BrightSparks Concert - Royal Festival Hall

Music remains a popular option choice at GCSE, led by an enthusiastic staff team and containing a curriculum which deepens students' love of the subject. On 6 November, the group were offered an exciting opportunity to watch the London Philharmonic Orchestra - live at Royal Festival Hall! Students headed up to London on the tube, excited for the BrightSparks Concert.

The concert featured the Orchestra performing and analysing pieces of music that are part of the GCSE specification - meaning that they will be part of their final examinations in summer 2027. There was a presenter breaking down the music in a fun and engaging way, as well as a big screen behind the Orchestra to pick out key musical elements. 

For many students, this was their first exposure to live orchestra music, and students had an amazing time. This was a fantastic example of how our extra-curricular offer seeks to takes students' learning beyond the textbooks - an approach that will make a huge difference to their final grades! Student feedback was unanimously positive, mentioning that the 90-minute show greatly improved their musical knowledge.

The most valuable thing we learned on the trip was how the composers created this music and stories about them and their music.