Rochester Grammar School - Music specialist school?

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orangebear4
Posts: 48
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2008 12:53 pm
Location: Aylesford

Rochester Grammar School - Music specialist school?

Post by orangebear4 »

Hi, can anyone help me with a problem I have already posted on the Kent forum, but thought I'd post here too as it concerns a Medway school.
I have a very musical daughter, who is looking for traditional music groups to join at her senior school. She would like a school with different orchestras for different abilities/age groups, several choirs and a good stock of traditional musical instruments to borrow to save her lugging her cello on the bus! This will probably determind the choice of school for us, as, academically I'm sure if she works hard she could achieve at any Grammar School.
We thought that RGS would fulfil all these criteria, as it has music specialist status, but, after visiting this week, we discovered it had no cello, and only one orchestra. The teacher we spoke to was less than enthusiastic about improving either situation. However, my DD loved the rest of the school, and we were really impressed with the ethos and atmosphere. She took both Medway and Kent tests, so we are also looking at Invicta Grammar in Maidstone, which has many instruments and several orchestras, but we were not as enthusiastic about the actual school.
Does anyone have a musical child at either school please who could perhaps enlighten me further as to how RGS achieved its music specialist status, or whose child loves the music there? :?
medwaymum
Posts: 827
Joined: Sun Nov 04, 2007 6:45 pm
Location: Medway & Kent

Post by medwaymum »

Hi Orangebear4, I'm sorry I can't help you. I do know a girl who started RGS in September as a year 7 and applied for private lessons to play an instrument. However, as the homework at RGS is quite challenging, and the child had to miss core academic lessons to have these music lessons, her parent withdrew her from the music lessons.
The parent felt that it was a tall order to expect the child to have to 'catch up' on core subjects as well as cope with the demanding homework every night.
Belinda
Posts: 1167
Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2007 10:57 pm

Post by Belinda »

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