Senior School Music Department

Music is an important part of life at the College.  It is an inclusive activity and an academic subject throughout all years of the College, delivering the expertise of practising professional musicians to hone the talents of the pupils from Reception to the Upper Sixth.

At Marlborough we believe that Music is a subject that is accessible to all, whatever age or standard a pupil may be.  We believe that it is an aspect of College life that really matters:

“I would teach children Music, Physics, and Philosophy but most importantly Music, for the patterns in Music and all the Arts are the keys to learning” – Plato.

The aims of the Music department are to inspire, enrich, and nurture every pupil to fulfil their musical potential in a dynamic, vibrant and exciting environment. We wish to provide the opportunity and flexibility to allow the musicians of the future to discover and explore their potentials and passions.

In the Shell (Year 9) every pupil is given the opportunity to play and orchestral musical instrument whilst learning the rudiments and theory of music in a practical music-making environment. The academic Music courses after the Shell follow the Edexcel Examinations GCSE syllabus up to the end of Hundred (Year 11). In IB the HL and SL Music courses are available where numbers allow.

There are a myriad of enrichment activities in Music, including the College Choir and Orchestra, individual and group lessons, the Rock Society, and concert and theatre visits to Singapore.

Prep School Music Department

The Music department in the Prep School plays a crucial part in each pupil’s development in their early academic career. Our aim is to stimulate and develop in our students a passion and love for Music. We do this by offering a curriculum designed to inspire and enrich their creativity and nurture individual musical talent. Our Music activities focus on creative self-expression, learning essential techniques, and developing ensemble skills. We provide a supportive, encouraging and challenging environment that enhances students’ confidence and fosters an atmosphere of trust, mutual respect, and cooperation.

Each year group receives one music lessons per week during which our students are exposed to a variety of musical opportunities through singing, listening, composing and performing. As well as their weekly individual instrumental lessons, our students are encouraged to join our extensive list of ensembles and choirs. We aim to celebrate our students’ achievements throughout the year through a wide range of performance opportunities. These include regular and informal events and end of term concerts.

With the help of a team of peripatetic musicians, we offer our pupils individual instrumental lessons on piano, strings, woodwind, brass and percussion instruments. These are timetabled throughout the week. We host regularly workshops from external facilitators, allowing our pupils to participate in music-making on a large scale spanning across different year groups. Our choirs also participate in Outreach events, spreading the joy of singing in the local area.

Ensembles and groups in the Prep School include Choirs, Prep School Orchestra, Wind and Brass Band, Junior String Group and String Quartet.