Music

This close harmony group exists for keen senior singers to develop their choral, sight-singing and solo skills, prior to applying for Choral Awards to Oxford and Cambridge Universities, in particular. Throughout the year we sing at a number of concerts and high-profile events within the School as well as in the local community. The music performed ranges from home-grown arrangements of well-known and well-loved ‘pop/rock/easy listening’ songs through professional King’s Singers’ arrangements to intimate church music settings.

Ever popular, Big Band performs at the Christmas Concerts, the New Year Concert, the Spring/Summer Concert and often at its own “Jazz on a Summer Evening”. Regular tours abroad include a highly successful visit to Tuscany and a tour to the USA playing in Boston, New York City and Washington DC. Big Band has also made two CDs and joined the Orchestra on the Japan/Hong Kong tour.

Chamber Orchestra consists of excellent string players who perform on Open Day, and at the Christmas, New Year and Spring/Summer Concerts. This Orchestra supports candidates for their A-level exams and gives concerto opportunities to chosen soloists. Chamber Orchestra regularly takes part in international tours including Japan 2019.

The Chapel Choir sings for the School Carol, Commemoration and Leavers’ services, and makes termly visits to sing Choral Evensong in college chapels and cathedrals in a wide area. The Choir tours both at home and abroad and has released a CD.

Led by Abingdon Music Teacher and Composer, Dr Jason Preece, this is a session for budding composers – or anyone interested in the craft of composition – to expand their composing experience and learn about the mechanics of how music works. The sessions will include some ‘taught’ elements where composers’ techniques are introduced and some more improvisatory and exploratory sessions in which students will learn about the essentials of different vocal, instrumental and choral forces and how to write for them.

This is the school’s wind band, and is open to all wind, brass and percussion players. Minimum standard is approximately grade 3, with musicians working towards the three major concerts in the year.

Gospel Choir embraces a more popular style of choral singing which is both accessible and life-affirming. You don’t need to be able to read music to join this choir as you will be taught the music by rote. We sing some traditional gospel songs and arrangements of popular songs in a gospel style!

An opportunity for intermediate and senior level pupils to play jazz in a small ensemble – a quintet or sextet and to learn to improvise over chord changes. Tutored by Abingdon’s Jazz piano teacher, the pupils will play flute, sax, trumpet, trombone, piano, bass, guitar or drums. The intermediate pupils will be of grade 5 to 6 standard and the senior pupils will be of grade 7 to 8 standard.

This select group of advanced singers from Abingdon and St Helen’s exists to explore the most challenging and rewarding pieces in the choral repertoire. This mixed voice ensemble allows nine Abindonian Tenors and Basses to experience singing alongside nine female Altos and Sopranos from St Helen & St Katherine’s. It performs at concerts for both schools and serves as an important platform for potential Oxbridge choral scholarship candidates.

Open to all students and compulsory for GCSE/A Level musicians. JCS performs a full choral concert each November alongside singers and instrumentalists from St Helen and St Katharine School.

Performs during the year but especially for Lower School Gala Concert.

For all string players from beginner to about Grade 5 standard. The atmosphere is relaxed and the ensemble progress significantly throughout the year.

Our Lower School musicians have a number of lunchtime ensembles which they can join, including Junior Strings, Lower School Band and Junior Blues. These musical groups play at the Lower School Carol Service, the Gala Concert in the summer term and at occasional Lower School Assemblies.

Classes are offered to pupils at different levels of the school to support them in their learning of music theory. The lessons are graduated according to a pupil’s level with the aim of getting pupils to the standard required to pass their grade 5 of the ABRSM examinations. Lunchtime lessons are given in the Music Technology Suite by Mr Fletcher-Cambell, the department’s organist and administrator.

Lower School Open Mic Club is an opportunity for pupils in the Lower School to expand their performing experience of modern musical genres in band settings. All abilities and instruments are welcome to come along, for an enjoyable session of music making.

Modern Music Club provides an opportunity for students to explore more modern music and perform pieces composed/sung by modern artists.

This activity enables a small group of selected students to learn about studio techniques and the history of audio recording, under the guidance of a Music Technologist. Lessons are also offered to students on a one-to-one basis and several students have gone on to forge careers in sound recording.

Symphony Orchestra plays at both Autumn/Christmas Concerts and the Summer Orchestral Concert.

It is one of the Music department’s flagship ensembles. It has achieved a considerable reputation in recent years for producing quality performances of mainstream symphonic repertoire. Its success can be accounted for by the now well-established tradition of proactive recruitment across the full range of orchestral instruments among the younger pupils (including French horn, bassoon and double bass) and offering instrumental tuition from a particularly distinguished team of some 35 instrumental teachers. The Symphony Orchestra performs at prestigious venues at home and abroad including Oxford’s Sheldonian Theatre. The Orchestra tours frequently to Europe, the USA and the Far East.

Our second orchestra, Sinfonia, is a full symphonic orchestra which reaches a high standard. It performs at least twice a year at the Christmas or New Year Concerts and in the Spring/Summer Concert.

Performs twice a year at the Autumn/Christmas Concerts and the School Bands Concert. There is plenty of opportunity to play some of the great scores of music from the shows.