Upon my first association with St Edmund’s, some 3 years before taking up the post of Director of Music, it was clear to me that the identity of music at the school lends a great deal to the rich heritage provided by both Choristers in the Junior School, and ex-Choristers in the Senior School. In a fairly unique set-up, where the Choristers are educated in the comparatively ‘normal’ backdrop of a prep-school, already established as a non-specialist school before the boys moved up the hill in 1972, it is possible for the school as a whole to really benefit from, and expand upon, the presence of 25 very talented musicians. A domino effect is inevitable and for many years St Edmund’s Junior School has enjoyed a flourishing reputation for music, in part thanks to the presence of these highly driven boys, but also through the significant momentum that their skills contribute to fuel the music making of those around them.
But, were the Choristers not at St Edmund’s, what would be left for music in the Junior School? Going back to my observations before joining as a member of staff, I was invited to adjudicate the Junior School music festival in the summer before joining as Director of Music in 2009 and was thankful for the opportunity to meet and hear so many young musicians. However, the day was dominated by Choristers and this was an issue that I felt needed addressing. It concerned me that, in particular, girls were reluctant to participate, and there were no non-Choristers boys singing at all. Given the heavy demands on Choristers and the many subsequent absences, a music department that relies too heavily upon this group of pupils is bound to struggle on occasions. The resulting initiatives, all with the common objective to broaden music at St Edmund’s have included ‘Pay as you go’ instrumental lessons for the younger pupils, boys’ (non-Chorister) and girls’ seperate choirs, and a 60 pupil strong community initiative in the form of the East Kent Children’s Orchestra, all of which have gone on to not only balance the musical participation across all parties at the school, but have also re-energised music making in general and further enhanced opportunities for the choristers themselves.
The particular success of the East Kent Children’s Orchestra (EKCO), the junior school orchestra re-launched with community participation in January 2010, provides the school with an orchestra that achieves significant success musically, and far beyond what would be reasonably expected of a school so small. Indeed, the community aspect of this project, which invites any child from the area to join (for a modest termly subscription) has not only helped us to build the size and standard of the group, but has also attracted the interest of the English Chamber Orchestra, who have ‘joined forces’ with us in a partnership entitled ‘Creative Connections’. This on-going relationship brings members of this international ensemble to the school on a regular basis to work with our pupils and to join our outreach into local schools via EKCO. The benefit to our pupils is wide and far reaching, from playing alongside top professionals in one of our orchestras (across junior and senior schools), to hearing their own compositions realised in workshops or listening to the ECO perform in one of our trips to hear them in London.
As the boys approach the end of their Choristerships, the impact of the ex-Choristers on senior school music is also open to scrutiny and their input is no less significant. For me, the yardstick of any senior school music department is the quality of its Chapel Choir and our choir, which represents our flagship ensemble, includes some 25% of senior school pupils, amongst whom many former choristers continue to develop as singers and contribute a huge amount to the quality of the group. But the Choristers have another significant effect on senior school music: their presence, both as Choristers in the junior school and ex-Choristers in the senior school does such good for our reputation in the wider community that the attraction of St Edmund’s to musicians at 11+, 13+ and 16+ puts us in an excellent position when recruiting music scholars in an area rich with talented instrumentalists.
The result is an irresistible combination: a small, intimate and relaxed environment which nurtures more than its fair share of stars which, in a city with three independent schools within close proximity of each other, is something that we will always be grateful for and proud of.
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