Music
The Music School was purpose-built in 2001 and provides an outstanding level of accommodation for the department. It has a large rehearsal room which doubles as a recital hall (seating 200) and a classroom. There is also a second classroom, a recording studio and five practice rooms available for use outside of lesson times; these are regularly filled with students practising alone or playing in groups together. The main school Hall has an electronic organ (60 stop, 3 manual Makin) and a Steinway piano (Model D), in the possession of the school for several decades.
Extra-Curricular Music
The extra-curricular life of the department is rich and varied and there is a major concert each term, as well as many other performance opportunities. The following ensembles rehearse week-by-week:
The school’s flagship ensemble is the Senior Orchestra, founded nearly 80 years ago, meets on Thursday evenings from 6.30-8.30. Players normally join when they reach grade 6 on an instrument and several members come from other schools. This advanced level of musical skill allows us to perform some of the top orchestral repertoire and in recent years the orchestra has performed Dvorak’s Cello Concerto, Shostakovich’s Festive Overture and Sibelius’s Karelia Suite.
KEGS Music’s all ability, all age ensemble is the Wind Band, which rehearses on Wednesday lunchtimes. We have members from all years, as well as members of staff who take part. This ensemble plays lighter repertoire, ranging from specialist Wind Band music to arrangements of Film and TV themes and pop songs.
The School Choir top voices (trebles) are unbroken boys’ voices, and they rehearse on Monday lunchtimes. The Sopranos and Altos (sixth form girls and female staff), Tenors and Basses rehearse on Tuesday lunchtimes. The choir benefits greatly from our links with Chelmsford Cathedral (we are an active part of the choral foundation) and several members are current and former cathedral choristers. The main choir performances are in the school carol service and the spring concert; the trebles often perform at the other concerts.
KEGS Music also has senior and junior string groups – junior strings rehearse after school on a Wednesday and senior strings on a Thursday lunchtime. This is an opportunity for our students to experience some of the excellent repertoire for string ensemble, particularly by British composers.
Instrumental Lessons
The Music Department offers lessons on most orchestral and non-orchestral instruments. Students receive regular lessons with one of our highly qualified peripatetic teachers. If your son/daughter is interested in starting lessons at school, please use the application form below.
Instrumental staff
- Alexandra Abbott – Guitar
- Zak Barrett – Clarinet, Saxophone
- Kia Bennett – Flute
- Francesca Bruns – Piano
- Tim Carey – Piano
- Tim Eaton – Oboe
- Martin Everett – Drums
- Martin Gadd- Violin, Viola
- Danielle Harding-Smith – Piano
- Andrew Liddell – Violin
- Naomi Poole – Cello
KEGS Alumni Musicians
KEGS Music has a proud tradition of outstanding musicians who have started their careers at this school. Anthony Marwood, the internationally known violinist, Martin Outram, Professor of Music at the Royal College of Music and one of the foremost exponents of the viola, Timothy Carey, a pianist with an international reputation, Guthrie Govan, guitarist and writer for Guitar Techniques magazine, Thomas Jenkinson (AKA Squarepusher) electronic musician, record producer, bassist & DJ, Baritone Ross Ramgobin, Counter-Tenor Tim Mead, former King’s Singer Tim Wayne-Wright, Denis Wick, Britain’s most influential orchestral trombonist of the 20th century and Paul Dorrington, guitar with Indie legends, The Wedding Present, are all products of KEGS; as are a string of organ and choral scholars, Essex Youth Orchestra musicians, and several Young Musician of the Year finalists.
