Clifton College’s musical facilities offer unique opportunities to young musicians. A selection of co-curricular groups offer a range of musical styles, from the more traditional Chapel and Chamber Choirs and Orchestra, to Soul Band, Swing Band and many other pop bands.
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Individual weekly music lessons cover traditional classical instruments and more modern options, including bass, electric and acoustic guitar, jazz piano, and contemporary-style singing. Many pupils go on to take grades and the school hosts Associated Board Grade Exams, Music Theatre Exams (LCM) and Trinity College Exams on a termly basis.
Clifton College is a unique musical school in Bristol in that has a fully-equipped recording studio with two live rooms, a dedicated drum room and a central control room, all linked via video as well as sound cabling.
The Recital Hall can also be used as a recording space for large ensembles, including the use of the S6 Yamaha Grand Piano. The College also has a full-time sound engineer who teaches Music Technology and helps pupils with any project work involving use of the studio.
Other facilities include a fleet of 12 Yamaha U1 practice pianos, and four in two double-piano practice rooms, 3 academic teaching classrooms, well stocked choral, orchestral, strings, concert band and popular music libraries, and various department instruments available for use and hire by pupils including multiple drum kits, guitars (acoustic, electric, bass), woodwind and brass instruments (bassoon, clarinets, euphonium), beginner violins, a lever harp, several full-sized cellos and a viola of fine quality.
In addition to the facilities of the Music School, the Chapel is also used for many musical events. The specification of the four-manual Harrison and Harrison chapel organ can be found here. The Chapel is also home to the College’s Fazioli 212 Grand Piano (new as of 2022), used for our largest concerts, including the annual Summer Serenade Concerto Concert which sees pupils performing solo movements with a professional orchestra (in 2023 including Marcello, Bottesini, Saint-Saëns, Chaminade, Shostakovich and a newly composed piano concertino).
For more about academic music and teaching facilities please visit here.
For more about co-curricular music please visit here.