Orchestra Workshop
Pupil numbers at the Royal Alexandra and Albert School increased significantly on Tuesday 10th June. Pupils aged 6 to 13 came from six other schools for a music workshop to provide experience of performing in an orchestra. The day concluded with a performance for parents in the afternoon.The pupils, who came from the Warwick School, Reigate School, Priory School, Sandcross School, Holmesdale Infant School and St Joseph’s School, joined Royal Alexandra and Albert pupils for the workshop. There were over 100 performers and they played instruments ranging from the recorder to the Saxophone. Over the last 4 weeks they had been practicing the music at their own school and, during the morning of the workshop, they fine-tuned their performance as a group.
The result was a very enjoyable performance in the afternoon. First on was the Wind Ensemble and the young musicians performed some catchy tunes including Pirates of the Caribbean. Then the String Ensemble performed a variety of pieces including an extract from Handel’s Water Music. Finally the two ensembles combined to become a full orchestra and gave a rousing performance of ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams.
Director of Music at the Royal Alexandra and Albert School, Alison Butler said “The aim of this workshop was to give pupils an idea of what it is like to be part of an ensemble. This sort of opportunity is difficult to provide within one school so it has been fantastic to be able to bring so many musicians together in our school Chapel to perform as a group. It has been an exhilarating experience for the children and we hope they will make the most of the opportunities on offer from Surrey Arts, for example, by joining one of their ensembles.”
11th June 2014
