MUSIC MAKER

The new Director of Music at Wells Cathedral School Alex Laing on how young talent and musicianship are nurtured and supported

Q Could you sum up your overarching vision as the new Director of Music?

A Music should be celebrated by all and at all levels. This means everything from the high-profile successes on concert platforms and in competitions such as BBC Young Chorister of the Year to singers and bands appearing at Glastonbury, our two-year-olds learning music through play and all in our school community who love to sing together and support each other at concerts and events.

Q Wells is renowned for its cathedral choir but embraces all genres and styles of music making. How do you balance traditional and modern?

A Traditional and modern approaches enhance each other at Wells. We are lucky to have a large music department that can support all genres equally and varied concert venues built over 700 years. Music is also spontaneous, with jazz appearing in marquees and foyers as well as on stage. We are one of the very first schools to appoint a Visiting Music Teacher for Songwriting to work alongside our traditional composition teachers. I have heard several tributes from our pop and jazz musicians that their music making has been enhanced by a grounding in classical traditions and techniques.

Q How are non-specialist musicians supported by the school?

A Everyone at Wells has access to topquality musical opportunities. Non-specialist musicians outnumber the specialists, and many opt to take GCSE and A-level Music and Music Technology. Over 50 di erent ensembles and choirs at all levels cater for multiple tastes. Non-specialists can perform at concerts or events alongside specialists or opt for occasions of their own, like our Going Solo series.

Q Wells seeks to explore the ‘interface’ between music and other disciplines. Could you explain key approaches here?

A It is regularly reported how much music and learning an instrument support and enhance other disciplines. Practical musicmaking connects neural pathways and encourages thoughtful approaches useful for myriad other endeavours. Of course, our music and drama departments collaborate all the time on musical productions. Music and history combine yearly, with lectures and workshops putting music in historical context and vice versa. Learning an instrument has parallels with learning a sport, too. There are shared physical and psychological goals: awareness of posture, body-mapping, e cient and relaxed movement and strategies for dealing with performance anxiety. Wells puts on regular sessions enhancing these shared messages.

Q How does Wells support young musicians’ career development?

A This is incredibly important to us, and we like to think that we are providing a model for others to follow. It is no longer realistic to expect to become solely a performing musician. We must all embrace much more varied and exciting musical careers. In addition to being accomplished players, we must now be entrepreneurs, teachers, presenters, administrators. Wells puts on weekly Professional Practice seminars to focus on building these skills, as well as resilience and strategies for living with nerves and anxieties. Our musicians support each other brilliantly during lows as well as highs. This camaraderie also helps us to celebrate di erent skills. Wonderful technical performers may not be natural presenters. The peer-on-peer support networks allow our pupils to practise and teach each other in very constructive ways.

Q How does Wells share music with the wider community?

A We regularly welcome pupils from other schools for free sessions, including instrumental skills and study days. We also give around 250 public concerts a year, including ‘Event on The Lawn’, which is organised and performed by pupils. Many concerts are free as part of our local outreach. Others are in aid of our activities in Sierra Leone, where we continue to support the building and running of a music school. We have a huge number of bursaries and scholarships and our goal is that anyone with talent can study here, irrespective of financial circumstances – we can’t always make that happen, but we do our absolute best.

KEW GREEN preparatory school

An Independent School for Boys and Girls aged 4-11

Quality of Pupils’ Achievement and Learning - “Excellent”

Quality of Teaching - “Excellent”

Quality of Extra-curricular Provision - “Excellent”

Quality of Pastoral Care - “Excellent”

Quality of Links with Parents - “Excellent”

Quality of Pupils’ Personal Development – “Excellent”

“Pupils of all ages benefit from a rich and exciting curriculum.”

Independent Schools Inspectorate Report - July 2015

To book your place on an open morning, please go to www.kgps.co.uk/openmornings or phone 020 8948 5999

Kew Green Preparatory School

Layton House, Ferry Lane, Kew Green, Richmond TW9 3AF www.kgps.co.uk