Introduction

Egglescliffe Music has a national reputation for music making. In particular, our school orchestra and brass band continue to win national awards, including the best school orchestra at the National Music Festival for the past three years. Our extra curricular programme offers opportunities to all pupils who want to get involved in music making, from Junior Choir, to Big Band Jazz. More pupils than ever before are opting into GCSE music and we currently have nearly 200 pupils learning an instrument in school.

Head of Music, Matthew Haworth has been at Egglescliffe for 13 years and is joined by colleagues Clare Wills (B.A. Cambridge and a postgraduate diploma in performance from the Royal Academy of Music), Dr Gareth Parry (PhD Composition Manchester) and Caroline Bagley (B.A. Jazz from Leeds College of Music). The department also enjoys support from a large team of peripatetic staff from the Tees Valley Music Service who offer tuition on all instruments except piano. We also offer singing lessons with ex-pupil and renowned vocalist Cherie Gears. Pupils in the 6^th form can benefit from a 50% contribution to TVMS tuition fees.

Our department has enviable resources including 17 iMacs running Logic Audio, and over 40 PCs running Sibelius. We have a wonderful rehearsal room that as a full range of orchestral percussion. We also have a recording studio with a full range of microphones.

Our extra curricular ensembles regularly perform in school concerts to audiences of 500+. Up to 200 pupils take part in these performances. We have also performed around the country in venues such as Birmingham Symphony Hall, The Sage and the Royal Albert Hall. Currently our extra curricular programme consists of Orchestra, Brass Band, Big Band Jazz, Training Choir, Senior Choir, Intermediate Wind Orchestra, as well as a number of smaller ensembles.

To view a selection of performances by the Egglescliffe Music department please click here (Youtube channel – Egglescliffe Music Department)