Two years... and still counting!

Ruth and Richard Beauchamp’s huge contribution to the School and their generous involvement in teaching, coaching, organising and accompanying pupils, spans five decades. In our 50th anniversary year, they cast their minds back to their earliest days here.

Richard, how and when did your and Ruth’s relationship with the School begin?

“Our connection began in London, at the Royal College of Music. Ruth’s teacher, Joan Dickson, was one of the moving spirits behind the founding of what began as a Scottish version of the Menuhin School. She believed profoundly that teaching is a skill that should be taught, and that merely being able to play well is not enough. Ruth learned to approach both technical and musical problems analytically and, because of Joan’s insistence on studying the ‘whole’ music when teaching repertoire, I was often the pianist for her classes and so learned a lot about both accompanying and teaching. Our lives changed completely when Joan mentioned that this young school in Edinburgh needed a piano teacher/accompanist and could also use a cellist, and that Joan needed a new assistant at the RSAMD (now the RCS). We thought we’d try it for two years!”

Ruth, what moves have you and Richard been part of and what changes did these moves bring?

“When we arrived in 1977, the School was based across three sites. Music was in the lower two floors of 11 Eglinton Crescent (the owner, Isobel Traill, later donated her whole house to the School!) while the primary class, academic subjects and art were taught in Old Coates House, with drama and concerts taking place in the Walpole Hall. Boarders lived across the Dean Bridge in Belgrave Crescent, so cellos being wheeled on golf trolleys was a regular sight!

In 1985, Eglinton Crescent and Belgrave Crescent were sold to purchase 25 Palmerston Place, which was adapted to accommodate boarders, catering and all music teaching. Having the boarders in a building where they could practise in the evening was a major advantage, but the downside was that there was no garden, so the Cathedral grounds were used for outdoor activities. The move to Coates Hall in 1995 finally put everyone on one site… and the boarders had a garden again.”

How many instrumental pupils attended the School when you first joined and how has this changed over the years?

“There were 32 pupils in 1977 rising to 45 in 1978 – string players, pianists, composers and some choristers. By 2000, we had 60 pupils and by 2010, we had 80. Significant increases came about when students of other instruments and singing joined us, and when all the choristers joined the primary class. The steady trickle of international students has greatly added to the educational experience for everyone too.”

Ruth, how has your role developed over the years?

“After Audrey Scott (cello teacher) left, my role expanded to include almost all cello teaching until 1997, when Pat Hair joined. I was a chamber music coach and, for 34 years, responsible for cello beginner groups at the Saturday Music Classes.”

And Richard, since 1977 how has your role developed over the years and what roles have you taken on?

“I’ve been piano teacher, accompanist, chamber music organiser and coach, music librarian, and aural training coordinator and teacher. For many years, I was also Head of Keyboard.”

You must both have seen many changes over the years. Which have been the most significant?

“In the early years, the School had limited resources but a team of hugely enthusiastic staff. We worked hard to create a musical and educational environment where young people would meet others who were similarly motivated, as well as teachers who could help them to develop into the musicians they dreamed of becoming. It was small, informal and supportive, and we remember enjoying two exchanges with Russian schools, trips to the International Cello Festival, hill walking expeditions, beach barbeques and sailing at Port Edgar. As the School grew, a more formal staffing hierarchy was introduced, along with school uniform. More stringent government requirements for health and safety meant that some of the informality and spontaneity of the early years changed, but what never changed were our guiding principles. The teachers’ first responsibility must be to set pupils up with a healthy technique, enabling them to play throughout their careers without injury, combined with a strong emphasis on encouraging a deep understanding of music and a love of exploring the many possibilities of interpretation. Nigel Murray, our first Director of Music, was instrumental in establishing the highest standards of performing and ensemble playing – having the time to do this properly is and always will be a vital part of the School’s work.”

Ruth came to the UK from New Zealand on an ABRSM overseas scholarship and an award from the New Zealand Arts Council. After studying with Joan Dickson at the Royal College of Music and attending intensive teaching courses delivered by pioneering pedagogues Paul Rolland, Phyllis Young and the Szilvay brothers, Ruth became Joan Dickson’s Teaching Assistant at the RSAMD (now the RCS). She has also coached children’s chamber music for Pro Corda and led teacher training workshops for Big Noise (Sistema) Scotland.

Richard studied with former Godowsky pupil, Ernest Empson, in New Zealand before coming to the Royal College of Music. He has performed as a recitalist, chamber musician and concerto soloist in the UK and abroad and has a lifelong interest in anatomy and biomechanics in relation to piano playing and musicians’ health. This has led to lectures at conferences organised by the British Association of Performing Arts Medicine, the RNCM and EPTA; his work has been widely quoted in books and academic papers.