Wick High School

Composers, Singers and Instrumentalists

Image by Alan Reid on Geograph

  • CLASS Higher Music Students and Choir
  • SCHOOL Wick High School, Wick, Caithness, Scotland
  • HONOURS Some of the students passed N5 Music exams with an A and some passed science and physics exams too
  • MINERVA SCIENTIFICA PROJECT Echoes from Lyth Arts Centre

Scientific Connections

Some pupils in the class are scientists too. The Project introduced them to the work of ecologist Elizabeth Masden at the Environmental Research Institute (Thurso, UK)

Compositions

Title:  Seòras
Composed by: 16 Music Students from Wick High School, Frances M Lynch & Herbie Clarke
Written in: October 3rd – 5th 2018
For: Electronically Manipulated Voice Samples
Performed by: the composers
First Performed: 6th October 2018, Lyth Arts Centre, Caithness, Scotland

Seòras is Scottish Gaelic for George, which is the name of the inspirational Music Teacher at Wick High School. The students took part in a couple of workshops involving making music using patterns and repetition. In small groups they created their own fragments which Frances put together into this piece with electronic manipulation by Herbie Clarke. The audience at Lyth Arts Centre really enjoyed hearing the results, and so will you!

Education

Music is provided to All S1s and S2s one period per week. S3s have 3 periods per week and N5/Higher have 6 periods per week.

Most of the students play instruments, we have fiddlers, drummers, guitarists and singers, and the group did really well at Nat 5 level.

Frances showing students at Wick High School how to use flow charts in music

Occupations

The group has a few budding composers, players and singers – oh and some scientists, one of whom is keen to become a forensic scientist

Musical Highlights

“I enjoyed making our own compositions in groups” A student

The music teacher said of the workshops:

“..the pupils discovered exciting musically creative possibilities attending the workshop.

They were impressed by the professionalism of the lecture and the musicianship of the musicians.

The pupils now have a framework to develop creative ideas. Showing the pupils such abstract ideas as the periodic table to create melody or the shape of animals will get them thinking and being more creative. I think combining music and science is potentially very creative.”

Did You Know?

The students contributed their voices and ideas to music written by Frances with ecologist Elizabeth Masden about the Black Guillemot – known in Caithness as the Tystie – and the rare Scottish Primrose studied by Elaine Bullard entitled “Tystie and the Primrose”

An Inspiring Woman

“I think the students were inspired by the History of the ‘Women of Science’ and the spirit of these women.

We loved the show, which opened our eyes to all of these pioneering Superwomen and also showed me what possibilities can be achieved in music and theatre”

G Sutherland – Music Teacher

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