Farleigh musicians were fortunate enough to attend two music events at local senior schools recently. Four lucky string players were invited to participate in Marlborough College's String Fest. With only a couple of hours to rehearse and perform three challenging pieces - Holst's St Paul's Suite, Badelt's Themes from Pirates of the Caribbean and a Nordic Rock Jig, the pupils certainly had their work cut out. Performing alongside Marlborough's top musicians on an historic stage in the Memorial Hall was rewarding and a great experience.A much larger group of orchestral players journeyed to Pangbourne College for their annual Fun Day. It is a rare privilege to spend the whole day making music; sectional and full orchestra rehearsals were interspersed with plenty of free time to refuel and let off steam. At the end of the day the massed orchestra of nearly 150 children performed three pieces: The Blue Danube, Theme from The Muppets and Soul Bossa Nova. Each section had the opportunity to take centre stage. The strings performed a suite of themes from Les Miserables, the wind section played a Hungarian Dance by Brahms and the brass section dazzled with a piece called Mbale Magic. It was astonishing to hear how much they had learned and covered in just a few short hours.

These events are always hugely enjoyable and highly worthwhile; the children are incredibly fortunate to enjoy such experiences, which are only possible due to the tireless energy of the staff in these senior school Music Departments.