DIVERSE ENCOUNTERS AND CONNECTIONS
Eliza Ang ( Lower Sixth ) chose to use this scheme to advocate for refugees . She produced a video of student acts and refugee performances , interspersed with facts about the global refugee crisis . Eliza shared with the audience that she chose to support Music Action International because it is a charity which transforms the lives of refugees through music . Music is a medium for them to express themselves and improve their wellbeing . She hopes that through her actions , the school community might become more aware of the needs of refugees .
Through music we learn to feel empathy and engage with those outside our cultural milieu .
THE MUSIC SCHOLAR PROJECT
Small in stature but big at heart , a Year 7 student is about to present her Family + Friends Music Evening , which she has planned meticulously . Having encountered another young person battle cancer , Rose Symington-Mills decided to run a charity concert in support of the Little Princess Trust . The enchanting performances , including Lizzie Gwyther on piano , playing ‘ Aladdin ’, were praised by the charity ambassador Rebecca Smith , who joined us . Through music we learn to feel empathy .
The Music Scholar Project , funded by the Sevenoaks School Foundation , gives students like Rose the chance to embark on a venture of their own devising , with a fund of up to £ 200 . By embarking on these independent projects , it aims to support students to develop into unique individuals with stories to tell , whose actions have enriched the lives of themselves and others .
THE SPACE COLLECTIVE
A keen awareness of the voices of the marginalised and overlooked imbues the activities of the Music department . This year , as part of a focus on minimalist music , the Space Collective performed Julius Eastman ’ s ‘ Stay on it ’. Repeated fragments of music , played in a semi-improvisatory fashion , are underpinned by a riff which was played by the steady hands of Arissa Vaziri ( Year 10 ) on keyboard . However , as the work proceeds , the composer instructs the performers to ‘ deconstruct ’ the musical material , until it sounds riotous and disintegrated . Eastman was very open to speaking about his experiences as a gay and black musician working in 1970s America . His works , by way of provocative and overt titles , force listeners to confront issues of social inequality .
DISCOVERING DIVERSE VOICES
Discovering Diverse Voices is the flagship concert of a department that is committed to diversity . This year ’ s event led students to encounter the new sounds , stories and perspectives of composers such as Louise Farrenc , courtesy of Year 7 pianist , Cici Qin . Farrenc was a female luminary who benefited from the liberties espoused by the French Revolution . This is a snapshot of the encounters and connections we seek as we engage with music and people outside our immediate cultural milieu . Far from mere diversion , students learn each day to approach music as a creative activity that has powerful social and cultural agency .
Tau Wey
56 MUSIC REVIEW