The Foundation’s senior schools provide a specialist musical education comparable to the provision at England’s specialist music schools, but with the added advantage that students can benefit from attending a school offering holistic excellence, where music is not the only specialism on offer.
We have two distinctive pathways – Choral and Virtuoso – for ambitious young people.
Choral scholarships
The choral scholarship programme on offer at Warwick Schools Foundation, in partnership with St Mary’s Church, allows talented young choristers to benefit from a range of choral opportunities in school and beyond.
the chorister pathway
The chorister pathway is a specialist choral education offered across the Foundation schools. The performing life of choristers centres on the musical life of the Church of St Mary, Warwick, with its deep heritage of church choral music in the Anglican tradition.
Choral music-making is supported by the new King Henry VIII Choral Awards which enable gifted young people to lead full performing lives as choristers at the Foundation schools.
Our schools have multiple choirs, enabling choristers to take leading roles in a range of ensembles.
Typically, a chorister will also have at least one instrumental specialism, taught by one of our specialist instrumental teachers.
The Chorister pathway lays a very strong foundation for choral scholarships at Oxford, Cambridge and other universities where choral scholarships are available.
What is special about the Chorister pathway at Warwick Schools Foundation schools?
It combines holistic, innovative independent schooling with a full chorister experience in one of England’s most beautiful historic churches.
The virtuoso pathway
The Virtuoso pathway is an instrumental specialism, taught on-site by specialist music teachers, a number of whom also teach at some of England’s most prestigious music colleges.
The Virtuoso pathway provides music education at the highest level, for pupils capable of entry to top conservatoires or to selective music degrees at top universities, regardless of whether they choose to study music when they leave school.
Pupils following the Virtuoso pathway benefit from professional collaboration with the Foundation’s resident orchestra, the Orchestra of the Swan, a chamber orchestra of virtuoso musicians. Unlike many orchestral ‘residency’ programmes, the residency of the Orchestra of the Swan is actual, with the orchestra’s headquarters sited on the Foundation’s Myton Road campus. The Orchestra of the Swan provides an integrated music education programme, which includes specialist masterclasses and public performances. Virtuoso pathway pupils can have their compositions performed by the Orchestra of the Swan, as well as having opportunities to learn and practice conducting skills.
Across the Foundation’s senior schools, a tiered sequence of ensembles & orchestras support progression to the highest, pre-conservatoire levels of performance. These include a Foundation Symphony Orchestra, Wind Orchestra, String Ensemble, and Percussion Ensemble, all made up of pupil performers.
The Foundation’s showcase Symphony Orchestra is a full orchestra made up of pupil players. The Foundation’s specialist music teachers coach pupils in their orchestral performance skills, thus fostering the finest standards of pupil orchestral playing.
Dedicated Foundation staff pianists (accompanists) support top instrumental pupils in their performances and assessments.
An exceptional range of chamber music and jazz ensembles provide opportunities for Virtuoso pupils to perform advanced, specialist repertoire. There are also opportunities for concerto performances for top soloists.
Virtuoso pupils are encouraged to enter national competitions, and are successful in them.
Top level performance opportunities are complemented by the highest levels of tuition in composition.
A unique Advanced Musicianship Programme provides weekly extension sessions for Virtuoso pathway pupils.
Bespoke timetables for Virtuoso pathway pupils allow music specialisms to be nurtured in the context of a world-class, all-round academic provision.
