Two Pupils Selected as Finalists in ISA Young Musician Competition

Two of our pupils have been selected as Finalists in the prestigious ISA Young Musician Competition, an annual national competition that celebrates exceptional young musical talent. This competition is highly competitive with children from hundreds of schools around the country taking part. It is exceptional that not one, but two of just ten finalists have been selected from our school.

Congratulations to one of our Form 5 girls, who performed Waltz No. 19 in A Minor by Frédéric Chopin on the piano, and to our Form 6 boys, who performed Vivace from Sonata in F Major by Georg Philipp Telemann on the recorder. Click these links to watch their stellar performances.

As finalists, both pupils have been invited to perform in a live concert at St Hilda’s College, University of Oxford this March. Performing in such an inspiring setting is a remarkable opportunity, and we cannot wait to hear all about their experience.

Let’s hear from these young musicians about their thoughts about music, tips for practise, and more.

Form 6 Boy – Recorder

What is your top tip for aspiring recorder players?: “My top tip is to practise every day. Take a video when you start the piece so you can see how much progress you have made. Then you can see how much work you put in.”

What do you like most about playing the recorder?: “I enjoy how I feel when I’m playing the recorder – it makes me happy to hear the beautiful sounds. I love performing in front of an audience and am very excited to play at Oxford University!”

Form 5 Girl – Piano

What is your top tip for aspiring piano players?: “Practice effectively, focus on the difficult parts, listen to your music and enjoy it.”

What do you like most about playing the piano?:

“I enjoy playing piano because I can express different emotions and feelings while playing nice tunes and melodies.”

How did you get started with playing?: “I was watching the movie Sing and I was inspired by the gorilla who was playing upbeat piano. I thought it was really cool, and because of that I decided that I wanted to play it too.”

We wish these two pupils the very best for their performance in March, and can’t wait to hear how they get on.