The last term has seen many challenges for music communities up and down the country but in true MSJ style, our musicians have risen to and exceeded our expectations throughout.

Although some ensembles have had to take a break due to year group bubbles and social distancing we have taken the opportunity to get some of our new groups off the ground. Miss Maxwell, Mrs McNally, Mrs Holman and Mrs Davies have been working with our youngest musicians in Flooters and Tooters and our newly formed Prep Choir and Prep Strings and we will be sharing some of their performances shortly. We have also continued to work with our senior choirs in their respective year groups throughout the term, culminating in a recording of three performances for this year’s Commemoration Service which every singer should be incredibly proud of. 

As part of Expressive Arts week, the Music Department hosted Olá Samba who ran a day of Samba Drumming Workshops for our Year 7 & 8 students, it was a fantastic day that brought a bit of the Rio Carnival to Malvern.  

Throughout this term, many of our pupils have been taking part in external board music exams both digitally and face to face with fantastic results, our congratulations to them all. Jasmine in Year 11 has been working toward her piano ABRSM Diploma throughout the year and treated staff and students to an all too short performance of some of her programme. Everyone that attended agreed that not only was it a privilege to be treated to such extraordinary talent but also a stark reminder of how much we have missed listening to live music. Not to be totally outdone, Jasmine’s sister Elisa in Year 8 achieved a Merit in her Grade 8 piano exam this term.

A normal year would see us schedule a programme of live Friday lunchtime recitals known in school as YPP, or Young Performer’s Platform. Not one to allow the music to be silenced, Mrs Miller has continued the weekly digital Friday Recitals that we first introduced during Lockdown last year. These have allowed our young musicians of all levels to enjoy the thrill of performing to an audience, in some cases for the first time. It has also given staff, pupils and their families a welcome break from some of the stresses of the past year. A huge thank you from all of us to those pupils and staff that have shared their music with us.

As the academic year draws to a close we look to September and, what we hope, may be a more typical term for our musicians. The plan is to bring music Back with a Bang! We are busy planning new opportunities for all our musicians and indeed anyone that would like to get involved. In the meantime our heartfelt thanks to all our visiting Music Teachers, who have continued to offer the same exceptional quality teaching and support throughout this challenging year, to the families, friends and guardians of our fantastic pupils for their support and understanding and last, but not least to our students, who have shown resilience, good humour and an abundance of talent.