Tuition is available on strings, woodwind, brass, piano, voice, guitar and drum kit on a weekly basis with the Education Authority Music Service and external private music tutors.
Education Authority Music Service staff:
- Mr Colin Elliott – violin
- Mrs Liz Haggan – violin
- Mrs Gwyneth Reid – lower strings
- Miss Thomasena Hall – clarinet
- Mr Taylor Ross – flute
- Mr Martin Haggan – woodwind and brass
Private Tutors:
- Mr Peter Wilson – voice and piano
- Miss Erin Teacy – voice and piano
- Mr Drew Hamill – guitar
- Mr Geoff Arnold – guitar
- Mr David Whiteside – drum kit
Links with the local community
Annual whole school events such as the Carol Service and Spring Concert provide several opportunities for pupils to perform during the school year. There are currently five choirs and three orchestras in the school and any pupil is welcome to join without audition. Smaller groups of pupils are also often involved in providing entertainment in the local community. Recently we have organised a trip to the Lyric Theatre in Belfast and have developed links with the Ulster Youth Choir and members of the Ulster Orchestra who have given workshops on performance to senior pupils.
This year the Year 11 GCSE class had an exciting opportunity to receive tuition in Jamaican drumming and dance from Ripton Lindsay of WOMAD, World of Music, Arts and Dance. The master classes proved so successful that the GCSE pupils were able to perform their drumming and dance at the Spring Concerts in March.
Our network of iMac computers on the Lodge Road campus gives pupils the opportunity to develop their compositions using the latest technology, working on programs such as Sibelius 7 and GarageBand.
Honours in Music
Honours are awarded to pupils who have developed their musical skills to a high level and have combined this level of excellence with a commitment to perform at musical events in school throughout the year.
Chamber Choir Tour
The Girls’ Chamber choir, after reaching the final of BBC Radio Ulster School Choir of the Year, has been invited to participate in the Carnegie Hall premiere performance of Karl Jenkins’ Songs of Sanctuary on the DCINY (Distinguished Concerts International New York) Concert Series in New York City. This performance is on Monday, January 18, 2016 – Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend – in the Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall under the baton of Dr. Jonathon Griffith. The CGS Chamber Choir will join with other outstanding choristers from around the world to form the Distinguished Concerts Singers International. The residency includes two half-days of rehearsals and clinics, culminating in a performance accompanied by the Distinguished Concerts Orchestra.