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School News

 

The Music Department of The Castle School is a very busy, exciting and successful one with high levels of motivation and achievement both in curricular work and in extended curricular activities.

Students are encouraged at all times to use their skills in a variety of ways and, with the completion of a new purpose-built music suite in September 2003, they have excellent opportunities as well as excellent facilities in which to develop their skills in group work, ICT, vocal work, keyboard work, listening and ensemble work, as well as to show their imagination and creativity.

Theoretical aspects of the language are taught through practical music-making tasks in class and supported by homework, which is set regularly once a week.

GCSE results are of a consistently high level. The take-up for GCSE is well above the national average, with many students taking the subject a year early, in year 10. Year on year the department has recorded 100% pass rate grades A*-C in the subject in both the “One Year Course” for students in Year 10 and in the usual “Two Year Course” for students in Year 11.

All students in the school have the opportunity to involve themselves in various musical activities throughout the year, including specialist workshops such as Indian Music, Samba, and Indonesian Gamelan.

All students in the school will have the opportunity to perform music in concerts at least three times a year. Performance opportunities grow from music-making done in the classroom.

Extra Curricular Activities take place every week during the school year, and activities include the following:
• a 4-part mixed SATB Choir (winners of the Senior Choir category, Ewing Cup, at the Taunton and Somerset Festival of Music and Drama 2009)
• Boys’ Barbershop Group (invited to perform in the National Festival of “Music for Youth” performing in the Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham in July 2008, and also invited to perform in live CBBC TV programme “Level Up” in August 2006)
• Girls’ Barbershop Group
• Jazz Vocal Group
• Brass Quintet Winners of the Intermediate Chamber Music Cup at the Taunton and Somerset Festival of Music and Drama 2008 and awarded “Distinction” in the 2009 Festival).
• 10-piece Brass Group
• Junior Brass Group
• Junior Band
• Flute Choir
• Flute Quartet: Winners of the Intermediate Chamber Music Cup at the Taunton and Somerset Festival of Music and Drama 2009.
• Clarinet Ensemble
• Saxophone Choir
• Folk Group (invited to perform in the National Festival of “Music for Youth”, performing in the Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham in July 2005)
• a large Concert Band (invited to perform in the National Festival of “Music for Youth” , performing in the Symphony Hall, Birmingham in July 2005),
• a Dixie Band (invited to perform music in the Foyer of the Symphony Hall, Birmingham as part of the National Festival of “Music for Youth” 2005)
• a Symphony Orchestra
• a Jazz Band,
• String Quartet (invited to perform in the National Festival of “Music for Youth”, performing at the CBSO Centre, Birmingham in July 2005, and Winners of the Intermediate Chamber Music Cup at the Taunton and Somerset Festival of Music and Drama 2009.)
• a String Group: “Swingin’ Strings” (winners of the “Westlake Cup” for “Exceptional Performance” in the Music Section of the Taunton and Somerset Music Festival 2009)
• a Percussion Ensemble
• Several Rock Bands and other Smaller Ensembles.

All students at The Castle School are given opportunities to perform in a full-blown musical production in conjunction with the Drama and Dance departments every two years and are also given an opportunity to take part in a music tour on the alternate year. In 2008, the production was “West Side Story”. In February 2010, the production will be “Anything Goes”.

The Castle School music Department has strong links with “Music for Youth” by hosting the Regional Auditions each year in March. Entries from the whole of the South West are represented and provide marvellous opportunities for performers to get together to share their musical talents.