We were delighted very recently to be invited (through the Cheltenham Education Partnership) to attend a fabulous afternoon hosted by Cheltenham College. The College is an all-Steinway school, which means that they have a close relationship with the famous piano builders and have some stunning-sounding instruments.

One of our Y12s, Jasmine Went, had the honour of playing in a masterclass arranged by Steinways with internationally-renowned concert pianist, Martin Roscoe. She performed a Chopin Nocturne – absolutely exquisitely - and Mr Roscoe was delighted with her playing!

Jasmine also played in a public recital that same evening and again acquitted herself beautifully.

The second half of the visit included a talk from Visiting Music Teacher, Havilland Willshire, who gave us some very interesting insight into repertoire for the piano (specifically preludes and studies by a range of composers). In addition, we had a fascinating demonstration from Keith Glazebrook of Steinway & Sons, who stunned us with little-known facts about how a Steinway is constructed – including details of sourcing the Sitka spruce used for the sound board from an Alaskan mountain… It has to come from exactly the right altitude, or it’s not good enough!

Our students ranged from Y9 to Y12 and they all seemed enthralled by the whole afternoon.

A couple of comments from our students :

’ I really enjoyed the talk from the Steinway Representative about how the pianos are built, like the special wood they use and how good their soundboards are. I also liked the Masterclass where Jasmine played brilliantly and Martin Roscoe had some very good things to say.’

‘I found the masterclass very helpful and informative even from a spectator’s view, giving me some tips for things I can apply to my own piano playing. The presentation on building a Steinway was very inspiring and interesting too. I very much enjoyed the day! ‘

A big Thank You to Cheltenham College for hosting, to Mr Niblett for making the initial contact through Cheltenham Education Partnership, to Martin Roscoe, Havilland Willshire and Keith Glazebrook – and our wonderful student ambassadors for Balcarras Music Department – particularly to Jasmine!

Jane Watts, Head of Extra-Curricular Music