The Music Department is a vibrant and bubbling area of the school. Located well away from all other classrooms, it is ideally placed with good access to the Main Hall, our major performing area. There are two main teaching rooms (M1 and M2), a Music IT Suite containing 20 computers with attached keyboards running Sibelius software (M0), and six practise rooms, each containing a piano or keyboard.

There are currently four members of staff in the Music Department who oversee the running of all activities:

Mr P Stephenson - Director of Music
Mr G Bull - Music Teacher
Mrs E Foakes - Part time Music Teacher
Mrs E Parker - Music Technician

The Curriculum
Music is delivered within the curriculum to all students in Years 7 - 9 who each have one period of music a week (1 hour). There is usually a large uptake to study GCSE Music in year 10 and we therefore have two sets of about 20 students in each. GCSE students have five lessons over the two week period. AS/A2 Music is also delivered with class sizes ranging between 6 and 15 students. AS/A2 students have 9 lessons on Music over the two week period. Both GCSE and AS/A2 classes follow the EDEXCEL specification.

Extra-curricular activities
The department has a very busy extra-curricular timetable. Groups run include Junior and Senior Vocal Groups, Junior and Senior Chamber Choirs, Orchestra, Dixieland Jazz Band, Woodwind, String, Guitar and Brass Groups. These groups perform at two major concerts within the school calendar, (Celebration of Christmas and The Concert of Instrumental and Vocal Music) as well as at various other times, both within the community and in assemblies and special presentation evenings. The department also runs three chamber concerts within the year for solo and smaller ensemble performances. For many, the highlight of the year is the Charterstock Pop and Rock Concert, held in July of each year, where the school pop and rock bands get to perform. The department, along with the drama department, have a history of producing musicals of the highest quality. Recent productions include Bugsy Malone, Calamity Jane, Grease and in 2006, Westside Story. Many concert trips are run for all age ranges, from going to see musicals in the west end to performances by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall. To view the Music Diary for 2007/2008, please click here.

In 2005 the department ran its first Music Tour to Paris, where the 44 students performed three concerts across the city, as well as seeing all the sights. In the summer of 2007, 20 Music students visited South Africa where they went to work in our partner school, Hillgrove in Durban, as well as giving concerts in Cape Town.

Instrumental Lessons
We have 11 visiting peripatetic instrumental vocal teachers who teach the following instruments: violin, flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, cornet, drums, piano, keyboard, voice, electric guitar, bass guitar, acoustic guitar and music theory. Lessons are taught on a rolling timetable in half hour periods. Timetables are displayed on the Department Notice Board located outside M2.

Please click on the links to download application forms for:

Drum Lessons

Piano & Theory Lessons

Berkshire Maestros
(for Brass, Woodwind, String, Keyboard, Guitar & Voice Lessons)