HCS music ranks high in The Week

Three Hereford Cathedral School pupils have taken the school’s reputation for music one step further after the school was named one of the top for music by prestigious British news magazine The Week.

Sixth Form pupil Meg J, 17, went straight into her new school year with a flute diploma exam to take, and passed with flying colours. With Grade 8 already under her belt, Meg (pictured below) put in an extra four hours’ practice a week – and said the hardest part was building up enough stamina to play a 35-minute recital.

A diploma is normally attained at university or conservatoire level and Meg says she feels “amazing” to have finished her flute exams before leaving school. She has now set her sights on gaining a place at a music conservatoire.

Talented organist Michael D, 15, has achieved a staggering 144 out of 150 in his Grade 6 organ exams, a mark that’s “unheard of”, according to his school peers. As well as the organ, Michael sings in two school choirs and plays the piano and trumpet. “There are so many opportunities for music here,” said Michael, who played Baroque music and Vivaldi as part of his Grade 6 organ exam.

Sixth Form student Maxim F is also celebrating musical success after being awarded a choral scholarship to University College, Oxford. He follows former pupil Laurence John who began Queen’s College Oxford this term on an organ scholarship.

Home to School Choir of the Year 2017, Hereford Cathedral School has been named ‘Great for Music’ in The Week’s much-coveted Independent School’s Guide (Autumn/Winter 2017). “It’s great to be recognised for bucking the trend when it comes to music,” said David Evans, Director of Music at Hereford Cathedral School(pictured above). “This is a school where music is taken seriously and is a formidable part of a child’s education, and for the last 13 consecutive years our pupils have gained both choral and organ scholarships to Oxbridge.