Bringing Music to Life at Truro School Prep

Over 150 children gathered at Truro School Prep earlier this month for a free musical concert.

The brainchild of retired Headteacher Mr Ian Halford, who is also a committee member for Truro 3 Arts, the event was designed to bring classical music to life for primary school children.

Mr Halford arranged for the Primrose Quartet, which comprises Susanne Stanzleit (violin), Dorothea Vogel (viola), Andrew Fuller (cello) and John Thwaites (piano) to visit Cornwall and perform their fun concert for children in Key Stage 2 (years 3-6). Head of Truro School Prep, Mr Rob Morse, offered to host the concert at the school, as a part of the school’s ongoing community outreach programme.

Children from five local schools, Truro School Prep, Bosvigo, Archbishop Benson, Perranarworthal and Tregolls, gathered in the Prep Assembly Hall for the concert. The programme consisted of a blend of familiar or fun classical music, that blended storytelling and performance. It included renditions of classics such as ‘Hedwigs Theme’ by John Williams, ‘Ferdinand the Bull’ by Alan Ridout and ‘The Bare Necessities’ by Terry Gilkyson.

The Quartet have had distinguished musical careers and their education programme involves short pieces of music with introductions, narrations, costumes and various surprises to capture young audiences’ attention.

As well as experiencing a range of different musical styles, the children also learnt about the four instruments in the quartet and listened to solo pieces from each of the performers.

Mr Halford remarked, “I was delighted by the reception given to the performers by all the pupils. They were thoroughly engrossed and, hopefully, the concert will have encouraged many of them to take up an instrument and will have widened their appreciation of music. I am indebted to Rob Morse for hosting the concert and I know that he is as keen as I am to arrange something similar next year for the pupils in our local schools.’

In the evening, the Quartet performed a programme of music by Mozart, Saint-Saens, Francaix and Chausson to a large and appreciative audience at Truro College, the final concert of the Truro 3 Arts season.

Head of Truro School Prep, Mr Rob Morse said of the concert, “When Mr Halford contacted me regarding hosting a concert for local schools at Truro School Prep, I leapt at the chance. The Primrose Quartet is such a superbly talented group and any programme designed to engage children in the wonders of classical music should be supported.

It was a fantastic concert, with exceptional musical talent on display, but it was most heartwarming to see children from schools across Cornwall coming together to share in the joy of music.”