MUSIC AND THE PERFORMING ARTS

Music and the performing arts are at the heart of life in our school. Everyone studies Music, Drama and Dance during Key stage 3 and we have a large take up of courses at GCSE and A level. Our students are highly successful in these courses and for many years we have had several students each year go on to study Music at well regarded universities. Alongside this, 12% of our student body take individual music tuition with lessons in instruments and voice.

We are committed to ensuring that every student who wishes to can access further music lessons, and so there is a lot of financial support to do so. Students who study GCSE or A level music receive fully funded tuition on one instrument or voice; students in receipt of the Pupil Premium likewise receive fully funded lessons. Tuition has continued on-line during the lockdown times during the last year. We are also grateful for the support of the English Martyrs’ Leicester Development Trust – our school charity – which contributes to the costs of extracurricular experiences in the arts and sport.

You can find out more about our instrument and vocal music lessons here

Co-Curricular Activities

We have a rich and varied range of co-curricular activities in Music, Dance and Drama. These groups meet each week and contribute to an extensive concert programme. Students also use their gifts to lead school assemblies and liturgies.

School Choir – 100+ students, rehearses before school once each week
Schola Cantorum – is a four part liturgical choir of 35 students. Commitment: two morning rehearsals before school
Junior Choir – 100+ students in Year 7 and 8, rehearsals during lunchtime
Sixth Form Choir – 20+ student led choir, meets during lunchtime
Orchestra – 30+ students, meets after school on Friday (auditioned)
Steel Pans ensemble – 20+ students, meets after school on Friday
Jazz Group – 10 players, rehearses after school (auditioned)
Flute Group – flute students, meets at lunchtime (auditioned)
Drama Club meets each week on Wednesday after school

Pictured: Year 7 Concert

1/49

ANNUAL PERFORMANCE CALENDAR

Autumn Term

Macmillan Coffee Concert

Open evenings for Year 6 and Sixth Form

Year 7 Concert involving every member of Year 7

Live Lounge recital

Shakespeare for Schools, Curve Theatre

St Cecilia’s Concert – 22 November

Menphys Concert, De Montfort Hall

School Carol Service for parents and friends

School Carol Services for the whole school

End of term celebrations

Spring Term

Evensong for Christian Unity week

Visit to Philharmonia Orchestra concert, De Montfort Hall

School Show

Dance Show

Ash Wednesday and Lent liturgies

Summer Term

Arts Festival to include

Visiting performers and

Summer Concert

Y7/8 soloists recital

Performance club

Performing arts trips and visits

Specific dates are published in the annual school calendar, events and dates vary from year to year.

Wider Community

The school makes a significant contribution to the wider community. Our beautiful facilities, especially St Cecilia Auditorium, are enjoyed each year by the participants of

Leicester Music Fest – each February
Trinity College of Music – examination centre
Resonations – our performance project featuring young musicians from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire of Music.
In recent years we have undertaken performances with students from Leicester University and Leicester Cathedral Choir and sung Choral Evensong at Worcester College, Oxford and Haydn's Creation at York Minster as part of Gabrieli ROAR.

We work closely with the Leicester Schools’ Music Service. The school has also recently become the Lead School in the Education Improvement Partnership Music Hub of all secondary and special schools.

Pictured: In February 2020 we welcomed our Erasmus music partners from France, Spain, Italy, Romania and Denmark and spent a week making music and socialising with brilliant trips to Blenheim Palace and London.

Music during lockdown 2020

During the spring and summer term members of the music department learned and recorded music at home each week for our online assemblies. Below is a recording made for our VE Day assembly by member of the GCSE music class. It is the instrumental interlude from the opera Brundibár by the Czech composer Hans Krása. The opera is a satire about Hitler and it was first performed by the children of the Jewish orphanage in Prague in 1941. When they were deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp they also performed it there.

Brundibar - Serenade

00:00 / 01:22