Archive

Prep Schools Strings Day

In March, Kilgraston hosted the annual Kilgraston Prep Schools’ Strings Day. Schools from around Perthshire including Craigclowan , Ardvreck and Strathallan schools all sent violin and cello players to join our own string players and there were over thirty pupils attending on the day.

There was an extra element of fun this year as it coincided with World Book Day, so some pupils chose to attend the day in their costumes – which ranged from an Osprey to a Cheshire cat, and even the Queen of Hearts. The day began with everyone together for some fun warmups before the pupils went off to various locations around the school to rehearse in preparation for the concert. The visitors had lunch with the Kilgraston pupils and during break times took the opportunity to play and explore outside.

The main business of the day was to prepare two pieces for the afternoon concert: an exciting arrangement of Drunken Sailor and Easy Kanon (based on Pachelbel’s Canon). The pupils all worked hard on the pieces during the day with the help of Kilgraston teachers and the visiting string teachers. They performed with great enthusiasm and success in the afternoon concert in front of an audience of parents from all schools who were involved on the day.

Mrs Campbell, Woodwind Teacher and Kilgraston Music Administrator.

Celebrating the outstanding success of the Kilgraston Christmas Concert

The spirit of Christmas filled the air at Perth Concert Hall as the annual Kilgraston Christmas Concert came to life in a dazzling display of talent, joy, and festive cheer. The evening was a resounding success, showcasing the remarkable abilities and unyielding passion of our students.

The Kilgraston Christmas Concert has always been a highly anticipated event, but this year’s rendition exceeded all expectations. The concert featured a diverse array of performances, ranging from the brilliant ‘Whoops a-Daisy Angel’ by our Junior Years pupils to stunning duet by Upper Sixth pupils, Erin and Laura. Every element came together seamlessly to create an unforgettable experience for all in attendance.

The concert showcased the exceptional talents of our students, highlighting their dedication, commitment, and artistic flair. Weeks of preparation and practice culminated in a performance that left the audience enchanted and inspired. The level of professionalism and maturity displayed by our pupils was truly astounding, leaving no doubt that they have bright futures ahead in the world of performing arts.

There were so many highlights of the evening including the Kilgraston Drummers Fanfare with the eye-catching glowing drum sticks. The staff choir’s performance of ‘Mary, Did You Know?’ wowed the audience receiving cheers from the audience and pupils alike.

The Kilgraston Christmas Concert truly exemplified the power of the arts to bring people together and create a sense of community. Pupils, parents, staff, and members of the wider community gathered in the spirit of celebration and shared in the joyous atmosphere that permeated the venue. It was a testament to the collaborative effort of all involved, from the performers to the dedicated staff who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to bring the concert to life.

Beyond the exceptional performances, the success of the Kilgraston Christmas Concert showcased the values embedded in our school community. It demonstrated the importance of nurturing and encouraging young talent, fostering a love for the arts, and providing a platform for pupils to shine. The leadership and guidance of our dedicated teachers, who invest their time and expertise into cultivating the skills of our students, were evident throughout the concert.

As the festivities of the Christmas season now envelop us, the Kilgraston Christmas Concert stands as a testament to the talent, dedication, and spirit of our school. The success of the evening would not have been possible without the unwavering support of our parents, who have consistently championed the arts and encouraged their children to pursue their passions.

We extend our deepest gratitude to all those who attended and were part of this outstanding event. The Kilgraston Christmas Concert has once again reminded us of the transformative power of music and art and the importance of celebrating and nurturing the talent that fills our school community.

May the joy and inspiration ignited by the Christmas Concert continue to resonate within us all and guide our students towards a future filled with artistic pursuits and cultural appreciation.

Merry Christmas to everyone.

Kilgraston Young Musician Of The Year 2023

Kilgraston Young Musician Of The Year showcases the tremendous musical talent we have in school and last week saw the culmination of the 2023 competition with parents, families and staff attending the event.

More than 50 pupils submitted performances for the heats stage of the competition in various different categories with the shortlist going through to play in the final concerts for both Junior School and Senior School.

After opening performances by last year’s winners, Caitlin and Emma, the serious business of the competition began with all finalists performing brilliantly, making for some very difficult decisions. We were very lucky to welcome Mr Matthew Beetschen as our guest adjudicator for the evening who had the unenviable job of deciding the winners from the superb talent on display and we are very grateful for his expertise and wise words to the performers.

Congratulations to all our finalists and to the overall winners in Junior School, Sophie, and Senior School winner, Lower Sixth’s Anne.

Perform in Perth 2023 results

Perform in Perth, the annual festival of music, speech and dance, has taken place at venues around Perthshire. Each year around 2,800 performers take part in the two week festival which runs in March with Kilgraston having a strong presence in a number of classes.

The Junior Years’ pupils worked hard, with some rehearsing with their teachers since Christmas and the effort and dedication have paid off with armfuls of merits, trophies and medals being won. In the first week, our Junior Years participants were excited to take part in the speech classes. Pupils took part in poetry and Bible reading classes last week. They spoke eloquently and added expression, tone and facial expressions when reciting poems. We celebrated great success. Frieda came first with her extremely expressive rendition of ‘Grudges’ by Judith Nicoll, with Ceola in second and Beatrix and Lucy in joint third.

William also came first in his poetry class, followed closely by Stella in second place and Tallulah and Gigi in joint third. In Bible reading, we celebrated further success with Lochie in second place and Minnie in third in the 9-10 year old category.

The younger pupils also read beautifully with Sabria first and Ceola and Luciana joint second. In our final class of the day, Heidi came first with her fantastic performance of ‘Watch Your French’ by Kit Wright with Charlie coming in a close second.

Then it was the turn of the Junior Years choirs. The Junior School Choir, who performed ‘A Whole New World’ and ‘The Bare Necessities’, were First Class winners and won the Perthshire Church Choir Union Shield. The Early Years Choir received a Merit Award for their beautiful versions of ‘Spring Song’ and ‘Flat As A Pancake’.

Across both Senior and Junior Schools a number of individual pupils along with the Ceilidh Band enjoyed success in classes ranging from Gaelic and Scots songs, musical theatre and opera to instruments including violin, viola and recorder.

Upper Four’s Erin won two classes (unaccompanied folk song and accompanied lullaby) and came second in the Disney songbook class. She was also awarded a silver medal for the folk song class. A special mention also to Lower Third’s Florence and Georgiana who won their duo recorder class at Perform in Perth on Monday, and have been practising with Mrs Stewart since the beginning of the year.

A huge well done to everyone who took part. Here are all our results below.

Mr Murch is retiring

The end of this term sees the popular teacher, Mr Murch, retire. Kilgraston’s Director of Music, Mr Morley writes about his huge contribution and influence at Kilgraston:

Gordon Murch who leaves us this week may have only spent a relatively short five years at Kilgraston but it would be fair to say in that time he has made a huge impression on all those he has taught as well as on his colleagues. Having spent a long and successful career as a Head of Music in Aberfeldy, Mr Murch might have been expected to take his foot off the pedal and enjoy a more relaxed few years at Kilgraston. But he has thrown himself fully and enthusiastically into life at Kilgraston from teaching music in the junior school to the ceilidh band, teaching percussion as well as providing piano accompaniments for exams, assemblies and most recently in the Junior School production of Matilda. Aside from all this however what stands out is the warmth with which everyone who has contact with him speaks about him.

I have only known Mr Murch for a relatively short time but have come to appreciate his support, advice and experience within the Music Department and I know this is shared by all his colleagues in the school. What stands out even more though is how his pupils speak about him and some of them have been in touch and I can think of no better way to pay tribute to Mr Murch than by quoting what some of them have said.
“Mr Murch is such a sweet man and we used to exchange our favourite old music together, he introduced me to a lot of songs that I still listen to now! I’m so sad he’s leaving.”
“Mr Murch is inspirational, supportive and a perfectionist, and I am grateful to him for this. He will spend time with each individual pupil to make sure their piece reaches its full potential along with the student.”
“Mr Murch is the person who helped me overcome my nerves before performing and I will always remember and live by his words of “just enjoy the music”. He is one of the most genuine, kind, and patient teachers I have ever had the pleasure of being taught by.”

Thank you Mr Murch, we wish you all the best and stay in touch!

Music at Kilgraston - find out more

Music is an intrinsic part of life at Kilgraston with the Music Department offering a wide array of activities with individual instrumental lessons, choirs and instrumental groups as well as class teaching from Reception through to Upper Sixth.

All pupils in the junior school and in Lower and Upper Four receive specialist music lessons as part of their curriculum. In the Junior School pupils are taught the basics of music through the Kodaly method of teaching which focuses on learning through singing games and the basics of music notation. They are also introduced to a range of instruments in class which from next session will include experiences in strings, woodwind and brass instruments delivered by our instrumental teachers. This carries on into the senior school where pupils in Lower 4th and Upper Four specialise in two instruments as well as studying topics in a wide range of musical genres. Music is then offered as an exam subject at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher levels and includes the three elements of performing, listening and composition which as well as preparing pupils for further study and careers in music also offer a range of transferrable skills.

Instrumental lessons are provided in the school by 15 visiting instrumental teachers in instruments ranging from bagpipes, pipe band drumming and clarsach through to guitar, drumkit, piano, voice and a range of string, brass and woodwind instruments. Over 90 pupils currently receive instrumental or vocal lessons with many pupils receiving lessons on a second instrument as well.

Supporting the learning undertaken in class and in instrumental lessons, we are fortunate to offer a wide range of music groups within the co-curricular programme with regular performance opportunities in concerts and other events throughout the year. There are groups to suit all interests from choirs and orchestras in both the senior and junior choirs to smaller groups such as the pipe band and clarsach group as well as opportunities for pupils to form groups such as jazz and rock bands. The highlight of the musical year is the annual Christmas Concert in the Perth Concert Hall which involves every pupil in the school with other highlights including regular lunchtime concerts, the annual Spring Concert and the Kilgraston Young Musician and Perform in Perth competitions.

In the past year the department has seen so many achievements for both individuals and groups. Coming out of two lockdowns where performance was so restricted, with audiences not allowed, it is testament to the pupils and staff that live music has made a return to life at Kilgraston. However this success is tinged with sadness as this summer we say farewell to music teacher and percussion instructor Mr Gordon Murch after many years at Kilgraston. The music department has benefited so much from Mr Murch’s wide experience in this time, but more importantly his warmth of character and the absolute joy he brings to all the pupils he works with in school from the very youngest reception children through to the most experienced musicians in the senior school. He will be greatly missed by all his pupils and colleagues but we know he will continue to enjoy music making in his retirement and we look forward to welcoming him back soon to Kilgraston.

Junior School show 2022 review - Matilda

The Junior School show 2022 is ‘Matilda: The Musical’. After last year, when the Junior musical was recorded, it is great to be back performing live in front of an audience, and everyone has certainly taken it in their stride. You wouldn’t be able to tell that we had all been online for the last two years! The energy and enthusiasm of the young actors and actresses can’t help but make you smile.

Matilda is a fantastic choice of script; it has everything you could wish for from a musical – comedy, suspense, and of course, catchy musical numbers. The set, which was designed and created by our own stage crew was indistinguishable from a professionally made set, and really speaks to the talent and vision of our National 5 drama students. The number of people involved in pulling this off speaks to the inclusion and spirit of community within our school, with children aged five performing in the musical, to the exam years helping during the performances and coming in during study leave to assist teachers.

It is evident how much time and effort our head of Drama Mrs Murphy, and Director of Music Mr Morley, dedicated to the musical, as the acting, choreography, and singing came together at the final performance to encapsulate the work of several months of hard work. Mr Murch and Mr Stewart provided the top-notch instrumentals to accompany the scenes. The sound and lighting was carried out by Mr Pryke and a team of talented sound technicians in the making, Emma and Kaitlin, and gave a polished and professional feel to our musical.

I think we definitely have some future stars in our midst - Caitlin played the lead role of Matilda, and made us all fall for this intelligent, quirky character with her heartfelt and genuine performance. Ms. Honey, Ms. Trunchbull and the school children also gave delightful performances, showcasing vocals and acting that rivals a West End production. The entire cast was enthusiastic and shared their feeling of fun with the audience.

This was a superb production and is testament to the dedication and perseverance of our outstanding performing arts teachers, as well as the students! I feel privileged to be a part of this wonderful school community.

Isabel, Upper Sixth, Music Prefect

Planet Birdsong - a day of creativity

On Monday Lower and Upper Fourth got the chance to meet part of the team from Planet Birdsong, an organisation that is helping to educate people on birdsong. This includes learning to recognise different bird’s songs and calls out in the real world as well as delving deeper into how the sounds are made up using recordings.

We started and ended the day all together, learning about sonographs (used to show the highs, lows and lengths of different notes) and how birdsong is made up of repeated patterns. This included drawing our own sonographs and creating lyrics to birdsong!

Next we were split into smaller groups and got the chance to walk through the grounds, and — with the help of Peter Cowdrey, the founder of Planet Birdsong, we quickly learnt to distinguish between the different birds we could hear. This included the great tit, wren, blackbird, robin, chaffinch, chiffchaff, wood pigeon and more. We also saw a greater spotted woodpecker feeding its young in their nest, high up in a tree.

In my opinion, the best part of the day was the opportunity to ‘sing like a bird’. This concept might appear strange, but it was the most unique and eye-opening experience I have ever had. Birdsong is far too quick and high pitched for a human to sing, so Planet Birdsong have slowed down recordings of birds, to a quarter or even an eighth of their original speed. Then all you need to do is copy the sounds you hear. After a few practices, this is recorded and sped up again, and you really can sing like a bird!

The day was a great success all round and I am sure that none of us will ever think of birdsong as meaningless twitter again!

Written by Upper Four’s Phoebe

May the Fourth be with you

Kilgraston pipers celebrated International Star Wars Day, May the Fourth, in style this year. Isobel, Libby and Rhona along with piping instructor, Mr Sinclair, performed the theme tune to the best-selling film franchise on our front lawn.

Kilgraston has a thirving and diverse music department, find out more here.

Kilgraston’s Young Musician of the Year 2022

Kilgraston’s Young Musician of the Year has burst back into our calendar this year with an enraptured audience soaking up the many talents of the finalists.

From the tinkering of film scores like ‘Amelie’ and ‘Les Miserables’ to instrumental pieces such as Street Tango by Astor Piazzolla, there was a wide range of genres and instruments on display. Over 60 talented musicians from up and down the school had entered into the initial competition before the 20 finalists were selected. Kilgraston welcomed Dollar Academy’s Director of Music, Mrs Karol Fitzpatrick as the independent adjudicator to the event, which took place in March 2022. Mrs Fitzpatrick commended the pupils, thanking them for their performances before giving a detailed adjudication, full of positive comments and feedback for the performers.

The overall winners were Upper Third’s Caitlin, Junior School Young Musician of the Year, and Lower Sixth’s Manon, who won Young Musician of the Year, Senior School.

Mr Andrew Morley, Kilgraston’s Director of Music, said: “Kilgraston has a strong musical tradition with a superb quality of musicianship across a wide range of instruments and genres. It is something we are incredibly proud of and this year’s Young Musician Of The Year showcases the incredible talents of our pupils. Well done to everyone who took part and thank you to our adjudicator Mrs Fitzpatrick who had some difficult decisions to make so well done to Manon and Caitlin, this year’s Young Musicians of the Year in our Senior and Junior School categories and to all our category winners and runners up.”

You can watch the competition below.

Beginner Class

Runner Up - Elsie – Piano (Lower Third)

Winner - Eliza – Flute (Lower Second)

Junior Singing Class

Runner Up - Sophie (Lower Third)

Winner- Caitlin (Upper Third)

Junior Piano Class

Winner - Darcy (Lower Third)

Junior Instrumental Class

Winner - Sofia – Violin (Lower Second)

Overall Junior Winner – Caitlin (Upper Third)

Intermediate Piano Class

Runner Up - Olivia (Lower Four)

Winner - Liliya (Lower Sixth)

Intermediate Instrumental Class

Runner Up - Francesca - Flute (Lower Fifth)

Winner - Jenny - Violin (Upper Four)

Intermediate Singing Class

Runner Up - Erin (Upper Fifth)

Winner - Chloe (Lower Four)

Advanced Piano Class

Runner Up - Pak Wai (Upper Fifth)

Winner - Emma (Lower Fifth)

Advanced Singing Class

Runner Up - Maia (Lower Fifth)

Runner Up - Laura (Upper Fifth)

Winner - Hannah-Rose (Upper Sixth)

Advanced Instrumental Class

Runner Up - Janna (Upper Fifth) – Violin

Runner Up – Isabel (Upper Sixth) – Cello

Winner - Manon (Lower Sixth) - Violin

Overall Senior Winner and Kilgraston Young Musician 2022 - Manon (Lower Sixth)