking and swift action as we faced the challenges of lockdown earlier this year.

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As soon as full lockdown looked set to become

a reality, the School went into planning mode and it was all hands to the pump to provide pupils with material to take home, assess IT needs and investigate new platforms for delivering academic and music teaching. As we pulled out the stops to ensure pupils could return home safely – whether ‘home’ was the Scottish Highlands, Germany or Spain – it was with a degree of sadness, particularly for those final year pupils missing their last weeks at St Mary’s Music School, their exams and of course the much anticipated end-of-term round of concerts, competitions and prize-giving.

The Easter holidays saw a frenzy of activity as the Assistant Director of Music developed online versions of music activities (including Aural Classes for the entire summer term), put in place ways to stage performance classes using Microsoft Teams and Zoom and developed a series of online presentations for the whole school to use during Performance Practice.

Fully online and ready to go!

By the start of the summer term, we were ready to go fully online and, from April onwards, delivered weekly pre-recorded assemblies from myself and guests, transmitted lunchtime concerts by staff and distributed our regular Footnotes newsletter to pupils. Music staff switched to Zoom for one-to-one lessons or opted for a submission-based system, while academic staff introduced Microsoft Teams for each subject to support lessons, group-working and pupil discussions.

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Throughout this very different summer term, we invited and incorporated feedback from parents, pupils and staff into our online delivery, and the new, virtual world of St Mary’s Music School was as busy as ever.

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Dr Kenneth Taylor, Headteacher

As staff began to use chatrooms to share ideas and technical tips, we discovered – conversely – that this new way of working often brought people into more regular contact. Throughout this very different summer term, we invited and incorporated feedback from parents, pupils and staff into our online delivery, and the new, virtual world of St Mary’s Music School was as busy as ever. I was delighted to be asked to participate in two online seminars, conducted by the Music Education Partnership Group, where I was able to share the School’s new-found knowledge and experience of delivering online learning with over 300 teachers.

Welcoming a new virtual environment We transferred our audition process to an online environment, allowing us to continue welcoming applicants from the UK and further afield, and we conducted advisory and live auditions this way too.

Even our two-day ‘stays’ saw applicants buddy up with pupils and participate fully in online academic and music classes. Parents’ meetings and prizegiving became virtual events with pupils and staff tuning in from around the world. Sadly, we did make the decision to cancel our Strings Summer School but we delivered our Piano Summer School in an online setting and welcomed young pianists from Hong Kong, Dubai and the UK. The five-day course included interactive sessions, one-to-one lessons and performance classes, as well as superb masterclasses from internationally renowned pianists, Danny Driver and Steven Osborne.

So what have we learned?

Remarkably, yet perhaps unsurprisingly given the commitment and dedication of our school community, we were able to support our pupils with a near-full curriculum of music and academic subjects and one-toone music teaching. In practice, as we return to face-to-face lessons, we hope that means less of a bridge to cross to bring every pupil up to where they need to be in their learning. Moving forward, we’ll take these experiences into developing new ways of learning. We look forward to sharing workshop materials with a wider audience of young musicians outside of Edinburgh; using online channels, we’re opening our doors more widely, nationally and internationally, giving more young musicians a taste of life at a specialist music school.

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Celebrity Six Series Exposure to world-class musicians is a core element of our teaching at St Mary’s Music School – it inspires our pupils and helps them improve their technique and musicality. We were delighted to begin the autumn term with a series of ‘artists at home’ conversations with some of today’s most outstanding musicians.

We invited six musicians to share insight into the music industry and provide help and advice to our young people as they prepare for life as professional musicians. These exciting online exchanges were open to our alumni and supporters, as well as our pupils and staff.

4th September

Angela Hewitt (piano)

18th September

Rachel Podger (baroque violin)

2nd October

Tommy Smith (saxophone)

11th September

Gautier Capuçon (cello)

25th September

Lorenza Borrani (violin and directing)

9th October

Lorna McGhee (flute)

© artist imagery: Bernd Eberle, Jamie Beck, Theresa Pewal, Piear Mungiguerra, Takuyuki Saito.

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All under one roof Fraser playing in the orchestra

Gardening Club activities

Celebrating the joy of Maths

Eco ambitions

Although a specialist music school, we support our pupils with a wide-ranging education, ensuring their choices remain open, and Maths is a subject that’s definitely alive and kicking here!

Climate change and environmental responsibility have always been high on the School’s agenda and the EcoSchool club is looking forward to a busy year ahead.

Here’s what Mrs Holm has to say:

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Pupils are involved in numerous extra-curricular activities to stretch their thinking, from the Scottish Maths Challenge, the Enterprising Maths Challenge, the UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT) Team Challenge and the follow-on British Maths Olympiad and Royal Institution Mathematics Masterclasses. In 2019/20, for the first time, the School’s Maths department extended its offering to include National 4 Applications of Mathematics and Advanced Higher Mathematics of Mechanics (in conjunction with St George’s School for Girls). Assessments were verified by the SQA and the report noted ‘exemplary practice’.

One pupil who has been at the forefront of every UKMT challenge in the past seven years is Fraser, heading off to Trinity College, Cambridge, this year to study…

Mathematics. As well as being a superb pianist, Maths has always been Fraser’s passion and he achieved a Distinction in the first round of the British Mathematical Olympiad 2019/20 and was invited to sit the second (and final) round paper, achieving a Distinction again. A phenomenal result and a marvellous end to a hugely impressive seven years of UKMT competition participation! We wish Fraser well at Cambridge.

To keep our Green Flag awarded by ‘Beautiful Scotland’ we create an action plan each academic year with three main topics based on sustainable development goals. Our focus for 2020/21 will be on litter, food and environment, and energy. As a school community we are doing really good work to reduce litter and, if possible, we’ll organise a litter pick up outside of school as we have done in the past on Portobello Beach. This time we’ll work with St Mary’s Cathedral to do a litter pick on the Cathedral grounds. A big part of reducing litter is disposing of waste correctly and we’ll keep auditing our recycle bins and updating the school community on the best way to recycle. In 2019, we successfully created Christmas crackers from recycled materials and would like to do this again in 2020, perhaps with even more recycled items.

Climate change is an important topic that we will keep addressing, as a school and as individuals. Planned activities include participating in WWF’s Earth Hour, publishing a newsletter, organising an awareness and fundraising event, growing our own herbs and vegetables, taking part in the RSPB bird watch and more! We’re working with the kitchen staff to keep improving and promoting healthy and sustainable eating and our new S2 year group has started designing a planting schedule for the school garden, with some great new ideas - these will be judged by an experienced panel, including horticulturist Tony Garn.

Over the years we have worked on reducing our energy use and we will keep doing this with a focus on some areas in the school, like certain practice rooms, where we believe improvement can be made. Finally, it’s important to keep ourselves healthy too and, throughout the year, activities like running club will continue with Dr Taylor and Ms Findlay. If possible sports day will be combined with an eco picnic and we are looking into organising cycle training with Ms Ulferts, a certified trainer.

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Fraser with his teacher Mr Beauchamp

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Christmas lunch with eco-crackers!

Jake singing with the Choir of St Mary's Cathedral

Neil and Lachlan in a twin boarding room

Perspectives from the parents of a chorister

Thoughts on being a boarder

Why did you consider a chorister place for Jake?

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Tracey: “Jake has always been musical – he was singing before he was speaking – and we had a wonderful teacher locally. We went to the Cathedral when Jake was about seven and he said he’d love to sing there one day but we didn’t know about St Mary’s Music School until a couple of years later. When he auditioned, he fell in love with the School – jazz coming from one room, classical from another – and we really took the lead from him. It’s like a dream come true for him.”

How would you describe the commitment as a parent?

Richard: “I work in Edinburgh and Jake’s hours are the same as mine but Jake’s sister Emily is very involved in gymnastics – that’s her first love – so we rotate around them.”

Tracey: “We’re either at the gym, at the School or at the Cathedral most of our lives – going backwards and forwards like taxi drivers!”

Richard: “But there’s no resentment. I think we’re both pretty good at fitting other stuff around it and it’s so worthwhile because they get so much out of it.”

Are there any challenges in combining singing and academic work?

My favourite part is literally just getting up and walking down the stairs to school! Not having to travel is great – I used to spend at least an hour on buses and trains so now there’s no stress before school because you’re already there. It’s very, very difficult to be late. The rooms are good and you get an en-suite bathroom, which is cool.

There’s enough space for each person and you have to keep it tidy for the cleaners who go in every day. There are always people around who you can go and meet or go out if you want to – it’s a nice balance. It’s pretty chilled at the weekend. You’d expect it to be quiet – at least I did when I first came here – but I figured out pretty quickly that wasn’t the case! You wake up on a Saturday morning and hear children making a noise in the courtyard beneath you from the Saturday Music Classes.

The boarding house team are great – there’s normally two people on duty at any given time – they are really fair and they’re there to talk to and help you out. There’s all different ages in the boarding house and everyone is mixed in together so people do get on – younger and older – there’s not any definite split in ages really. In the evenings, the school organises loads of really great concerts around Edinburgh and stuff to go to – soloists are always coming to the Usher Hall and I get to go and see them. It’s really good.

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We often talk about what it’s like to be a chorister, but what’s it like to be a chorister’s parent? We asked Tracey and Richard, whose 11-year-old son, Jake, joined the Choir in 2018.

Around half of the instrumental pupils at St Mary’s Music School board with us during term time on a weekly or fulltime basis. Neil (S6) gives us the lowdown.

Richard: “Jake loves the academic work and all the different topics – he stayed on top of his work over lockdown and never complained – he really enjoyed it. He loves the small classes. The biggest challenge is the lead up to exams – Jake puts a lot of pressure on himself to do well and takes being a Chorister very seriously – but the School is very good at getting the balance right, taking both sets of needs into consideration.”

What would you say to other parents considering the Choir?

Tracey: “It really depends on the child – they need to have a certain personality to make the most of the School and the Cathedral. They need to be dedicated and enjoy standing up and performing – it’s not about showing off though, it’s a certain type of confidence. There are massive opportunities to develop musicianship and it’s a wonderful environment – the Cathedral offers the best type of musical training for sight-singing that you’ll get anywhere.”

Eve and Neil perfoming at the SQA Star Awards Ceremony

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Sharing exceptional musical experiences As Scotland’s national music school, we have a responsibility to contribute to the whole fabric of music-making in this country. The activities through which we achieve this are made possible by philanthropic support from a range of donors, including our Honorary Vice President, Gavin Gemmell, CBE, who supports the Edinburgh Masterclass Series, which has introduced some of the world’s leading performers to teachers and pupils across Scotland.

The String and Wind Academies, and now the SCO Youth Academy, which we deliver in partnership with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra also ensure that we reach out to as many aspiring young musicians as possible, involving them in the joy of music-making with St Mary’s Music School.

Introducing the Seven Hills Project Our most ambitious community project to date is now in development and takes its inspiration from Edinburgh’s distinctive landscape. The Seven Hills Project will be a series of seven short chamber music works commissioned from seven composers with strong connections to Scotland and the School. Over 2021 – 2023 these new works will reach the widest possible community through composition workshops in schools and other venues in Edinburgh and further afield. When the seven new works are ultimately published, this will create an exciting new chamber music resource for the nation. To find out more about how you can support the Project, please turn to the inside back cover.

By means of industry and perseverance, you will rise higher and higher.

Robert Schumann

Iain Burnside and Roderick Williams, guest artists at The Portfolio Pianist

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Celebrating the arrival of our Steinway Model B

Welcoming a grand investment!

Sharing responsibility for fundraising

We aim to provide the best possible facilities and equipment for our pupils, staff and visiting performers and it was with great excitement that we welcomed a new Steinway Model B Grand Piano, in January 2019, an investment made possible by a special fundraising initiative led by Director and parent of a former pupil, Kat Heathcote.

We have an ongoing need and responsibility to raise funds to enable us to make appropriate investments in facilities and equipment, and to allow us to share our music-making as widely as possible through events, workshops, masterclasses and outreach activities. We welcome ideas and contributions – large and small – from everyone with a love of music and a connection to the School and we are always delighted to discuss any ways in which you might like to make a gift to St Mary’s Music School.

With the arrival of this much-needed instrument in the School Chapel, we turned our attention to the fleet of 37 keyboard instruments we have in constant use and realised that ten of our upright rehearsal pianos required urgent replacement.

Ahead of the All Steinway School Appeal that we intended to launch at the Spring Concert in March 2020 (postponed due to the pandemic) we received the unexpected (and extremely welcome!) gift of a Steinway Boston upright piano from the Witherby’s Publishing Group Charitable Trust at the Christmas Concert in 2019. The need for new rehearsal pianos had already begun to reach our supporters, and just before lockdown, we were absolutely thrilled when Sally May and Robin Angus provided funds to purchase a Boston Upright in memory of their mother, Sally Angus.

If you would like to help us raise the funds to purchase one of the remaining eight upright pianos we need or make an unrestricted gift so that your donation can be used where it is needed most, then please contact the Advancement Office by email to discuss your ideas at: advancement@st-marys-music-school.co.uk

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Any plans for the weekend?

It's never to early to learn!

Every term, around 150 children aged between 4 and 12 years come to St Mary’s Music School on a Friday afternoon or Saturday morning to learn new musical skills and improve existing ones in a fun and informal environment that’s rooted in expertise. Before lockdown (autumn classes are currently online until restrictions are lifted) we asked parents and children why they love coming to school at the weekend and how they’d describe the classes in three words!

friendly

interesting extraordinary

“I first came to St Mary’s Music School when I was four years old. I started with Kodály and I’ve been doing choir, guitar and theory since. It’s all fun in different ways and you know you’ll have a chat first and then get to sing with your friends. In theory you get to work away at your book and learn more about music - how rhythms work and how different parts of music work - and that’s really interesting. I always get that warm feeling when I wake up on a Saturday – like “Yeah! It’s Saturday Music Classes today!”

Amelia (11) “I think music is important for children because it’s part of the picture of their life. Learning music is good brain exercise! You learn to make different sorts of connections that you can apply to other fields later in life. Music is fun. From an early age, because of Kodály, Amelia could sing a tune and keep a rhythm and she had an appreciation of music too. It’s been good for her confidence – meeting people outside of her normal friendship group, working with them and hanging out with them – it’s good training for being broadly sociable and she’ll cope with high school all the better for it.”

Amelia’s dad, Martin “I’ve been coming to St Mary’s for three years now – you might play singing games, you might do clapping and you also learn about the notes as well.”

Ellie (11)

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caffeinated gregarious

fun

exciting

amazing

sociable

child-centred professional

“I think music switches on different parts of the brain and you can see the way that it transfers into English and into Maths, understanding patterns, understanding rhythms. It gives you confidence in learning something from the beginning and seeing that through. The teachers here are very good at making sure each child has their own voice.

It’s a very friendly environment, a very warm environment – everyone is welcome. People come from all over Edinburgh and beyond for Saturday Music Classes.”

Ellie’s dad, Roy “They make it fun because the teachers are mostly very funny and we get to do stuff that I really enjoy.”

Kirsty (7) “Children learn a lot through play and that’s very much the model at St Mary’s Music School. The preschool classes, for example, are so much fun and it’s just amazing how much the children take away from them – the movement and the songs – because it doesn’t feel like learning. I think it’s a great place to bring very young children to. I would really encourage parents to try it out and see what your child thinks – I bet they’ll have lots of fun.”

Kirsty’s mum, Victoria For more information about our Friday and Saturday Music Classes, please contact: smc@st-marys-music-school.co.uk

CELEBRATE THE SEVEN HILLS OF EDINBURGH

Although St Mary’s Music School was founded in 1880 to educate the choristers of St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, it was in 1972 that instrumentalists joined the pupil body, creating a fully rounded music school in the heart of Edinburgh. In anticipation of the School’s 50th anniversary year, which will be celebrated during the school year 2022/23, a major community engagement project to celebrate composition and creativity is planned – and the School needs your support!

Inspired by Edinburgh’s distinctive landscape, the theme of the project is the Seven Hills of Edinburgh and author, Alexander McCall Smith, has written a poem for each of the seven hills, which he has gifted to the School.

This extraordinary poetic contribution provides the compositional anchor for a series of seven short chamber music works commissioned from seven composers with strong connections to Scotland and the School.

These notable musicians are Helen Grime, Jay Capperauld, David Horne, Tom David Wilson, Simon Smith, Neil Tomas Smith and Ailie Robertson.

When the seven new works are ultimately published, this will create an exiting new chamber music resource – a gift from Scotland to the world.

Between 2021 and 2023, the School aims to engage with the widest possible community through performances of these seven new pieces by St Mary’s Music School pupils as well as through composition workshops in schools and other venues in Edinburgh and further afield. A major highlight of the anniversary year will be the premiere of a commemorative piece for orchestra and choir, written by Sir James MacMillan CBE. This will be performed by St Mary’s Music School pupils and alumni at the Usher Hall on Monday 26 June 2023.

In order to raise the £65,000 required to bring this project to fruition, a major fundraising campaign commenced on Sunday 30th August with Headteacher, Dr Kenneth Taylor, taking part in the Seven Hills Race. We warmly invite you to help us to reach our fundraising target for this special project to mark St Mary’s Music School’s 50th anniversary by making a donation at www.stmarysmusicschool.co.uk/support-us/the-seven-hills-project.

Royal High School Preservation Trust is a Scottish Guarantee Company under Company Number SC504433.Registered as a Scottish Charity under Scottish Charity Number SC045779.

St Mary’s Music School Trust Ltd is a Charity, Number SC01461. Registered in Scotland 54504. Registered Office: Coates Hall, 25 Grosvenor Crescent, Edinburgh EH12 5EL

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Exciting

Online Events SATURDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER 2020, 10AM TO 11.30AM TUESDAY 2020, 7PM tour TO of8.30PM Meet our pupils13TH and staff, take a virtual the School, find out what lessons are like and ask lots of questions.

SUNDAY 8TH NOVEMBER 2020, 10AM TO 11.30AM Virtual Open Days and Be a Chorister Days

Advisory Auditions

Find out whether you’ve got what it takes to be a pupil at St Mary’s Music School!

Seminars, Workshops and Q&A Sessions

From life as a boarder to financial support available - if you’ve got a question, we’ll have the answer.

Stay informed by checking out our admissions page on the School website (www.stmarysmusicschool.co.uk/admissions), follow us on social media or sign up to receive our regular e-newsletter (www.stmarysmusicschool.co.uk/sign-up). facebook.com/stmarysmusicschool

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St Mary’s Music School Trust Ltd. is a charity, number SC014611. Registered in Scotland 54504 Registered office: Coates Hall, 25 Grosvenor Crescent, Edinburgh EH12 5EL All images and text © St Mary’s Music School 2020 unless otherwise stated Design and production by Witherby Publishing Group Charitable Trust | Words by Allison Traynor Photography by Sally Jubb, Paul Raeburn, Colin Hattersley, Fiona Duncan