12 Finding harmony: My journey of belonging and achievement at Abingdon Adam Readman (2025) For me, Abingdon is all about busy. And not in the sense of rushing around type of busy, but a purposeful and excited buzz that exists in every corner of the school: from inside music department practice rooms to the edges of classrooms in Big School and to the grass on Waste Court. Busy is Abingdon, and Abingdon is busy. When deciding that Abingdon was the place for me, it was this busyness, this excitement, the sense of opportunity that drew me in and made me feel like this was somewhere I could thrive. Ever since I started school, I’ve often felt like a big fish in a small pond; my curiosity and passion for academics and music didn’t quite fit with the environments and circumstances of my old schools. But at Abingdon, I knew that there would be people just as passionate as me, just as excited as me, just as keen to be busy and fulfilled as I have always wanted to be. From my very first day I threw myself into every music club imaginable, from the Chapel Choir to the Symphony Orchestra, Jazz Big Band, Concert Band, the close harmony choir, you name it - I wanted to do it. And it was in the corridors of the Amey Theatre, sitting on the chairs in front of music stands in the Ingham Room, rehearsing
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