Prep and Primary Music Day

Forest School’s thirteenth Prep and Primary music day was held on the 7th October and saw an eclectic array of practical music-making activities, typical of a musical day at Forest School, organised by Director of Music, Mr Iain McGregor.

Students started and ended the day with group singing under Mr Clements, Head of Prep School Music and students learnt a song off by heart, working on the skills of blend, tone and balance. Students then moved to work under the direction of Mr Dave Clewlow, Head of Brass at Forest, to develop a performance of Saint-Saen’s Le Carnival De L’Animal mini suite. The ensemble was made up of Tenor Horn, French Horns, Trumpets, Cornet, Clarinets, Oboes, Flutes, Recorder and Piano, and the small chamber ensemble worked hard to create a mighty sound. The mini suite comprised of the Introduction of the Lions, and visit to hear the Cuckoo in the depths of the woods, performed by the confident trumpet section.

Performers then took the audience to visit to the humorous and larger than life elephants, followed by a surprisingly lively visit to the fossils. The performance closed with a rousing Finale. Also on the list of activities was a string workshop was led by Mr MacManus where students rehearsed and performed three pieces, aimed at improving string technique and ensemble skills. The loudest (!) part of the day was a samba percussion workshop with Mr Wiles, where students’ rhythm recognition, percussion and coordination skills were put to the test on a very large scale! The entire group took part in a performance of samba music which proved to be one of the highlights of the day.

Congratulations to all students involved and we look forward to welcoming many more students from Forest as well as our local partnership schools next year.