The school where the arts are thriving

Bradford Grammar School (BGS) has a reputation for producing outstanding musicians, actors and artists, and with music scholarships available, there are even more reasons to choose the school.

Walking into one of Bradford Grammar School’s music rooms, the Director of Music, Elizabeth White, heads over to the piano, her curiosity piqued by a handwritten note propped against the music stand.

“A gift for an amazing teacher,” she reads. “Oh, that’s so lovely. Bless her, this pupil has just got her Grade II distinction and she’s been talking about taking her exam since she got here in September. That’s made my day.”

Miss White has been at BGS for ten years, and the difference she and her colleagues (including 13 peripatetic teachers) make to every pupil on their musical journey is vast. From starting out in Junior School, where some are picking up an instrument for the first time, to heading off to conservatoires in pursuit of professional music careers, BGS offers the perfect environment to nurture artistic talent.

The school offers lessons in all orchestra and band instruments as well as the organ. Children play in concerts throughout the year, in ensembles, musicals and perform at venues such as St George’s Hall, in Bradford, and Leeds Minster. There are a multitude of co-curricular clubs, from Junior Choir to Senior Orchestra, and, on average, 32 rehearsals per week take place. This year alone, says Miss White, there are 17 concerts to rehearse for with audiences of up to 700 people at Christmas to much lower numbers for lunchtime concerts, where students of all aptitudes can practise performing in front of an audience.

As well as teaching music at GCSE, the school offers two subjects at A Level – Music and Music Technology – and every classroom is equipped with the latest compositional software. The school offers music scholarships, where a student’s one-to-one tuition is paid for the entirety of their time at BGS along with additional support from Miss White.

“For me it’s amazing to see someone go from the first rehearsal for a concert to the finished effect,” she says. “They always make me proud. We don’t do anything half-heartedly here!

“Learning an instrument and having the discipline to practise, be better and turn up consistently to rehearsals, it teaches them so much. They learn resilience, organisation skills, and self-awareness. It can also help them make friends. Some students spend every single lunchtime in the music department.”

The skills students develop from studying the performing arts can take them far, says Julia Sharp, Head of Drama at BGS.

“In drama, we develop skills in how to present yourself and your ideas with confidence, how to be articulate, a team player and be someone who can think outside the box and generate creative ideas. It also encourages leadership skills and independent learning styles.”

Like music, drama is offered at GCSE and A Level with lunchtime clubs, regular theatre trips and practitioners invited to run workshops. The school puts on a major production every year, alternating between a play and a musical, and is fortunate to have the Hockney Theatre, named after world-renowned artist and Old Bradfordian David Hockney, and an experienced theatre manager on hand.

Adds Mrs Sharp: “The arts encourage children to free their imagination and find creative solutions. Not everyone wants to be an actor, but everyone benefits from thinking in different ways and putting themselves in another person’s shoes to empathise with their situation.”

* To find out more about Bradford Grammar School’s art provision, register for our upcoming open event at bradfordgrammar.com/signup.