Music is a real strength of Leighton Park with 60% of our students learning at least one instrument and 27 peripatetic music teachers providing expert tuition. There are frequent evening and lunchtime concerts throughout the year, culminating in an al fresco extravaganza of performances each Summer term and a musical show every other year. Musical education extends to Music Technology and overlaps with our BTEC courses in creative digital media, TV and film production as well. Our exceptional facilities on site are complemented by the opportunities to travel with the biannual music tour which last year visited Tuscany.
Continuing their musical journeys, nine of our Year 11 and Sixth Form musicians travelled to Vienna at the start of Long Leave to experience the musical and cultural delights of one of Europe’s epicentres of classical music. Vienna has shaped the symphony and modern musical movements through composers such as Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and Mahler as well as being the birthplace of the Second Viennese School, including the shift from tonality to atonality & serialism.
The group were excited to explore the city with its rich cultural history and to learn more about Vienna’s musical innovations and legendary composers, over four days from 19th to 22nd October. The group started off in Vienna’s Prater district, Kaiserwiese Park & Gardens, seeing the giant Ferris wheel constructed in 1897. On Sunday they took in the Upper Belvedere Baroque Palace with its 800 years of art history masterpieces by Klimt, Schiele, Funke, Messerschmidt and van Gogh. They also visited St Stephen’s Cathedral at the centre of the city, Austria’s tallest church at 136m; the Mozart Haus, commemorating the life and work of Mozart; and the interactive museum, Haus der Musik; before resting over a relaxing meal at the 1516 Brewing Company. Monday was another busy day with Schönbrunn Palace in the morning, a guided tour of the MusikVerein, dinner at the famous Café Weimer and an evening at the opera, Volksoper Vienna, to see Bizet’s ‘Carmen’, one of the most famous operas in the world with it’s memorable melodies ‘Habanera’ and ‘Toredor Song’. Rounding off the trip, Tuesday saw our travellers exploring the Wiener Zentralfriedhof (Central Cemetery of Vienna), one of the largest cemeteries in Europe and burial place for Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, and Johann Strauss in its beautiful park-like setting. The final destination before departure was the Arnold Schönberg Center, a museum and cultural institution dedicated to preserving and promoting the legacy of Arnold Schoenberg (1874–1951), one of the most influential composers of the 20th century.
Despite the hectic schedule and impressive musical, intellectual and cultural exposure there was also plenty of time for our students to meander through the streets soaking up the atmosphere, which is such an important aspect of Vienna that it has been included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
Sophie (Year 11) enthused, “The highlight for me was ticking various experiences off the bucket list such as seeing an opera, specifically in Vienna, visiting Mozart’s house and the graves of all the different composers. However, if I were to pinpoint a place, it would be the Haus der Musik. It may not be the most famous location however I learnt so much from it and thought it was such a well thought out, fun yet educational environment. Immersing myself in the music has allowed it to naturally become a part of me which I think is going to well support my future musical education. Vienna was one of my favourite trips I’ve had at Leighton Park and I believe it’s the perfect trip for any student who has a passion and future interest for music.”
Oscar (Lower Sixth) also liked the Haus der Musik, reflecting: “It was a fun, interesting and interactive way of learning about the history of music, I really learned a lot. This trip has given me a further understanding into western classical music history, especially the famous composers who were based in Vienna, some of whom were involved in the first and second Viennese Schools, which are prominent sections of the A Level music course.”
Tom (Upper Sixth) equally enjoyed the experience: “My favourite part about the trip was the mix of friendly group of people there where we all got along really well. If I had to pick one moment which was my favourite which is hard to do, it would probably be going to the interactive museum we went to which was really fun or going around the Wiener Musikverein; the golden hall just simply took my breath away by its beauty. The music opportunities at LP are the best around, no matter your standard ranging from grade 1 to Diploma there is always a chance to get involved through the range of opportunities there are, such as the soloists’ concert, movies and musicals concert, jazz concerts. I am truly thankful for the confidence I have achieved by participating in these concerts and the tours around different parts of the world are truly amazing.”
Rosemary Scales, Director of Music and Media, concluded: “I was thrilled with the incredible experiences our students had in the iconic ‘City of Music’. Walking through the same streets as Mozart, Beethoven, Schoenberg and Mahler, they gained a unique perspective on the evolution of Western classical music, from the classical symphony to the revolutionary tones of Expressionism and Serialism. I hope that each performance, visit, and a myriad of discussions allowed our students to deepen their understanding and appreciation of music history in ways that are simply irreplaceable in the classroom. The aim of this visit was to try and support the contextual understanding of our subject and I feel that this trip not only enriched their studies but inspired them as young musicians.”
See more photos from the trip on our online gallery.
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