Headmaster’s Blog 11.06.21

I come from a very musical family and grew up in a house where music making was the norm and, it is fair to say, not always quite as harmonious as it might have been.  Cellos, pianos and the treble and bass parts of a huge repertoire of choral music rang through the place, augmented by the diligent and remorseless viola playing of our German student houseguest, Wolfram.  Presiding over everything in spirit, if not always in person, was my maternal grandfather.  I remember the portrait photograph of him in his finery of starched linen surplice and high, ecclesiastical ruff, eyeballing the young me – a rather reluctant pianist – with all the slightly haughty distain of a head chorister (as he was at Lincoln Cathedral directly after the First World War) to the naughtiest and most recalcitrant probationer.  I always knew that I was the least talented of the lot, in truth, but I have always enjoyed music making and I have cherished the gift of appreciating the talent of others.

One of the great things about Wetherby is that we have a really diverse and enthusiastic group of musicians amongst our pupils and we have a very talented and dedicated department of professionals to teach them and to help them nurture their love of music.  Performance is an integral part of the process of learning a musical instrument and I was delighted to hear the impressive range of performances submitted for the Trib music competition.  All in all a fun feast of music and well done to all.

We have more wonderful performances to look forward to as the music department prepares for its next concert – Live Lounge, which showcases a wide variety of contemporary music. It will premiere on Wednesday 23rd June at 6.00pm.

The incoming Prefect Team have begun their duties around school with great enthusiasm and have been a visible presence as they greet pupils each morning at Hannah House. They are wonderful role models for the younger boys with their sense of good humour while taking their responsibilities seriously.

We welcomed a number of guest speakers to the School this week. IE Madrid university admissions officers came into school earlier today to talk to Year 12 pupils about their degree options which include excellent provision in Business/Economics and Law. We also welcomed one of our parents, Maria Como, on Tuesday. Maria spoke to Year 12 about presentation and communication skills in relation to their EPQ presentations which are taking place later this month. We received very positive feedback from the talk, with the boys saying this was one of the most useful talks they’ve had. We are grateful to Maria for generously giving us so much of her time.

Finally some great news from the drama department. Out of 39 boys who recently completed LAMDA exams, 31 passed with Distinction and 8 with Merit. Well done to all.