Introduction

On behalf of the music department and all the students involved, it gives me enormous pleasure to present our Year 7 ensemble and their stirring performance of Purcell's 'Rondo' from 'Abdelazer', composed by Henry Purcell in 1695 to accompany a play of the same name by English dramatist Aphra Behn. Although Behn’s play is no longer performed, the music for it remains one of Purcell’s most enduring creations.

Over the Spring 2021 lockdown, the students have worked very hard in their online rehearsals, practising their performances before finally recording their parts individually at home. After a huge collective effort, these have come together to reveal a charming performance. We hope you enjoy this!

A very big well done to the Year 7 instrumentalists, and my heartfelt thanks to all who participated; giving many hours of their time to rehearse and record the repertoire and to Miss Sturge in particular for her extraordinary level of dedication and commitment to music at Tiffin Girls’.

While lockdown has restricted our ability to hold concerts in the usual way, we will persevere in trying to realise as many music-making opportunities for our students as we can. Our ambitions for our department and consequently for all students remain high; we have replaced one piano and hope to purchase two more. We have purchased new ukuleles for Year 7 to encourage their enjoyment in making music and hope to have a concert this summer. On a lighter note, we have also invested in a Moog Theremin to explore the links between physics and music-making. With volume and pitch controlled by subtle movements of the hands within a magnetic field, we are sure that everyone will want to try out this unusual instrument for themselves,

None of this would have been possible without the support we receive from The Tiffin Girls' Music Society (TGMS). They have continued to support us, morally, financially and technically, and we are grateful to the committee - and to all members - for their contribution.

In order that we can continue making music to the high standards we set for our students and ourselves, I must make yet another plea for your financial support. There are multiple ways in which you can help us make music an inclusive, welcoming and stimulating part of school life; the easiest way is by making a donation to TGMS, the details of which is as follows:

• To donate £5, please text TGSMUSIC to 70970

• To donate £10, please text TGSMUSIC to 70191

• To donate a larger amount, please visit http://easydonate.org/TGSMUSIC

If you’ve enjoyed watching us perform, please consider making a donation. Alternatively you can also support TGMS through EasyFundraising or by becoming a member of TGMS - details of which are available here >

Whatever you can do is greatly appreciated and goes towards helping us shape the future of music at this wonderful school.

We wish you a restful Easter break.

Mr Meryon
March 2021