On Tuesday 25th June, the curtain went up on Mr Mountford’s final concert at King’s, who leaves for pastures new. As such it was a special event, with heavy involvement from Kate, Chris and the brass department pupils.

King’s Brass opened the concert with the Grand Chœur Dialogué arranged for brass ensemble and organ, featuring Jeremy Lloyd who will also be leaving at the end of this term. This was followed by Kate’s arrangements of Concierto de Aranjuez (Rodrigo) and The Mandalorian (Goransson). Next came performances by the Jazz and Wind Bands and Orchestra.

The first half drew to a close with the first of the leaver’s solos, from Hugh on the mighty cathedral organ, playing Saint-Saens’ finale from Symphony No. 3, supported by Kate, Chris and other tutors and returning Old Roffensians (ORs) in the orchestra.

The second half included a performance on trumpet by William and his beautifully executed Spider and the Fly by Britten.

The evening closed with a grand performance from choir, orchestra and audience, of the Medway Hymn, the last movement of Thomas Hewitt Jones’s Regards from Rochester.

Farewell Mr Mountford – Head of Music – from all of us at Sound Roots who have had the pleasure of working with you at King’s; you will be sorely missed!

On Tuesday 2nd July friends, parents, teachers and governors were treated to a selection of performances by King’s Prep School ensembles and dancers at the Prep School Concert of Music and Dance. 

Kate & Chris supported members of the Brass Monkeys ensemble performing a selection of opera classics: March from Aida, Don Giovanni and Carmen. The performance was very well received by all, and the pupils played superbly.

Students from the brass department also performed with the Wind Band and Orchestra, showcasing pieces by living composers, including their very own Mr Vinall conducting his own composition for Wind Band! 

Brass & Percussion players aged 9-18 come join our fun day on Sunday 14th July 10am – 1.30pm at Guildhall School of Music & Drama

Special guests Bach Artist – Mark Kavuma, Kinetika Bloco Brass Bands England as well as Phil Parker Ltdhttps://www.gsmd.ac.uk/…/national-brass-percussion-day…

On Monday this week Kate was delighted to perform alongside pupils from King’s School in Rochester, along with visiting choirs from IAPS schools across the country. The Festival of Singing was the first event of it’s kind run by IAPS and was held at the stunning Rochester Cathedral, with proceeds being donated to the itrust charity.

Pupils sang a variety of songs, including religious choral works and popular / folk numbers. Kate’s involvement was to play with the orchestra for 2 of the massed choir pieces; Vivaldi’s Gloria (on piccolo trumpet) and the Benedictus from Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man – which included a bass drum loud enough to make the audience, choir and orchestra alike jump out of their seats!

Congratulations to everyone involved in this inaugural event; it was a big undertaking and we hope there will be many more to follow.

We are delighted to announce MMA’s Easter Music Courses for 2024.

There is something for everyone.

·       KS1 Music Courses for pupils in Years 1 and 2 – No experience required.

·       Beginner Music Course – No experience required through to Grade 1 Standard.

·       2 Day Instrumental Course – For instrumentalists Grade 2 to Grade 8 Standard.

·       Online Music Tech Beginner Course (FREE) – No experience required.

·       Online Music Tech Intermediate Course (FREE) – For those with some experience of using BandLab.

MMA are keen to get as many pupils involved as they can.  Please visit their website (https://www.medwaymusicassociation.co.uk/eastermusiccourses2023) for more information and to apply. 

As we work as Licensed Music Teachers with Medway Music Association / Dynamics we are pleased to share with you the news that MMA’s Saturday Music Centre will re-open on Saturday 23rd September and is welcoming new members.  MMA’s Music Centre is only £15 for the whole year and is a fantastic affordable opportunity for the young musicians of Medway.

More details can be found on MMA’s website: https://www.medwaymusicassociation.co.uk/saturdaymusiccentre

Kate has worked in partnership with Dynamics – The Medway Music Education Hub since June 2022 offering fully funded brass lessons at Balfour Junior School. From September, she will be teaching funded trumpet, tenor horn and keyboard sessions! These sessions will run on Friday afternoons. They are always very popular so please contact Ms Kember or the school office if you wish to apply for a space for your child. Instruments and a tutor book will be provided for your child to use for the duration of the sessions (usually limited to 30 sessions per child, with an option to continue studying with Kate privately after the funded sessions have ended).

We are delighted to share with you Medway Music Association’s Summer Music Courses for 2023!

There is something for everyone:

·       KS1 Music Courses for pupils in Years 1 and 2 – No experience required.

·       Beginner Music Course – No experience required through to Grade 1 Standard.

·       3 Day Instrumental Course – For instrumentalists Grade 2 to Grade 8 Standard.

·       Online Music Tech Beginner Course – No experience required.

·       Online Music Tech Intermediate Course – For those with some experience of using BandLab.

MMA are keen to get as many pupils involved as they can.  Please visit their website (https://www.medwaymusicassociation.co.uk/mmasummermusiccourses2023) for more information and to apply. The closing date for applications is Saturday 1st July 2023. We hope you find something that you think your child/children might enjoy!

Meet some of our 21-22 Keyboard Club Members: