Music
Singing
Singing is central to music at Hereward House. Whether it is in class music lessons, one of the school choirs, a musical production, or joining in with gusto during assemblies, all boys are encouraged to find their voices from transition upwards.
Class music lessons take place each week with the curriculum allowing space for singing practice as well as developing general musicianship. Using elements of the Kodaly method, boys develop an awareness of the fundamentals of pitch and rhythm, whilst also building towards sung performances involving the whole form. As part of a long standing Hereward House tradition, the focal point of each term is the form concert. These give boys a chance to showcase songs they have worked on in lessons, as well as an opportunity to perform individually on their instruments. Form concerts are informal events with an emphasis on inclusivity. Parents are warmly invited to attend their son’s concerts.
In addition to singing at these concerts, each form performs at the annual Carol Service. This is also an exciting occasion for the school choirs. There are two choirs at Hereward House:
Middle School Choir
The middle school choir is for boys in form 3, 4 & 5. The choir is non-auditioning and is open to all boys who have a love of singing. In rehearsals, boys are taught basic choral technique and work on posture, breathing and vocal production.
Senior School Choir
This is an auditioning choir open to boys in the senior school. As with the middle school choir the repertoire varies enormously with boys enjoying choral classics and modern works alike.
Instrumental Tuition
The majority of boys at Hereward House play at least one instrument and many of them are able to learn at school. Our dedicated and, in many cases, long standing peripatetic teachers are able to offer tuition on the following instruments:
- Piano
- Violin/ Viola
- Cello
- Guitar (classical, electric, bass, ukulele)
- Clarinet
- Saxophone
- Flute
- Recorder
- Oboe
- Trumpet/ Cornet
- Trombone
- Percussion/ Drums
Orchestra
When a boy reaches a suitable standard on his instrument, he is asked to join the school orchestra. The orchestra, currently numbering around 40 musicians, rehearses once a week working towards a performance at the summer ensembles concert.
Ensembles
Aside from the orchestra there are a number of ensemble groups run by the peripatetic team. The brass band, middle and senior string groups, recorder group, flute ensemble, wind band and rock bands all rehearse once a week and perform at least once a year at the termly ensembles concert. Membership to these groups is by invitation only once a boy has reached the required standard on their instrument.
The grand biannual concert is a highlight of the school calendar and features performances by each class as well instrumental groups, choirs and the orchestra.
Musical Productions
A variety of theatrical productions take place over the course of the year. The junior forms each work towards a Christmas production whilst the middle school spring plays are often musical in nature. The school musical occurs biannually. This is a chance for boys in the senior school to audition and become part of the cast for a full length musical production. Previous shows include Bugsy Malone (2018) and The Sound of Music (2016).