This week, St Edward's Pre-Prep pupils were very lucky to meet percussionist Darcy Beck, current “Gloucestershire Young Musician of the Year”. She is a phenomenal Marimba, Glockenspiel and Vibraphone player.
Although the pandemic has delayed Darcy’s prize concert, she hasn’t wasted any time, earning a instrumentalist scholarship to Cardiff University, where she has been playing in a number of ensembles. She has also been working to encourage other musicians under the age of 22 to enter the Gloucestershire Young Musician of the Year competition. Entries are open to anyone who has achieved grade 8 in piano, string, woodwind, orchestral percussion, or brass – the Pre-Prep pupils have a little way to go!
The pupils were excited to show Darcy what they had been learning and keen to give answers to the questions she was asking them. They were very impressed with the scale of the professional Glockenspiel that Darcy was playing, which was much larger than their beginner models and weighed an awful lot more! The group played a variety of tunes together, with Darcy offering advice on how to elongate or shorten the notes that they were playing. The children loved learning some new techniques to improve their strike too.
Head of Music, Mrs Dobson said, “It was wonderful to welcome Darcy to spend time with our younger pupils. Learning in instrument is hugely beneficial to children’s development. Not only do they gain a new skill but the process of learning also helps with their concentration, memory, reading and problem-solving skills. They all thoroughly loved meeting Darcy and hearing her play. I cant wait to see how it inspires them in their own musical journeys.”
To round off the session all of the children were encouraged to close their eyes while Darcy played a magical piece of music, transporting them to another world.