Performing Arts Under the Spotlight

Brentwood School’s Remote Learning programme has received universal acclaim and nowhere more so than the number of progressive and inspiring projects produced by its Performing Arts students in the aptly-named ‘Virtual Music Land.’   

The School’s Director of Performing Arts, Mr Matthew Bulmer, a special guest on BBC Radio Essex this afternoon, spoke about his pride in the School and its students as they remain in the vanguard of the #NewNormal.

He said: "We have a remarkable group of pupils at the School. Our YouTube Performing Arts playlist shows just how busy they have been in lockdown.”

One example of their innovative projects is a remote collaboration of a COVID-19 rendition of One Day More from the popular musical Les Misérables, adapted from French poet and novelist Victor Hugo's 1862 novel of the same name. 

The ambitious YouTube project, which sees a cast of 70 pupils, aged 11-18, collaborating together from 70 homes around Essex and London, was achieved without a director nor a conductor and with just a single piano recording played through each pupil's headphones alongside their sheet music. 

Les Misérables, Brentwood School’s 2019 winter musical, was a huge success and drew in large audiences across six performances in December. Previous musicals include West Side Story, Chicago and Into the Woods. Over a hundred pupils were involved in last year’s production and amongst the cast were members of both the National Youth Theatre (NYT) and the British Youth Musical Theatre (BYMT). 

Hannah, who played Fantine in the production, is going on to study at the Royal Academy of Music in September. Theo, who played Javert and is a member of the BYMT, said: "The One Day More parody was a great way to lift everyone's spirits during a period which is challenging for everyone. Whilst it enabled us to reminisce about what was an amazing production I also found the sentiment of the song very fitting to our current situation, which is that we should all try to live one day at a time.”

There has been an explosion in popularity in the Performing Arts at Brentwood School in recent years. The Faculty’s provision was recently recognised by an independent schools’ award panel and continues to plan ambitious projects for the future. This year the School became one of a handful of Steinway Schools across the country, as well as launching a ‘rare instruments’ scheme, which offer a number of pupils opportunities otherwise unavailable to them. 

Mr Bulmer added: “While our pupils are so full of hope and positivity they all miss their friends and miss being creative together at School. This project gave them all a chance to come together and sing about being 11, 12 or a teenager in 'lockdown' stuck at home.”

The  School’s reputation as a remote learning trailblazer will be further enhanced tomorrow evening when it holds a virtual Evensong for Ascension Day.  The School’s Chapel Choirs, with pupils from both the Preparatory and Senior Schools, will come together to worship and sing even while they are apart!

Brentwood School continues remotely until further notice. Pupils are learning at home through Zoom, Google Classroom and Tapestry. The School is proud to be supplying vital personal protective equipment from our Science labs and Design Technology department to the COVID-19 distribution centre, and is working closely with the nearby Nuffield Health Brentwood Hospital to provide car parking and accommodation in their Boarding House for key workers.

Find out more: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMHNs-j5OswTUSUeMAiAoLw