11 Plus Exams Forum

Premature I know but does anyone have any experience of the brass teacher at SHS. DD plays euph and will be around grade 5 in September. Would welcome any comments or PMs

The brass teacher is Stuart Ellsmore, who is a good musician (from bumping into him on the circuit). He had worked for Glos Music for many years and seems to be well respected as a teacher. There are some very good brass players at the school.

I can't vouch for him as a teacher, as my children learn orchestral percussion & viola at school, but he was a good & well liked (by the pupils) conductor of the area Youth Orchestra until Glos Music axed them, leaving the music centres and county orchestras with now't in the middle.

The orchestral percussion (& kit), viola / fiddle and theory teachers are all recommend by me & my kiddies.

Stuart Ellsmore. He taught my husband in the 1970's and is now teaching my son at Marling !
If your daughter is grade 5 he will be good for her.
That's assuming he is still teaching there next year. With the demise of Gloucestershire Music I'm not quite sure if teachers get the chamnce to 'bid"to teach at certain schools or will just keep going with their exising pupils.

Phil Storer is the other brass teacher I know in Stroud and he is excellent.
But not teaching at SHS at the moment.
SHS orchestra is fantastic. It will benefit from having another good brass player and at grade 5 your daughter should be able to join in her first term.
There is also a jazz group, but older girls.

Thanks for that, Though my daughters is not usually an orchestra instrument..

Oh they need a Euphonium to round the sound !
I'm sure the lovely Mr Trim, who conducts the orchestra will provide an orchestral score for her if she wants to play !

Thank you.

I'm sure I've also heard a Brass Ensemble at concerts, the Jazz Ensemble was playing (very nicely) at the Carol Service / Concert last week, and Downfielders Barn Dance Band would happily have a Euph (though be warned, your daughter would not get to do paid for gigs 'till Y9). There's also a Wind Band. If she's > grade 5, then she could join Senior Orchestra that starts in September, otherwise she'd have to wait until Feb to join Junior Orchestra; the orchestras are age and grade differentiated, so Y10 up can only be in Senior Orch, Grade 5 or over can be in either irrespective of age, and Years 7 to 9 below grade 5 can only be in junior. Senior Orchestra & Downfielders are all mixed-gender with boys from Marling.

About the only things she wouldn't be able to join would be Junior / Senior Strings or the woodwind ensemble.

In common with all the grammars and most of the non-grammars, there are a fair few from SHS who play in Gloucestershire Youth Orchestra, Glos Youth Wind Orchestra, Glos Youth Jazz Orchestra and Youth Choir. Just getting ready to drive to Chelt Town Hall to see the GYO & GYWO Xmas Concert (narrator - Keith Allen (aka Lilly's dad)) this evening, complete with the second performance of 'Journey' - last performed at the Royal Albert Hall a month ago (err - and last rehearsed then as well) ... Should be fun.