Musicians' Breakfast Masterclass

At the end of February, Millfield Prep pupils had their first Breakfast Masterclass of 2020. This time they were given the opportunity to explore the inner workings of the concert band.

Assistant Director of Music, Mr Hall, lead proceedings (and championed brass), alongside the multi-talented Mrs Jane Finch, our oboe, flute and bassoon teacher and our wonderful percussion teacher, Mr Little. Millfield Senior pupil, Jevon, was also on hand to help guide the clarinet players.

Mr Hall began by putting the parents (and staff) through their paces, with a rhythmic game ‘Don’t Clap it Back’, which highlighted the importance of listening carefully and being acutely aware of tempo changes. The newly-established Junior Concert Band officially started proceedings with a rousing performance of a piece specially written for them by Mrs Finch - It was wonderful to see so many pupils, some of whom have only been learning a very short time, united in a fantastic rendition of the work and the performance also highlighted the importance of percussion within a concert band.

It was then the turn of our Senior Concert Band, who gave an outstanding performance of Musician’s March and went on to sight-read a brand-new piece, Viva Espanã, with enthusiasm and vigour. This was accompanied admirably by the audience, who had been taught a challenging Latin American rhythm by Mr Little.

The morning was rounded off in style, with all the wind, brass and percussion pupils in attendance getting up to perform a stirring interpretation of Boogie Woogie (yet another piece specially written by Mrs Finch), accompanied enthusiastically by our audience of budding percussionists.

Find out more about Music at Millfield Prep here.
Find out about Millfield Prep Music Scholarships here.