Category: Music
The school offers a wealth of opportunities for our numerous budding percussionists, and our percussion room is extremely well stocked with an enviable range of professional standard instruments including orchestral marimba, vibraphone, timpani and djembes.
Our Percussion Ensemble meets regularly to perform together – something of a rarity in a school and certainly something we’re extremely proud of. The presence and quantity of ensemble musicians has attracted the attention of musical directors putting on a performance in St Edmundsbury Cathedral, which is rather exciting.
Our Director of Music, Mr Woodley shared,
“We are extremely excited to have been approached to provide percussion for a big opera production next year – I can’t share any more details than that right now, but it’s a true reflection of the ability and talent our students have and we’re delighted to have been asked!”
He continued, sharing details of the School’s Percussion Teacher, Kyomi Seed,
“We’re truly blessed to have the talent and enthusiasm of Kyomi in School each Wednesday and Thursday – and she also teaches at our Prep School, our students certainly enjoy and benefit from their time spent together.”
He continued,
“Access to and experience of music and musical instruments is so vital for learning, and also incredibly fun! We’re so pleased to welcome such talent into Woodbridge School for our students to experience, learn and benefit from.”
Kyomi studied at The Julliard School in New York where she achieved a Master of Music Performance, Florida State University where she received a Bachelor of Music Performance and has an Australian Kodlay Music Certificate in Education. With truly magnificent orchestral experience, including the Aurora Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra and Illinois Symphony Orchestra to name but a few, our students benefit from her wealth of experience and passion for percussion!
Not only did our School musicians provide the entire musical accompaniment to the whole School musical Little Shop of Horrors recently, but Mr Woodley, our Director of Music, has also been holding Rock Band after School club and teaching students about the importance and impact of music in film in his Film Music Composition lessons.
Music for Little Shop of Horrors
Our whole School musical took place the week before half term, we hope you managed to get tickets to see the sell-out performances, and experience and hear our wonderful musicians provide all of the musical accompaniment for each of the five shows.
Ordinarily students’ theatrical performances feature our own as well as outsourced musicians, brought in to support and complement our own music provision, to enhance and capture each scene of School performances. However, the decision was made this year for the band to be solely sourced from our own pool of talented and confident musicians, and what a delight it was to hear them play throughout, as our musical Little Shop of Horrors told the story of Seymour, Mushnik and Audrey.
Mr Woodley said,
“It was incredible to see and hear our students playing in the pit during the performances, I had the pleasure of conducting as well as contributing, playing the guitar for some of the scenes. Watching our students prepare and commit to perform for the show has been wonderful, and I believe they’ve learned a great deal as well as thoroughly enjoyed the experience – particularly playing live to a packed out theatre five times in a row! Exhausting, but exhilarating!”
He continued,
“Some of our students played more than one instrument, and watching them pick up and play in between different scenes, feeling and understanding the difference their instruments made and contributed – was wonderful for me and them. Well done to all of them, I’m incredibly proud.”
Film Music Composition
As part of their music lessons in School each week, Year 8 have been having great fun working with Mr Woodley on Film Music Composition. Students attend the lesson, spend time watching and considering the musical element of different films, and then take time to compose their own piece of music for particular scenes; considering what those scenes needs in order to elevate the film beyond the visual element.
Watching Guardians of the Galaxy on the screen, Year 8 have thoroughly enjoyed working on the Marvel superhero film, Mr Woodley commented,
“This film is providing great food for thought when it comes to learning about the importance and impact of music, and is certainly inspiring our young musicians to get creative! It’s not enough to have brilliant actors, film sets and scenes – they only really come to life when the musical element comes into play, and we’ve been taking time to appreciate the importance of different instruments, tones, rhythms and beats when it comes to portraying emotions in film. It’s been a great experience and I really think our students are thinking about this more than they ever were when they’re watching films now! It’s a really fun and interesting way to learn about the importance and relevance of music, to appreciate how dynamic is can be, and the way it influences interpretation in film.”
Rock Band Club
Inviting students from Years 7, 8 and 13, Rock Band Club is open to every student, no matter what their level or instrument, or even experience might be, and provides an opportunity for enrichment – and enjoyment.
Even for those that have never played before, this after School club provides students with the chance to consider instruments they’d like to play, and teaches them about transferring and/or learning new musical skills, including those relating to working as part of a larger group of musicians.
“This club supports students’ learning from the classroom and possibly private tuition, in a fun and engaging way. Even if they don’t play an instrument already, they can come along, pick something up and have a go, and for those already learning particular instruments, they’re able to try alternatives, learning how to transfer learned skills and experience music in a different way. The songs played are decided by the students, it’s a great and fun way to teach them how to explore music and instruments, and teaches confidence.”
explained Mr Woodley. He continued,
“There’s no other feeling quite like playing in a band, and no other way to get the feeling that can only come from seeing and experiencing the power of rock!”
The club takes place every Tuesday during term time, from 4.30pm in Music Room 1, and is open to all students no matter what their level of instrument playing.
For more information, visit Music Studies.
“Don’t feed the plants!”
Little Shop of Horrors Delights and Delivers as Whole School Performs to Sell Out Audiences
If you managed to get tickets to see this year’s whole School musical Little Shop of Horrors, you will know for yourself what a tantalising and exceptional performance it was for all who had the chance to see it- and be involved in it!
Students from every year group across the School performed on stage, supported by musicians, designers, technicians and teachers – everyone involved can be extremely and exceptionally proud of the preparation, commitment and dedication they’d made, and that was clearly evident in each and every performance, no matter what part they played in ensuring our audiences were delighted, to say the least.
The energy of every show was evident from the moment you entered the theatre, until the minute you stood to offer the standing ovation – it was an electric atmosphere, on stage and in the audience, and a feast for absolutely every sense!
The Story of Two Audreys
The opening scene saw the audience join Seymour in Mushnik’s florist down on Skid Row; working alongside the love of his life (unbeknown to her) Audrey, he’s keen to boost business and so begins looking into different types of plants to sell – and so we discover Audrey II – what else would he name it?! Realising the plant is carnivorous, Seymour foolishly begins feeding it his own blood – and as it grows bigger and bigger, so does its appetite.
The plant attracts the attention of the press and so the florist becomes famous – an overnight success. We then see Mushnik take the decision to adopt Seymour, thus creating ‘Mushnik and Son’, much to Seymour’s (financial!) delight as the floristry business continues to…flourish!
Although keen to continue feeding Audrey II, Seymour soon realises he simply can’t give it enough of his own blood and so, with his love interest Audrey regularly at the receiving end of her dentist boyfriend’s violent temper, the decision is made, the plan is hatched – Seymour will kill and feed him to the plant! Two birds one stone? With the dentist dead, Seymour and Audrey could be together…
And so they were, for a short time, but Audrey II – whose appetite grew out of control as did the plant – eventually eats not only Mushnik but Audrey too, who on her deathbed begs Seymour to feed her to the plant so his success can live on beyond their love. And so Seymour finds himself alone – with Audrey II. How long will HE last? If you’ve seen the play you’ll know the answer to that. Not long.
A story told many a time on stage and in film, this classic came alive on our very own Seckford Theatre stage, and it was clear to see the vast amount of preparation and rehearsal that had gone into ensure every scene was what it was – truly magnificent to watch.
Of course, our key characters shone on stage, but that light also came through in the Supremes, the Temptations, in every person who had their feet on that stage and in the aisles of the theatre in some scenes. It was wonderful to see such a cross section of age (since it was a whole School musical) in terms of our actors, the sheer volume of students involved meant this sell-out show was vibrant and alive with the sight and sound of everyone involved – it really was a treat! With the lights, music, dancing, theatre set and costumes – at times you simply didn’t know where to look as there was so much to see, complementary movement and acting encouraged the audience to really feel part of the story, like they might actually be there!
Old Woodbridgians Celebrated 10th Anniversary of Their Own Performance
Family, friends and people from our community in the audience included a number of Old Woodbridgians; celebrating the 10th anniversary of their own performance of Little Shop of Horrors. Sharing their thoughts of the atmosphere ahead of the performance, they confirmed that backstage the atmosphere was a combination of nerves, excitement and exhaustion channelled into adrenaline, and that the mood in Music Room 2 could only have been described as joyful. This humble classroom had been transformed into a fantastic venue for Miss Norman, Stephen Cole the President of the Old Woodbridgians, and Sam James the School’s Alumni and Engagement Officer, to welcome back some of the cast of the 2014 production of the same musical for a reunion.
While the 2024 cast were preparing for their show, the 2014 returnees and their guests were enjoying a delicious supper and a lot of catching up and reminiscing. It was wonderful to see so many OWs return and to show off their School to their partners; just as lovely was that two of the 2014 cast had siblings in the 2024 show.
The pride in and love for the School was tantamount, as was the strength of the friendships formed here. One OW commented how surprised he was at how emotional he felt being back here after so long. All relished how welcome they felt and how they still feel part of the Woodbridgian community.
It was tricky to drag the guests away from Music 2 to watch the show at 8.00pm, time flew too quickly and there is never enough of it at events like this. Once in their seats, they all enjoyed what they described as a ‘triumph of a musical.’
“Who needs the West End when you have Woodbridge?!”
Alex Farquharson (OW 2008-2015), The Masochist LSOH 2014
Ms Mayes our Head of Drama and Johnny Williams our Assistant Head of Drama, must have been completely exhausted after a week of performances, but they stayed on after the show to catch up with the OWs. More reminiscing and memories were shared late into the night – it was delightful to hear stories from both sides of the performances, today’s and ten years ago.
‘Don’t just take our word for it’
We hope you managed to see the show for yourself but if you didn’t, we’re sharing extracts of comments, feedback and reviews from various audience members who were kind enough to get in touch with us, sharing a taste of the phenomenal performances given each and every night, and at the Friday matinee.
“I have to write to you to say how much I thoroughly enjoyed the show last Wednesday. The whole evening was enchanting from start to finish. From embracing the Woodbridge ethos of community in allowing everyone to be involved who wants to perform, leading to a packed stage full of joy and enthusiasm, to some outstanding individual performances, although the whole cast was fantastic. I have to mention the truly excellent James and George, and a vocal tour de force in Xander’s Audrey II (there was so much colour, detail and polish in his singing, I was very impressed). Claire Weston had clearly coached them impeccably, and it showed. I fear the memory of Fergus G-H’s manic Masochist will not leave me for some time; it was a remarkable cameo!!”
“The musical was incredible! The students are perfect testament to the hard work of everyone but also a resounding representation and endorsement of the whole School community, including the wonderful OWs. The whole evening made me very proud to be a part of Woodbridge School.”
“Wow, wow and wow again, what a show, what a performance! It was completely inspirational and the sheer delight on the faces of those taking part was something to behold. They were so professional, so keen to do a good job, so synchronised with one another in their dance moves, so competent with their singing and acting that it took my breath away. Everything was there in spades – the acting, the dancing, the music, the staging, the props, the enthusiasm and the commitment – it was completely amazing.”
“Even in the professional theatre, even in London’s West End, where would you find a show with nearly 200 young people on stage and in the chorus line? My heartiest congratulations go to them all on stage, as well as the many behind-the-scenes people who have played their part so well and especially the teaching staff for Drama, Music and Choreography and all the other skills needed for a show like this. They have all done a wonderful job and are worthy of the highest praise.”
“The whole performance was brought together by a truly excellent stage band, led by your Director of Music, Jonathan Woodley. It’s so heartening to have musicians at the School demonstrate such an incredibly high standard of performance. The pick- ups in the piece are incredibly hard to coordinate, with the singers also using monitors, and it was seamless. There were times during the evening, and I say this most sincerely, worthy of a West End show. The pianists deserve special mention -their playing during the quieter numbers was superlative. Kudos to all of them and the whole music department.”
Last night saw St Mary’s Church absolutely packed to bursting with students, parents, staff and alumni. With standing room only the festive buzz of the much anticipated Carol Service of Nine Lessons and Carols was palpable as the congregation awaited the Chamber Choir’s procession.
Led by our own Reverend Wilson, whose return to Woodbridge School has been met with much celebration, the service was both reflective and jubilant. Year 8 soloist Lola set the tone of the musical feast with her soaring soprano voice with Once in Royal David’s City. What followed can only be described as breath taking. The Chamber Choir was simply mesmeric as they punctuated the service with anthems ranging from Taverner’s ethereal The Lamb to the anthemic Glory, Glory, Glory with James leading the choir in a Gospel showstopper that left the congregation wanting to jump to their feet in jubilation.
Surely the Carols were heard across the town as past choir members raised the roof with enthusiastic singing in the congregation accompanied by Jamie John Hutchings on the organ? This extraordinary throng was all lead by Claire Weston, whose shoes never fail to disappoint, but more importantly conducts the choir with a precision and skill that produces the most exquisite sound from our exceptional Woodbridge School Chamber Choir.
Thank you to everyone who came along to listen and enjoy the beautiful evening of festive song and celebration.
St Mary’s Church was filled with musical delights on Wednesday evening, as we hosted our annual Christmas Concert.
The concert was opened with Percussion Ensemble playing Mission Impossible, to be followed by the serene sounds of Lilanna playing a harp solo of Interlude from Ceremony of Carols. The evening progressed with music from our Harp Ensemble and Single-Reeds, to Chamber Orchestra and Concert Band. The sounds were diverse, familiar, and extremely enjoyable.
Symphony Orchestra opened the second half with Slavonic Dance No.8, to be followed by our first Sixth Form Rock Band, who performed the familiar Zombie by The Cranberries. The fast-paced tunes continued; Brass Ensemble took to the stage.
Seckford Strings playing Canon in D were an absolute delight, and those eight repetitive notes were timed to perfection. Cellisti stepped it up a notch with Love Theme from The Godfather and Smells Like Teen Spirit; who’d have thought Nirvana would be played by a string ensemble in a Church – it was absolutely amazing!
The evening was closed with Swing Band playing Senorita and Gotcha, and the pièce de resistance was a surprise number, Feliz Navidad.
An extremely enthusiastic well done to everyone involved, the students were incredible, and to the various Peripatetic Music Teachers – thank you for your time and dedication to our students.
This academic year has certainly been one of change in the Music department, so being able to hold our Instrumental Gala Concert to such a full house last Sunday and showcase the talent and commitment from everyone involved in preparation and performance, was such an honour and a delight. Seven different ensembles came together to produce an evening of pure splendour, ranging from Haydn to Harry Styles!
Symphony Orchestra started the evening, with the first movement of Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C; the solo adeptly played by Year 13’s Lucy C. They then moved on to a wonderful rendition of The Suffolk Suite by Carwithen, finally finishing with Vaughan Williams’ English Folksong Suite. A gallant effort from all and a very big thank you to Mr Penny for his guidance and time given to Symphony Orchestra this year.
Chamber Orchestra this year has been directed by Miss Nadia Alzapiedi, and we say thank you to all members for their wonderful musicianship but especially to Year 13’s Lucy and Year 11’s Ellen for their solo roles in the 1st movement of Albinoni’s Concerto for Two Oboes.
Single Reeds under the careful direction of Mrs Lesley Clarke, played a wonderful variety of pieces, all arranged by Mrs Clarke herself, meaning every one of her reed students is able to play, regardless of their level.
Brass Ensemble, Concert Band, Cellisti and finally Swing Band all played a variety of different pieces showcasing their musical endeavours and hard graft over the year. From Hit the Road Jack by Single Reeds, Back to the Future by Brass Ensemble to the Ritual Fire Dance from Concert Band, as well as Paint it Black by Cellisti. Swing Band finished off the evening with Late Night Talking by Harry Styles.
As we edge closer to the end of this year, we’d like to thank all of our Peripatetic teachers for their time, effort and support over the last few terms, and also to parents, and students for their ongoing support and commitment to the department. Here’s to next year!
Lucky audiences were treated to fabulous performances of Shrek JR by Years 5 and 6 from our Prep School this week in our Seckford Theatre; the story of Shrek, the swamp and his adventures along the way.
On turning seven years old our hero Shrek (Year 6’s George) is told by his parents, in the nicest possible way, to “Go away!” and find a swamp to live in, preferably as far away from anyone with pitchforks as possible. Happily settled and living in his dank, dark swamp he is one day, to his horror, deluged by visitors in the form of fairy-tale ‘freaks’ that the ruling Lord Farquaad (Year 6’s Lewis) has banished from his kingdom. Unhappy with these unwanted new swamp mates he agrees to head to Duloc to negotiate with Lord Farquaad himself to get his swamp back.
He sets off, and along the way meets Donkey (Year 6’s Zik), a keener friend than Shrek would like, but one that brings great comedy and fun to the journey.
Meanwhile in Duloc, the diminutive and arrogant Lord Farquaad is on the search for a Queen so he can officially become King. Having tortured poor Gingy (Year 6’s Clem) Lord Farquaad discovers the location of a potential Queen, Princess Fiona (Year 6’s Imogen), but she needs rescuing and obviously he won’t do it! In walks Shrek, just at the right moment, and they strike a deal. In return for rescuing Princess Fiona from a tower surrounded by lava and a guarding dragon (Year 6’s India), Shrek can be named on the deeds for the swamp.
Shrek heads off on an adventure to slay the dragon and bring Princess Fiona back to Duloc. Ably accompanied by Donkey who keeps spirits high and with beautiful backdrops of sunflower filled fields and deep dark forests, the duo make their way to the tower where Princess Fiona is desperately counting down the days to her fairy-tale rescue.
The rescue goes smoothly thanks to Donkey unwittingly winning the heart of the dragon guarding her, although an ogre it is not quite what Princess Fiona was expecting as her handsome prince. On the way back to Duloc, Shrek and Princess Fiona fall in love, but one is an ogre and one is a princess – or are they?
What Shrek doesn’t know is that Princess Fiona has been cursed by a witch to live as a princess by day and an ogre by night; only a kiss from her true love will see her return to a full-time princess. Such is the weight of the curse on Princess Fiona that even on eventually meeting the disappointingly small Lord Farquaad, she still agrees to marry him in the hope that the curse will be lifted.
Accepting his fate, Shrek returns to his swamp where he finds the sad band of fairy-tale ‘freaks’ who have now been evicted and really have nowhere to go. He’s not in the mood to be sociable but they eventually manage to convince him that he needs to face his feelings and stop pushing them away.
With huge encouragement from Donkey and the support of his new found friends, Shrek manages to stop the wedding of Princess Fiona to Lord Farquaad in its tracks, disposing of him with the help of the now tamed dragon.
As she kisses Shrek for the first time, Princess Fiona is disappointed to find that she remains an ogre – but Shrek loves her just the way she is. The wonderful anthem of Let your Freak Flag Fly accompanied the scene, reinforcing the message that you should just be proud of who you are, despite what you are, how you look and what anyone else thinks of you.
It was a wonderful end to an absolutely brilliant performance by our Prep School children. The Year 5 chorus did themselves proud supporting all the Year 6 actors and actresses on stage. Congratulations to the cast, chorus, crew and amazing staff who delivered this production so successfully. The story of Shrek and Princess Fiona will now forever remind us that no matter our differences, we should all celebrate them and be incredibly proud of ourselves.
So many layers to a great production – just like onions and ogres!
Last Thursday was indeed a delight as our Evening Of Music For Lower Strings took place. Mrs Kent reports on the musicians and the music.
Mrs Kent, Director of Music
Well what a treat the Evening Of Music For Lower Strings was last Thursday with the cello and double bass department, ably lead by Miss Nadia Alzapiedi at the helm.
The evening kicked off with a schmaltzy version of Singing in the Rain for Cellisti, our choir of cellists (yes there is such a thing!) which was followed by eleven assured solos from across all year groups. There were, of course, the obligatory visits to Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals with both the Swan (Year 11’s James) and Elephant (Year 7’s Barnaby) making an appearance.
Mrs Fearnley, along with Year 12’s Jasmine and Miss Alzapeidi wooed us with a romantic Requiem for three cellos and piano by Popper. Another highlight of the evening was Jasmine’s epic rendition of the Brahms Sonata, featuring the ever-dexterous Mrs Spicer-Winand on the piano.
The evening concluded as it had begun, with Cellisti, who wowed us all with their Mexican Hat Dance which was encored at break-neck speed just for the hell of it – and why not!
Last Wednesday 18 GCSE and A level music students travelled to London’s West End with Mrs Kent and Miss Barnes, to see a matinee performance of Wicked the musical at the Apollo Victoria theatre. Perfect weather, a gentle stroll through St. James’ Park, excellent company, tunes on route and of course the extraordinary show helped make this an educational experience to remember.
Our Gala Concert took place last Sunday at the Corn Exchange in Ipswich, where the audience were treated to a full orchestral and choral concert, over 130 students and parents (in our parent choir) coming together to perform Faure’s Requiem. Our Director of Music who conducted the concert reported on the evening.
Emma Kent, Director of Music
We were hugely excited host this year’s Gala Concert here at the Corn Exchange in Ipswich on Sunday night. It has been a challenging few years for the music and the arts, and to able to organise a full orchestral and choral concert to which we could invite everyone was simply brilliant!
The Corn Exchange was the perfect venue and audience in attendance were given a treat of the senses with a varied programme designed to give snapshot of just some of our music making this year. From exuberant opening brass fanfare (written by Paul Shepherd) delivered by surprise from the hidden balcony, through to the final serene, quiet and gentle harmonies of ‘In Paradisum’ (Faure’s Requiem) the level of commitment and energy from all was hugely engaging.
To see students from Year 7 to 13 enjoying their music making and relishing that indefinable feeling, that frisson of nerves, excitement and joy that results from humans working together on something they love and want to share, was an honour to behold.
I’ve been delighted to receive a great many emails from parents and other guests saying what a special event it was – this has genuinely been the highlight of my two years here at School so far.
