Exciting times are afoot in Britannica’s music department. This week saw the first proper music assembly of the year, with excellent performances all round. Special congratulations are in order for Kiki Fu (Y11), Kitty Mo (Y11), Larysa Guo (Y9) and Oscar Cho (Y8), all of whom performed with great style. We would ask all parents of children who practice music at home to join us in encouraging our students to take to the stage. It is a marvelous thing to share and showcase the hard work put in by our talented young people.

In other news, a Tea Time Concert will take place later this month, presenting a range of solo and ensemble performances. The concert will be open to parents and will feature music from our GCSE students, as well as African call-and-response songs and whole-class ensemble performances. Details of this event will be sent to you in a separate email.

Preparation for our Winter Concerts are already firmly underway, and we look forward to presenting a festive mixture of Christmas songs, solo performances and contributions from our school choir, Britannica Voices. The concerts will take place in the second-to-last week of term and details of how to join us will be coming your way soon.

An early notice for next term: I would like to ask parents to help us make sure that children are choosing wisely when it comes to music ASA choices. We try to provide opportunities for a full range of abilities, experiences and interests. All ASAs have a specific focus and children should be aware of whether a particular choice is a good fit for them. For example, advanced instrumental players should be signing up for our Friday afternoon ensembles, while those who want to develop piano skills should sign up for Keyboard Funk. If you or your child is unsure about a particular ASA, please do not hesitate to contact me for more information.

As ever, we welcome questions and comments from parents on any musical topic. Please get involved as we continue to improve and develop a strong culture of community music-making at Britannica.