Music
Music
Music plays a vital role in Lower School life. We strongly believe in the benefits that it can bring to every pupil, developing their skills in the classroom and in the numerous music groups that meet each week.
Instrumentalists can join one of two string orchestras, wind band, Hot Air, recorder clubs, guitar club or percussion group, all of which are led by musical specialists. We consider that singing is central to a musical education and our large School Choir is open to all pupils in Upper Two to Upper Three. There is also a smaller Chamber Choir for which pupils in Upper Two to Upper Three who enjoy a challenge may audition. We also have choirs in Lower Two, called Little Voices, and a combined Lower One and Upper One Choir.

Each year, our choirs have performed a number of times in the Cathedral at school and charity events, and have been previously awarded an Outstanding adjudication at the Norfolk County Music Festival. The Chamber Choir have previously been invited to sing at a Gala Night in the Theatre Royal as part of the Norwich School Arts Festival.
75% of our pupils learn instruments, many of them taught within the school by our numerous peripatetic teachers. There are many opportunities for soloists to perform at our regular Informal Concerts. We also arrange concerts on a larger scale, at which all of our music groups perform
Find out more about our recent music achievements below:
We heard on the grapeVINE (!) that our own Head of Music for the Lower School, Mr Vine, is starting his very own chamber orchestra, so we caught up with him to find out more... How did the idea of a Norfolk Chamber Orchestra come about? For me, the perfect ensemble is a small group creating Chamber music. I love its intimacy, feel, vibe and with the right musicians you can ignite something truly special. I decided a couple of years ago that Suffolk needed a really cool string ensemble, so I set up Suffolk Chamber Orchestra and we have just given our debut concert in Aldeburgh at the Jubilee Hall, where once the great Benjamin Britten stood and performed. And I thought, why just have one orchestra! So, I also created the Norfolk Chamber Orchestra. Both groups are string ensembles, and both feature incredible local players (some ex-London professionals who now live here and some outstanding local musicians that I've taken 4 years to find) How long have you been playing music/singing? What is your musical history? My musical background started at the age of 4, I asked for a violin and that has stayed with me for my whole life. I have been very fortunate to have been able to play with every major orchestra in London and across the UK including Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic, City of London Sinfonia, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Sinfonia of London, BBC National Orchestra of Wales to name but a few. I then got into recording and session work and have worked, toured and recorded with a lot of high-profile artists such as Madonna, Oasis, Paul Weller, David Gray, Kylie, Jamiroquai, Brand New Heavies, Take That, Robbie Williams and more. I've also enjoyed working closely with underground artists such as Pressure Drop, Fabio and Grooverider, Tipper and Goldie. What kind of music does the orchestra perform? Is there any way we can listen to it? At the moment the Norfolk Chamber Orchestra is just getting started and our debut concert will be on the 21st June at the Octagon Chapel in Norwich which is a really beautiful venue. Part of our plan is to champion beautiful Norfolk venues, and this is a great one to start with. It will a concert inspired by the coming of night called 'Nachtmusik' and will feature music by Mozart, Borodin, Dvorak and a UK Premiere by Eric Whitacre of 'Sleep' arranged for String ensemble. The concert will start at 7pm and will be for 1 hour and under 12's get in free! The link for tickets is here > Norfolk Chamber Orchestra - Norwich Octagon NACHT MUSIK at Octagon Chapel event tickets from TicketSource How often do you rehearse? How does this work with your work schedule at the school? Because of how brilliant the players are, we will rehearse on the day of the concert, unless we're doing something very contemporary or new. I am the leader and director which means I have to know everything that everyone is playing as there is no conductor - another great thing about having a chamber orchestra! Everyone is together, it's a collaborative feeling. A lot of our concerts will be at weekends, so it balances nicely with my work schedule at Norwich School. Who do you think has been your greatest musical influence? Why? I feel very lucky to have met some incredible musicians throughout my life. It's not necessarily the ones who are the best musically, but I love the ones who have the best stories! I spent some time with Roger Daltry and Pete Townshend from The Who and also Robert Plant and Jimmy Page from Led Zepplin. In terms in inspiring figures, they are up there - and you can imagine the stories! Also remember having a very long night with Tom and Ed ( Chemical Brothers ) at the Cobden Club in London. They wanted to talk about the intricacies of Baroque music and Bach's influence on everything! I then went back to their studio, and they played me the demo of Galvanise! Crazy!
The Lower 3 Informal Concert on Thursday 8 May was a joyful celebration of music, talent, and pure enthusiasm. From the moment the first note sounded, the evening was filled with smiles, fun, and some wonderful music making from our young performers who delighted the audience in the Lower School Hall. Our musicians gave truly excellent performances across a range of instruments and styles. The audience was treated to expressive pieces on the piano, delicate and captivating sounds from the harp, fun up-tempo solos on the violin and trumpet, and beautiful confident singing throughout the night. The vocal programme was especially enchanting, featuring songs from the new Snow White movie and Moana 2, alongside timeless classics such as Scarborough Fair and Benson Boone’s Beautiful Things. The variety and energy on display kept the enthusiastic audience thoroughly engaged from start to finish. It was a fantastic evening that celebrated not only musical skill but also the joy of performing together. A huge well done to all involved – we can’t wait for the next one! Head of Music Mr Vine said 'another fabulous evening of music and well done to all our Lower 3 musicians for performing so brilliantly' The next Informal Concert is on Thursday 15 th May at 4.45pm in the Lower School Hall and will feature pupils from Lower 1 and Upper 1.
What a wonderful evening of music making as the Upper 3 pupils performed their last Informal Concert in the Lower School. A concert full of joy, confidence, and some seriously impressive talent on a warm May evening! The concert had something for everyone—from a beautiful and expressive solo Bach cello prelude that filled the room with calm and grace, to lively songs from Musicals Annie and Beauty and the Beast that had us all smiling and humming along. The performers truly enjoyed themselves, which added to the magic of the evening. There was a cool and catchy railroad blues piece on the piano, a rocking Lenny Kravitz 'Are You Gonna Go My Way' showcasing some impressive drum skills that brought serious energy to the hall, and a refined Clementi piano performance that showed off real musical skill, virtuosic flair and poise. The audience loved every moment, and it was clear that all the performers had worked hard—and had loads of fun along the way. They played and sang with heart, professionalism, and big smiles. Head of Music Mr Vine said 'I've been lucky to have watched your confidence levels grow and grow over the last 3 years and develop your music skills. Fabulous performances this evening! Thank you all for your hard work and thank you to our visiting music tutors for their hard work too - well done everyone!' The next Informal Concert features pupils from Lower 3 and will take place on Thursday 8 May at 4.45pm in the Lower School Hall.
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