The Music Department at Denstone is a very busy and flourishing department within the College. Over 250 individual instrumental and vocal lessons are taught on a weekly basis.
There are numerous choirs and ensembles in which students can participate and an annual programme of over 20 concerts which provides students with opportunities to perform both formally and informally. Alongside the Director of Music and Assistant Director of Music, the department is also staffed by a Music department Secretary and an expert team of 18 highly qualified and experienced visiting music teachers, many of whom continue to perform professionally outside their teaching commitments. Many students achieve excellent results in the graded examinations of the ABRSM and other Music boards and, in recent years, several students have gone on to achieve the ARSM Performance Diploma
Within the curriculum, music is taught to all students in the first three years, with topics ranging from Minimalism to SE Asian Gamelan music, from blues to film music and from African drumming to topics that reinforce a thorough grounding in music theory and notation. All students are given the opportunity to experience and appreciate a broad range of styles and genre across the widest range of musical styles.
At examination level music is a popular subject. The department currently teaches the Edexcel syllabus for GCSE and the Eduqas syllabus for A level, with increasing numbers of students opting to study the subject at both GCSE and A Level. Those students who study music at A level do so not only because of their passion for the subject, but also because it is seen as an excellent complementary subject to both Arts and Technical subjects in equal measure. In recent years, several students have continued their musical studies at university and conservatoire.
Music Scholarships are available at 11+ and 13+ entry to the College and also available is the Lethbridge Scholarship (named after our former Director of Music) which is available for entry to the Sixth Form. (Details are available from the Department and from Admissions).
