Morgan J is one of many talented Sherfield School musicians. He was introduced to the double bass by a friend and started playing five years ago, at the age of 11.
Being one of the more unusual instruments, he joined a local orchestra in the hope that he would meet and be able to play alongside other double bassists. Initially he joined the Basingstoke Training String Orchestra and then, after two years, he progressed to Basingstoke Area Youth String Orchestra (BAYSO).
Two years later he decided to also take up the cornet and joined a local wind orchestra. He practices both instruments most days, making progress with short but regular practice.
In 2016 he joined the Royal College of Music Junior Department. He hadn’t taken any grades in double bass on joining but was already playing to Grade 5 standard. He now spends every Saturday at the RCM with a full programme of 1:1 lessons on both instruments, doing Bass Works, singing in a boys choir, playing in Sinfonia and covering music theory. It makes for a tough, busy week but it is worth the effort to be studying in such an inspirational place.
At school Morgan has a variety of musical opportunities too; he has played solos on both instruments in all the termly concerts as well as with various ensembles he has joined and at a Remembrance Service and at one of the World War l cemeteries on a school battlefields trip, he played the ‘Last Post’.
Recently he played as part of an ensemble for the school musical ‘Oliver!’, which took place at the Haymarket Theatre in Basingstoke and in April he has the rare opportunity to play at the Royal Albert Hall, with BAYSO. Find out more about music in the curriculum at Sherfield School.
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