Neatherd High School: @Neatherd Music Department Grade One-a-Thon! One-a-thon In a quiet moment between students, our amazing strings and woodwind teacher, Mandy Slater, dreamed up a scheme to raise money for Children in Need and Neatherd’s Music Department. Traditionally one-a-thons have focussed on music teachers taking a Grade 1 exam on an instrument outside their comfort zone. Our sponsored exam extravaganza has taken a different angle, enlisting our talented student musicians to teach each other, their parents, Mrs Sanderson (Head of Creative Arts) and Mandy Slater to achieve Stages or Grade 1 on a given instrument. The music department is now getting used to Mandy practising the drum kit on Tuesdays and Wednesdays under the excellent tutelage of Liam Hubbard. Is Grade 3 perhaps a little too ambitious? This is the first musical instrument that Mandy is finding very taxing. She feels a little more confident doing Grade 1 Electric Guitar. Our very own Mr Owen, a confident brass and percussion player, is teaching himself ukulele. Elizabeth Vogel, Year 9, has drawn the short straw in having to teach Mrs Sanderson to play the recorder. Mrs Sanderson shared her secret yearning to play the flute but Mandy advised her that the recorder might be a more viable proposition given the time-scale and the fact that Mrs Sanderson has limited experience and a tendency to procrastinate rather than practice! Alex Rukaber is preparing Ellie Jackman for Grade 1 Violin. Ellie is returning the favour by preparing Alex for Grade 1 flute. Ellena Meachen is teaching Daniel Davey Stage 2 Clarinet. In return she is being taught keyboard techniques so that she can do Grade 1 Electronic Keyboard. Pedro Coelho is also teaching her acoustic guitar so that she can do Grade 1 in that as well. Isobel Norris is teaching herself Sage 2 Saxophone and Sophie Ebbage is doing Grade 1 Classical Saxophone, but not on her usual alto saxophone. Francesca Reid is teaching her mum, Carolyn, Stage 1 Violin. Our musicians are joined by private students of Mandy, Elaine Smith, Lisa White-Joubert and Vicki Ellis as well as others from Framingham Earl High where Mandy also teaches. The Neatherd Buskers are taking an ensemble exam. This involves providing the examiner with a written program, demonstrating professional platform techniques and playing with technical accuracy, musicality and communication. Alex Rukaber (Violin), Ellie Jackman (flute), Maissie Passam (Flute), Francesca Reid (Violin), Ellena Meachen (Clarinet), Sophie Ebbage (Alto Sax), Liam Hubbard (Bass Guitar), Mr Owen (Drum Kit), Mandy Slater (Violin). They will be presenting a rousing program of Dr No from James Bond, Cavatina from Star Wars and Rock Around the Clock. All entrants will take their exams on July 9th with an examiner from the London College of Music. LCM have been extremely supportive of Mandy’s endeavour and have agreed to waive their examination fees for our entrants to maximize Mandy’s fund-raising bid.