Brass activity at the Royal College of Music, Junior Department
(Published in The Brass Herald)

On Saturdays, the Royal College of Music is closed to the senior student fraternity. Instead, its doors are open to some extremely gifted youngsters who benefit from the very best in musical education. I went along to the RCM Junior Department to find out what opportunities this prestigious institution has to offer these talented musicians of tomorrow.

The Junior College has been an integral part of the RCM for the past 80 years. Since his appointment as Director of the Junior Department in 1990, Peter Hewitt, a graduate of both Durham and Cambridge universities, has endeavoured to create the supportive environment required to develop his students to the best of their ability.

I arrived at the Junior Department early one Saturday and immediately experienced an atmosphere which was vibrant and full of energy. I managed to catch up with Peter and asked him to tell me about the Junior College. "We have 318 students aged between eight and eighteen who enjoy a busy schedule every Saturday between 9am and 5pm," Peter told me. "It is a demanding specialist programme, effectively a sixth day of schooling. At the centre of the JD curriculum is a first study instrument," he continued. "This is supported by outstanding orchestral and chamber music training, a second study instrument and musicianship, aural and choral classes. Further breadth in the form of early music training, jazz workshops and electro-acoustic work is also provided. Competitions, masterclasses and workshops, training in performance skills and many performance opportunities, both ensemble and individual, all have an essential role in our timetable."

I asked Peter about the performance opportunities at RCMJD. "We have five orchestras, five choirs and over 60 ensembles active every Saturday. These include Junior and Senior brass ensembles, two Symphony orchestras and a Symphonic Wind Orchestra. I believe this to be a most important part of our schedule," he claimed, "it's vital our students get the very best when it comes to orchestral and ensemble experience. We currently have 18 Junior Department students who are members of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, testament to the quality of the ensembles we have here."

I wondered what Peter looks for when auditioning a prospective JD student. "Enthusiasm, energy, focus and dedication," he declared. "It's for youngsters who want that little bit more than their local music service has on offer. Although, we encourage our students to contribute to music locally as much as possible. We realise that not every student wants to become a professional musician," he continued, "but we aim to train students to a level of competency at which they could successfully apply to study music at a conservatoire or university. However, we don't force students down this avenue; many go on to study other subjects at university, often not relating to music in the slightest! We endeavour to teach students skills that they will find beneficial throughout their lives. The experiences they have here are invaluable."

It seems that the Junior College provides a wonderful grounding for anyone aspiring to become a professional musician. I quizzed Amy Wetmore, a former JD student and founding member of the award winning brass ensemble, Brass10, how she benefited from her time there. "I attended the RCM JD for just one year (during my gap year after A levels). Every Saturday morning I would get the 6:30am train from Hastings to Charing Cross with my trombone. I used to think my journey was pretty devoted but I was soon humbled to learn that there were people travelling from Devon (4:15am train apparently) and even Dublin every week to attend RCM JD!"

"My day would begin at 8:30am with an hour of brass ensemble. This was my first experience of playing in a ten piece and I loved it so much that whilst at (Senior) College I founded my own ten piece, Brass10, with two former JD students, George Bartle and Alex Redpath. My timetable was pretty hectic with two orchestras (Symphony and Sinfonia), the aforementioned brass ensemble, wind band and somehow I managed to fit in piano and trombone lessons, choir, Alexander Technique and musicianship classes."

"The opportunities at JD were amazing," she continues. "From being involved in the first 'post premiere' performance of Elgar's Third Symphony to our end of year concert performing Stravinsky's Firebird at St. John's, Smith Square. Still, the most important aspect for me is the contacts and life long friends I made (many of whom are not specialising musicians now). I later moved to the (Senior) RCM and it was comforting to have friends around me who I had known for some time. Once Brass10 was established we commissioned Maxwell Davies to write a double dectet which we then performed with the JD brass ensemble at their end of year concert."

The RCM Junior Department is host to an impressive array of teaching staff. Philip Box and Sue Dent on horn, Phillip Bainbridge on trumpet, Simon Hogg and Peter Harvey on trombone and Kevin Morgan on tuba. Sue Dent, a former RCM student herself, currently plays Principal Horn in the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique and the English Baroque Soloists. I questioned Sue as to how she approaches her teaching at the Junior Department so to cater for the diversity in age of her students. "I don't use the same format for everyone," she explained. "I take into account how well students respond to different teaching methods along with age, personal development and their schedule. I usually teach in the mornings so I combine a student's warm up with playing technique since this is usually their first playing of the day. We devise a focussed practise routine which allows them to achieve maximum results whilst not detracting from their day to day school life. With the younger ones, stamina is an issue, so it's all about keeping momentum and maintaining interest. I regularly play along with my students so they build up an awareness of sound, intonation, rhythm and ensemble."

This was reiterated by Simon Hogg, founder of the world renowned Fine Arts Brass. "As a teacher, I am always trying to get across the same qualities irrespective of age," he told me. "We aim to produce well balanced, efficient and creative musicians. I don't push my students towards the path of Music College. If that's their goal they'll do it, there's always room at the top!"

Inspired by this fervour shared by both Sue and Simon, I went to see the Symphony Orchestra brass section in rehearsal. Directed by Peter Harvey (a former member of both the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra and now a professor at the RCM), the rehearsal concentrated on the 'Four Sea-Interludes' from Britten's Peter Grimes and Elgar's Enigma Variations. The playing was excellent; a great sound with a real sense of confidence and presence which Peter controlled with good humour. I asked Barney Philpott, a trombonist in the group and member of the National Youth Orchestra about this relaxed atmosphere. "It's typical of Junior College," he told me. "You have such a good time; you forget just how much you're actually learning as well! I've made some great friends here who I keep in contact with, not just on Saturdays but throughout the week and on NYO courses too."

The subject of parental input was a point I raised with Peter Hewitt later that day. "The role of the parents is crucial to a student's development," he admitted. "It's a huge commitment getting their children here on a Saturday, but it doesn't end there. Students need support, encouragement and help organising their daily practise routines at home. Direct contact between parents and teachers is strongly encouraged and many parents visit the College each Saturday."

The Junior College is most definitely one of the premier departments of its kind, leading the way with extensive orchestral and ensemble performance opportunities. An enthusiastic team of teaching staff, a vibrant atmosphere, a prime location and a Director who is dedicated to nurturing talent certainly paves the way for the talented orchestral brass players of the future.