Young Performers' praised
John and Martha
Martha Hind and John Dick came through their respective music assessments with flying colours, and they were acknowledged for their efforts at the school’s weekly Celebration Assembly on Friday, January 20.
House captain Martha took the Grade 2 Descant Recorder examination, administered by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, and put in a wonderful performance to come away with a Merit.
Talented drummer John, aged 11, added to his list of accolades with a Grade 2 Drum Kit (Pass) from the London College of Music Examinations, who are part of the University of West London.
The duo will now begin working towards further grading successes in the coming months.
Mr Williams said: “We have a plethora of musical talent and it is great to see them flourishing with exam grading successes.
“The process can be daunting but our music staff do a wonderful job of preparing them in the right way, something that is paying dividends across all age groups on a variety of instruments.
“Congratulations to Martha and John on their achievements and I look forward to hearing of plenty more in the future.”
Budding harpists can now practice at their leisure thanks to the school purchasing a new Harp on Tuesday, January 10.
In order to purchase the new piece of equipment, the school was given a total of £1,800 from the Friends of Rydal Penrhos Committee, which was a significant amount of the overall cost.
Caitriona Searl, Gracie Tavernor, Maggie McDuff, Harrison McKinnel and Benjamin Gibson are learning the complex instrument under the stewardship of Harp teacher Helen Pari Williams.
The Prep School had previously been renting a Harp for lessons.
Mr Williams said: “This will be a fantastic addition to our school and I would like to thank everyone on the FORPS committee for assisting us with the purchase.
“They do an incredible amount of work in raising much-needed funds for projects here, which ensures that each child gets the most of their education and maximise their potential.
“All five are very gifted young harpists and their ability to practice more often will aid their development considerably.”
Musicans at the Young Performers' Concert
Talented musicians have been praised for their efforts at a recent event.
The budding stars took to the School Hall stage on Wednesday, February 15 for the first Young Performers’ Concert of the year in-front of a packed audience of parents and family members.
There were a number of eye-catching performances throughout the event, including a solo guitar piece from the Prep School’s resident rock star Zac Roberts.
Caitiriona Searl mesmerised the crowd with another beautiful solo, while the likes of Christian Cheesley, Anna Heyes, Lucy Ranales-Griffiths and Harrison McKinnel gave performances that defied their young age.
Every pupil that performed gave an excellent demonstration of their abilities, with Eleanor Tunstall, Benjamin Richmond, Will Glanville, Tilly Trueman, Zac Coverley, Llion Morris, Martha Hind, Maggie McDuff, Gracie Tavernor, Rana Abou-Samra, Zac Hay, Keira Luke, Cerys Williams, Gabriele Subkovaite, Melissa Vos and Jonah Craddock all earning praise from Music teacher and Mr McDuff.
“It was another fantastic Young Performers’ concert, and many thanks go to all who were involved in making the event such a success,” said Mr McDuff.