Throughout her time at St Wystan’s School, Effie (Form 4) has continued to establish herself as an accomplished musician. Not only does she play the harp to an extremely high standard, but also the French horn as well as her beautiful singing voice. Music at St Wystan’s has always been an intrinsic part of school life, with Music lessons and extra-curricular activities being introduced when children join us in Nursery.
Effie has a catalogue of successes to her name, with her most recently being awarded a high merit for her grade 8 harp exam, making her one of the youngest people in the world to achieve this accolade. For someone of her age, Effie has achieved so much, from being accepted into Birmingham conservatoire age 5, to winning the British International New Talent Music Competition age 6. Now she is about to start a new exciting adventure, playing with the the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain.
She discusses what she is most looking forward to about joining the National Children’s Orchestra (NCO). “I really love learning and playing music with other people. I love it when you hear all the different instruments playing together and it’s so much fun learning lots of different new pieces.
I am super excited to play with the NCO as it will be lovely to meet other harpists and the other instrument players. We will be taught by some of the best harp teachers in the country so I am looking forward to learning lots from them. We will also be taught music theory, composing and improvising, P.E. and exercises to help us play, and also there are party nights! We will be meeting virtually on the internet 4-5 times a week, but I look forward to meeting everyone in person soon”.
Effie has also been an exceptional role model for others during the pandemic. She has been a part of many causes which helped raise money for key workers and the NHS. Below she speaks with Amy Yuan from New Talent Youth Music about her musical contribution to her community throughout the pandemic.
Mrs Karan Hopkinson, Headteacher at St Wystan’s leads the school community in celebrating Effie’s successes “We are so proud of Effie’s musical achievements and her continued drive to help out others within her local community. She shows true testament to our School values and proves that by working together we are stronger. I have no doubt that Effie with have a stellar future with whatever path she may wish to take”.
Visit our creative arts page to find out more about our creative curriculum as well as the music provisions on offer at St Wystan’s School, or alternatively, please contact our operations manager via email operations@stwystans.org.uk or call 01283 703258.
