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Whether listening, creating or performing, we know that music plays an important part in the lives of all our pupils. In the Music Department our goal is to fill our community with music, embracing its rich variety. We aim to give our pupils the opportunity to experience and be part of a culture of high performance and believe that music makes the environment in which we live, work and learn, happier, more inclusive and outward-looking.

Music is at the heart of an Education for Life. We have worked hard in recent years to make sure that our academic and co- curricular offering is broad enough to meet the desires and needs of our pupils, whilst accepting the challenge of taking our pupils to music they may not currently consider their own. Whether by contributing to each individual’s ability to flourish mentally or by preparing them for a future in one of the country’s biggest industries, the Music Department is here to develop our pupils’ curiosity, versatility and resilience.

EVERY INSTRUMENTAL AND VOCAL NEED IS CATERED FOR.

All pupils in Faulkner’s participate in Music and the curriculum is designed to engage pupils in creating and exploring a wide range of music through different mediums including keyboards, ukuleles, percussion and music technology. At GCSE and beyond, lesson content is designed to enable pupils to work at a pace that is right for them, to dwell a little longer, or to push on with more challenging tasks guided by their teacher. Pupils develop and hone their analytical and creative skills and broaden their knowledge and appreciation of what is out there in the wider musical world. Traditional music-making and music technology are complementary and treated with equal importance, with technology being particularly important in engaging and facilitating progress for all musical abilities.

The department offers traditional performance options but also Music Production as Performance for GCSE and A Level with Music Technology a core component of the IBDP Music programme. The department is flourishing and attracts many pupils each year to academic music courses.

 

PLAYING IN THE PHILHARMONIA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, A LEADING ROLE IN PHANTOM ON THE WEST END OR PROVIDING BACKING VOCALS FOR DIANA ROSS.

 

With over 325 individual music lessons taking place each week, every instrumental and vocal need is catered for. Our team of professional visiting music teachers bring with them a diverse range of real-life experience from their own work within the music industry, whether that be playing in the Philharmonia Symphony Orchestra, performing a leading role in Phantom on the West End or providing backing vocals for Diana Ross.

Lessons are catered to the individual, whatever their goals or aspiration. Individual Music Tech lessons are a more recent addition to our programme, supplementing the academic curriculum, with an additional Music Tech Club making full use of our Mac Suite.

Of course, solo performance is only a small part of anyone’s musical journey and at Bradfield we have an impressive range of teacher-led vocal and instrumental ensembles, covering a range of genres, from small instrumental groups up to the more inclusive Bradfield Voices. The process of rehearsing and performing develops our pupils’ collaboration, teamwork, and presentation skills, while pupil-led ensembles and initiatives offer leadership experience.

The calendar is filled with performance opportunities, with a structure in place which encourages our pupils to develop and progress as a performer through informal performance platforms, more formal lunchtime concerts in our newly refurbished concert hall and showcase concerts in venues such as Reading Town Hall and Pizza Express Live in Holborn. It is no surprise that a growing number of pupils are leaving Bradfield to take up places at the country’s top conservatoires and setting their sights on a career in the music industry.

MUSIC IS CREATING A BRADFIELD WITHOUT BORDERS. 

 

Of course, it would be counterproductive for music at Bradfield to be insular, ignoring all the music which takes place beyond the College. With ‘Bursting the Bubble’ a central part of our education strategy, the Music Department has taken a lead in creating a Bradfield without borders.

Our pupil-led singing leadership scheme sees Fifth Form pupils work with our local state primary schools to create ‘Singing Schools’, whilst our expert-led Music Therapy Group is helping to support the music provision in a local special needs school, having previously run a festive singing tea for elderly members of our local community, and raised money for a Reading-based Music Therapy charity. Our links to our local music service, Berkshire Maestros, continue to strengthen and collaborations offer opportunities for our pupils and staff to work and perform alongside peers from a broader local area.

 

Music is the beating heart of Bradfield College.

 

By fostering mutually beneficial partnerships with other regional institutions, businesses and charities, we are putting compassion, service and teamwork at the heart of our department. With Reading, Newbury, Oxford and London on our doorstep, we are surrounded by music making on all sides. Trips to live performances are an important part of our pupils’ education. These experiences are crucial for the development of all our young musicians, building ingenuity and inspiring creativity.

Music is the beating heart of Bradfield College. By embracing an ethos of ‘Music for All’, we are ensuring that the music education our pupils receive is not only relevant to their lives, but also brings them to explore new music, engage in different experiences and flourish in a rich variety of opportunities.

From the May 2023 issue of
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