Music round-up - May 2023

This term, the Music Department has been helping the children prepare for the one and only Inter-Patrol Music Competition. Lucky parents, pupils and staff witnessed 304 performances from pupils in Year 3-8 across the day, on 22 different instruments from the ukulele to the tuba, not to mention the wonderful solo singing performances.

It was great to see friends supporting friends as they took to the stage in what can be, for some, a daunting experience. The standard of playing across the day was high, with pupils evidently putting in the practice and giving it their all. Once again, the much-anticipated Open Class, featuring our top musicians from across the year groups was hotly contested, with some truly inspirational performances. The winner of this class, named Westbourne Musician of the Year, was Tuba player Joe, who gave a spirited performance of Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm, demonstrating how nimble this unusual instrument can sound in the right hands! Other notable performances in this class came from Alexis with Granados’s Valse Poetico on piano securing her second place, Squire’s Tarantella performed by Hazel on the cello, and flautist Hebe with Gossec’s Tambourin.

We welcomed as our adjudicators Philip Dukes (Artistic Director at Marlborough College), Lucy Cronin (a freelance soprano) and several members of our own peripatetic and music staff: Jo Lewis, Julie Twite and Rob Westwood, all of whom gave the children helpful and constructive feedback. In his closing remarks, Mr Dukes commented that music at Westbourne House is clearly in ‘truly great shape’, adding that he had had a wonderful day listening to so many accomplished performances. High praise indeed!

A few days later it was our Year 3's chance to take to the stage in their production of The Jungle Book. Director of Music Mr Dichmont worked with the Year 3s to learn a lot of lines and songs since the start of term, and it sounded and looked amazing. Congratulations to all involved in this colourful production!

The other notable event this half term was a visit from internationally-renowned double bassist Leon Bosch, a friend of Mr Dichmont, who performed three wonderful pieces and spoke to the school about his upbringing in South Africa, his treatment as a man of colour during apartheid and how he defied the odds to become one of the world’s most successful classical musicians. His success was partly thanks to his parents belief in education and of course his determination and focus with eight hours of practise a day once he was lucky enough to be able to study music at university.  A truly inspirational speaker!