We head into Half Term with a fantastic announcement! Three more of our Year 8 pupils have been awarded Scholarships to their Senior School. This time it is the very prestigious Academic Scholarship to Brighton College. These Scholarships are a testament to both the pupils’ hard work and the inspired teaching that they have received.
Achieving excellence in everything we do is a core value at St Christopher’s, and this is reflected by the fact that a number of the ten Co-curricular and All Rounder Scholarships awarded to our pupils this year involve their musical talent. We have some very fine instrumentalists and some beautiful voices, and they are certain to grace future concert performances at their Senior Schools.
We were never going to let the weather get in the way of showcasing how important Music is to life at St Christopher’s, as we hosted our annual Summer Concert. Performers ranged from Year 1 & 2 Choir, whose pairing of Pokemon and The Sound Of Music was inspired, to a number of our Year 8 pupils, who now have fewer than four weeks before they leave us.
Musical ability certainly involves talent, but hard work and practice are at the core of success in this area of life, as with so many others. Our very youngest children enjoy singing and learn to play instruments such as percussion to accompany stories with sound effects. As they progress through the school, our children explore a variety of instruments in Performing Arts lessons, and have the opportunity to receive private tuition with one of our team of Visiting Music Teachers.
Once you get beyond your first steps, learning an instrument is not something you do in isolation. Almost immediately, there are people you can play with, and audiences ready to listen. Playing in an orchestra, singing in the Chorus at Glyndebourne, performing your own songs with a band, taking part in local or national competitions, or busking for charity on George St are all fantastic life experiences enabled by a love of music. St Christopher’s pupils have done all of these things and more in recent years.
Music brings people together as one of the universal languages. This was much in evidence this week as we welcomed our Parents’ Choir to join the children for the final number of the Summer Concert. The adult choir was augmented by some brave members of staff, and it was a magical moment to have teachers, parents, and children all on stage together.
Finally, my best wishes to all those in our community who celebrated Wesak this week. I hope Half Term brings plenty of time for relaxation for us all, ideally in the sunshine.
Ms Elizabeth Lyle, Head