Year I and II Musicians visit Hollicarrs
On Sunday 4th December a group of Year I and Year II students accompanied by Ms Pomfret and Mrs Griffiths travelled the short distance to Hollicarrs Park. Complete with piano and harp, the girls set up in their festive hats and reindeer antlers and performed a collection of Christmas songs and carols to a packed out wooden hut. The audience were encouraged to 'sing along' with the carols they knew and The Twelve Days of Christmas, in particular got everyone joining in (including the photographer!) The brief concert was well received and everyone left full of Christmas cheer (and a mince pie or two!)
York Guitar Festival Returns to QM
Queen Margaret's is pleased to announce they will once again be hosting the York Guitar Festival. On Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st July 2011 at 7.30pm. For more information please see the York Guitar website by clicking here.
Violin Virtuoso
Congratulations to Chieko Arai LVI, who has scooped three first prizes for her violin and piano playing in the Horsforth Competitive Festival of Music, Drama and Dance. Her performances impressed the adjudicator so much that she has been invited to take part in the Champion of Champions competition, representing Horsforth, to be held next September in Ilkley
Spring Concert 2011
From Mozart to Warlock, Delius to Miller, Offenbach to Bridge, the Spring Concert held Thursday 12th May had something for everyone. Featuring orchestral works by Morricone and Mozart, the William Tell Overture played by the Cello Group, choral pieces from Les Misérables and even a television theme tune with the Orchestra playing Hawaii Five-O it really was a fabulous showcase of the wide range of music QM girls take pleasure performing. Congratulations to all the performers and many thanks to the Music Department for an another successful and entertaining evening.
String Competition
Congratulations to all those who played in the String Competition 2011 held on Thursday 5
th May. The winner in Middle School was Lucy Harkin with sister Jessica highly commended. In Senior School Chieko Arai claimed the top spot and Janet Lung and Henrietta Titcombe were highly commended. The standard of playing throughout the competition was very high reflecting the consistently high standard of music played at Queen Margaret’s.
Music Trip to Tuscany
The choir, consisting of girls from Year II to the UVI, enjoyed a very successful trip to Tuscany at the beginning of the Easter holidays. They gave concerts in Florence and Montecatini to large and appreciative audiences. The girls also visited Pisa, the beautiful city of Lucca (birthplace of Puccini) and even found time for a dip in the Mediterranean in Viareggio.
Music Festival Week
2011's Music Festival Week started with a stunning set of performances on Monday 21st March at the Musical Showcase. Students from years III to Upper Sixth performed a diverse range of pieces from Monteverdi's Lasciatemi Moire! to James Rae's Rachel and the Boys. From vocal pieces to strings, wind instruments to the piano the performances were of the highest quality and a sign of the wonderful week of music to come.
Tuesday 22nd March saw the Field Quartet – a local string quartet - come to school, as part of Music Festival Week. They demonstrated their talent in a performance held in chapel to an appreciative audience of teachers, parents and students. After a brief introduction from Mr Bowyer on the history of the pieces, the Field Quartet performed a Novelette by Glazunov which makes extensive use of folk tunes and is one of his most instantly appealing compositions.With Mr Bowyer having taken his place at the piano, the Field Quartet began to play their second piece: Schumann’s Piano Quintet. The piece is in four movements, in the standard quick-slow-scherzo-quick pattern: the first movement is the Allegro brillante, followed by In modo d'una marcia, then Scherzo: Molto vivace and finally Allegro ma non troppo.We were really lucky to have the opportunity to hear such an excellent selection of musicians and a diverse range of music. Both pieces were fabulous and the evening was thoroughly enjoyable. Thank you very much to Mr Bowyer for arranging this concert; we look forward to the next appearance of the Field Quartet at QM!
Report by Flora Bowring.
On Thursday evening, Queen Margaret’s school Duncan’s school band and choir visited us and gave us a wonderful performance. They performed “the pirates of the Caribbean”, and “the Simpsons” theme song, it was really interesting, and everyone loved it. There was also a joint performance with our chamber choir at the end and it was amazing too. After the concert, some girls stayed and chatted with them, and know more about them. They were all really talented, very nice and all of us got on really well with them. We really hope we can have a chance to visit their school or have another joint concert again in the future.
Report by Sarah Chan
On Saturday March 26th at approximately 7pm, the Centenary Building was overrun with screaming girls, glowsticks, wristbands (courtesy of QMPT) and glow-in-the-dark facepaint. It could only mean one thing… Battle of the Bands was back!
This once-yearly event is held in the theatre (miraculously transformed into a venue to rival the likes of the O2 arena) and features bands from around the country, as well as providing an opportunity for our own QM talent to shine. Despite its misleading name, Battle of the Bands takes the form of a rock concert with each band playing for about 25 minutes – no on-stage battle required, much to the relief of Health and Safety officials! This year we were fortunate to welcome six bands from other schools, as well as one featuring QM girls from Year 5. The bands travelled varying distances, from York to Ripon to Leeds and even Edinburgh to perform to a very appreciative audience of girls from Year 4 to Upper Sixth as well as members of staff.
QM’s own band, Scarlet Stone, kicked off proceedings and certainly got everyone into the spirit of the event with their own versions of “Do It Like A Dude” by Jessie J and “Make Me Wanna Die” by The Pretty Reckless, amongst others. Well done to Aidina Brownlow on the keyboard, Rosie Haggas on percussion, Dixie Taylor on guitar, Penny Thompson on bass guitar and Natalie Sandi and Grace Hammond on vocals. It was a great performance, especially as it is not easy to open a show in front of about 200 people!
A three-piece band called Braveface from Ripon Grammar School followed Scarlet Stone, maintaining the high standard set by the QM band. They performed several of their own songs, bringing a fresh slant to the concert. Battle of the Bands veterans, The Weeknights, (also from Ripon Grammar) made a reappearance for their third and final year, also performing their own material.
We were also fortunate to have two bands from Leeds Grammar School, both making their QM debut. Frozen Flame and The Usual Suspects both impressed the audience with their combinations of their own songs as well as the classic “Feeling Good” performed by The Usual Suspects. The Usual Suspects proved the adage “the show must go on”, performing excellently with two band members missing… I certainly couldn’t sing, play the keyboard and play the bass guitar at the same time! We were left in no doubt that both bands have great things ahead of them, and hopefully we will see them back next year…
Local group Puppets from St. Peter’s School in York were next on, and certainly were well supported by the crowd! Their set was the longest of the night, and it was testament to the charisma of the three band members that no member of the audience lost interest. They performed all of their own songs, and maintained the high level of musical talent set by all the previous bands.
From the most local band to the most travelled band… the show was closed by Fluorescent Heights, who had made the effort to come all the way down to Escrick from Loretto School in Edinburgh to play for us. Finishing the concert with four well-known songs, such as “Many of Horror” by fellow Scottish band Biffy Clyro and “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor” by Artic Monkeys ensured the event finished on a high, and special thanks to all four band members for such an amazing end to a great night.
None of this would be possible without the help of the staff, so a big thank you must go to Mr Locke, Miss Proctor, Dr Mackenzie and all other members of staff who were involved in the organisation and execution of this event and helped it run so smoothly. Thank you to Dr Silverwood, Mrs Cameron and Mr Bowyer for allowing us to hold this unique event once again, and thanks to the Catering department for effortlessly feeding 60 odd extra people on site for tea on Saturday. Of course this event would be nothing without the bands, and I’m sure I speak for everyone who attended when I say it was a truly fantastic night, and a massive thank you to all who took part. Thank you to QMPT for supplying glowsticks and wristbands to really add to the rock concert atmosphere – also a special mention must go to Trexy Lee in Upper Sixth who designed the Battle of the Bands T-shirts and posters completely of her own volition. And last but by no means least, thank you to everyone who attended; you were a great crowd and most definitely helped make my last Battle of the Bands one to remember!
Report by Zoe Gilbert
Singer Song Writer Star
Georgie Pruden has ranked as one of the top twenty-four acts in the Base Camp Rocks Festival competition. This means that Georgie will now be performing at the O2 Academy in Islington for a chance to be one of the five selected by the judges to go through to the Grand Final performing an intimate gig at the Camden Barfly. With a chance to win an all expense paid tour of the Alps, let alone be noticed by music professionals at the final in January, this is a fantastic opportunity for Georgie and we at Queen Margaret’s wish her all the best for the finals to be held in the New Year.
On Monday 15th November girls took part in the School's Singing Competition. Open to all ages and abilities the competition ran all day and showcased the wealth of musical talent at the School. The judges, Jeremy Bowyer and Dorothy Pomfret were overwhelmed by the high standard of performances and had a very hard time judging the competition. After much deliberation they decided on Sofia Budgen-Morriberon, Georgia Rose and Zoe Gilbert as Junior School, Middle School and Senior School winners with a further thirteen girls highly commended for their performances.
Piano Competition
On Thursday 11th November girls gathered in the Chapel to take part in the School's Piano Competition. The standard of playing was extremely high and the girls gave the judges, Jeremy Bowyer and Dorothy Pomfret, much to discuss. A large number of girls from across the School entered the competition and a wide and varied range of pieces were performed. Three winners were declared from across the School: Daisy Forshaw, Molly Davidson and Tiffany Kwok triumphing in the Junior School, Middle School and Senior School respectively with a further nine girls highly commended.
Everyone was really excited getting on the bus ready for Carmen, and yet when we all got on the bus, there was a moment of something that seemed like a cross between confusion and embarrassment. The dress code was clearly very vague – from floor length dresses, to jeans and heels, we had it all! Having sorted out our clothing worries, we spent the whole journey discussing what we thought the opera would be like. For many, this was their first trip to the opera, making then the perfect victim for a lecture on how depressing the last opera, La Boheme, was. (But only after the bus had left school) “Oh, nearly everyone died” and “The subtitles were horrific!”
After arriving with our tickets, we had a choice: Either roam around Leeds at night, in the damp, with all the shops closed, or go inside get a drink and some food, sit down, and enjoy the atmosphere. Those with long dresses, heels (and little else) very swiftly took the latter option, deciding that the cold was too much to bear. Others left the bus and went for a walk, returning rapidly. It turned out, finding your way round the theatre was actually harder than finding your way round Leeds at night. We were in the Balcony, just below the Upper Balcony, but 5 flights of stairs above the stage – despite the distance, once we had found our seats… somewhere… we had a surprisingly good view of the stage. All was fine… until we saw the safety curtain go up to reveal a strange picture, with an even stranger phrase beneath it: “Blow in her face, and she’ll follow you anywhere” – we were perplexed as we stared at the thin curtain in front of the stage. What did it mean?? Anyone who knew the story was now confused, anyone who didn’t, abandoned everything we’d told them.
Suddenly, the lights went down and the opera began with the loudest overture I think any of us had ever heard!! Suddenly the excitement erupted in the auditorium, but was quickly dampened when a pile of policemen ran on stage (not real, in the opera, I think) and started to, well, how do I put this…. physically harass a very pretty lady. Unfortunately, the row of 12 year old boys in front of us seemed to enjoy the scene very much, one of them commenting, “Cee-Lo Green is an awesome actor in this!” Oops! From there on in, things started to even out a little, and everyone smiled a little when they recognised some of the pieces that were being sung, especially a man who was sitting behind me, convinced he knew all the words. (He didn’t)
Everyone really started to enjoy the 1st Act, and by the end, everybody was humming Il Toreador over and over again.
It was in the second Act when poor Mr Grant got the fright of his life…. There was some……sshhh…. Nudity! Carmen’s oddly timed stripping had many different effects on people, from slightly disturbing interest (12 year old boys again), to horror (members of staff) all the way through to tiredness (one of our troop decided to grab a quick 40 winks when she realised what the rest of the Act was about)…
Having spoken to Mr Grant during the first interval, when I asked,
“Did you enjoy the second act?” his answer was “erm….. I wasn’t expecti- well I didn’t see- …I’m….”
“Speechless?” I asked – he nodded his head very quickly. By the time I had got back into the auditorium, Mr Bowyer very promptly said to me,
“Please don’t tell Dr Silverwood!”
Sorry Mr Bowyer…..
As if Carmen’s episode wasn’t enough, during a strange scene including fighters and some slow-mo runners, men just began pulling their trousers down! However, by now, none of us were surprised, we almost expected something shocking.
Travelling back to school, people spoke of not much other than the sheer audacity of not only the acting company but of the actors and actresses who got undressed in front of a massive crowd. Something which we’ll never EVER forget…… and I don’t think the boys sitting in front of us will ever forget either!!!
All in all, a wonderful time was had. It was a nice easy opera to follow, and even those who were sure they’d hate it enjoyed themselves. But I think this teaches the music department a valuable lesson- check out the content before you book the tickets!!!
At A Level the OCR syllabus is followed.
AS
There are three units which are assessed as follows:
Performing (40%): A live recital and viva voce assessed by a visiting examiner.
Composing (30%): A portfolio of work assessed by the teacher.
Introduction to Historical Study in Music (30%): An externally assessed examination lasting 2 hours. Questions test the candidates’ general aural ability and specific knowledge of prescribed orchestral and jazz works.
A2
There are three further units which are assessed as follows:
Performing (40%): A live recital, lasting no longer than 15 minutes and viva voce assessed by a visiting examiner. The repertoire chosen must demonstrate a detailed understanding of a single style or genre.
Composing (30%): A portfolio of work assessed by the teacher.
Historical and Analytical Studies in Music (30%): An externally assessed examination lasting two hours. Questions are based on accompanied vocal music written between 1900 and 1945 and one of five prescribed Historical Topics.
Examination Board Links
Carmen
Everyone was really excited getting on the bus ready for Carmen, and yet when we all got on the bus, there was a moment of something that seemed like a cross between confusion and embarrassment. The dress code was clearly very vague – from floor length dresses, to jeans and heels, we had it all! Having sorted out our clothing worries, we spent the whole journey discussing what we thought the opera would be like. For many, this was their first trip to the opera, making then the perfect victim for a lecture on how depressing the last opera, La Boheme, was. (But only after the bus had left school) “Oh, nearly everyone died” and “The subtitles were horrific!”
After arriving with our tickets, we had a choice: Either roam around Leeds at night, in the damp, with all the shops closed, or go inside get a drink and some food, sit down, and enjoy the atmosphere. Those with long dresses, heels (and little else) very swiftly took the latter option, deciding that the cold was too much to bear. Others left the bus and went for a walk, returning rapidly. It turned out, finding your way round the theatre was actually harder than finding your way round Leeds at night. We were in the Balcony, just below the Upper Balcony, but 5 flights of stairs above the stage – despite the distance, once we had found our seats… somewhere… we had a surprisingly good view of the stage. All was fine… until we saw the safety curtain go up to reveal a strange picture, with an even stranger phrase beneath it: “Blow in her face, and she’ll follow you anywhere” – we were perplexed as we stared at the thin curtain in front of the stage. What did it mean?? Anyone who knew the story was now confused, anyone who didn’t, abandoned everything we’d told them.
Suddenly, the lights went down and the opera began with the loudest overture I think any of us had ever heard!! Suddenly the excitement erupted in the auditorium, but was quickly dampened when a pile of policemen ran on stage (not real, in the opera, I think) and started to, well, how do I put this…. physically harass a very pretty lady. Unfortunately, the row of 12 year old boys in front of us seemed to enjoy the scene very much, one of them commenting, “Cee-Lo Green is an awesome actor in this!” Oops! From there on in, things started to even out a little, and everyone smiled a little when they recognised some of the pieces that were being sung, especially a man who was sitting behind me, convinced he knew all the words. (He didn’t)
Everyone really started to enjoy the 1st Act, and by the end, everybody was humming Il Toreador over and over again.
It was in the second Act when poor Mr Grant got the fright of his life…. There was some……sshhh…. Nudity! Carmen’s oddly timed stripping had many different effects on people, from slightly disturbing interest (12 year old boys again), to horror (members of staff) all the way through to tiredness (one of our troop decided to grab a quick 40 winks when she realised what the rest of the Act was about)…
Having spoken to Mr Grant during the first interval, when I asked,
“Did you enjoy the second act?” his answer was “erm….. I wasn’t expecti- well I didn’t see- …I’m….”
“Speechless?” I asked – he nodded his head very quickly. By the time I had got back into the auditorium, Mr Bowyer very promptly said to me,
“Please don’t tell Dr Silverwood!”
Sorry Mr Bowyer…..
As if Carmen’s episode wasn’t enough, during a strange scene including fighters and some slow-mo runners, men just began pulling their trousers down! However, by now, none of us were surprised, we almost expected something shocking.
Travelling back to school, people spoke of not much other than the sheer audacity of not only the acting company but of the actors and actresses who got undressed in front of a massive crowd. Something which we’ll never EVER forget…… and I don’t think the boys sitting in front of us will ever forget either!!!
All in all, a wonderful time was had. It was a nice easy opera to follow, and even those who were sure they’d hate it enjoyed themselves. But I think this teaches the music department a valuable lesson- check out the content before you book the tickets!!!
Report by Gerardine Labonté-Hazlewood