I want to say a huge 'Well Done!' to all instrumental students this year! All the children have been absolutely fantastic. 

Guitarists have learned 'Eddy's Song', 'Smoke on the Water' riff, 'Dynamite Dance', and this term, Avicii's 'Hey Brother'. Those who have been learning for more than a year can now play the whole of 'Hey Brother' fluently, while the pupils who have only been learning since the Autumn have risen to the challenge of playing something that is actually quite tricky. It involves moving the fingers of the left hand quickly while keeping a pattern going in the right hand. We have also done some work on reading guitar tab. The guitarists are a pleasure to teach and I'm very proud of every student's individual progress.

Violinists have moved on from playing just open strings to using first and second fingers and learning the notes. Their reading music skills are really coming along and they all have embraced playing 'Mary Had a Little Lamb'! They have taken it in turns to lead and are always willing to lend each other a hand.

Singers have grown in confidence and can sing a round in four or five parts, one to each part! They've learned 'Eye of the Tiger', 'Killing me Softly', 'Rose Red' and 'Mrs O'Leery'. They have experimented with improvising and harmonies, and they excel at telling stories and making interesting sounds with their voices. They are a wonderfully supportive group to each other.

Songwriters surprise me every week with their ingenuity and exuberance. Whether working in groups or individually, they each come up with expressive and intriguing music that, more often than not, an adult composer/songwriter would be jealous of! Some of the music is completely original, and some is adapted from pop songs, but it is always given an individual twist, whether through different instrumentation, staging or dance.

Once again, well done to all music students this year!

Ella Jarman-Pinto

Composer / Singer