The Music Department is accommodated in two areas of the Main School; the Alston Room, Music Room, and Orangery provide rehearsal, classroom and individual teaching, and concert rooms, with a concert grand piano in each. The storage and teaching of the larger orchestral instruments, such as Double Bass and Harp, as well as the less reticent ones, including the Highland Pipes, is accommodated in this area. The former wine cellar has been converted into a magnificent suite of 36 practice rooms, seventeen of which are equipped with pianos, and seven teaching rooms. 

The Director of Music, assisted by the Head of Junior Music, the Musician-in-Residence, and a team of twenty-two visiting music teachers, offers a broad curriculum to all pupils, as well as individual lessons in all instruments, and a diverse range of ensembles for all ages and abilities.

The International Celebrity Concert Series represents a key aspect of music at Orwell Park; pupils have played host in recent years to pianists John Lill and Yaltah Menhuin, BBC Young Musicians Nicola Benedetti and James Kirby, cellist Anup Biswas, and, annually, the Big Chris Barber Band.

The Music Department encourages all pupils, of all abilities, to participate at the highest level possible; in recent years pupils have represented Orwell Park in the National Children’s Choir, National Children’s Orchestra, Pro Corda, English Touring Opera, and the IAPS Orchestras Trust.  Music Scholarships are won to public schools on an annual basis.

Martin O'Brien