Then & Now: Kirsty von Malaisé

Kirsty von Malaisé is Headmistress of Norwich High School for Girls and co-founder of Inspiring Females, a programme which provides girls with opportunities to develop their confidence, know their strengths and explore connections in careers.

At the same time as starting at the Purcell School, I joined Junior Guildhall aged 11 to study violin with the wonderful Pauline Scott, leading the Junior Guildhall Symphony Orchestra (JGSO) for my last three years, winning the Lutine Prize for instrumentalists, and playing Prokofiev’s first concerto with the JGSO in the City of London Festival.

After seven years at Junior Guildhall, I progressed to senior Guildhall although I left at the end of my first year. In my first term, I was in a musicianship class with Paul Roberts, who played us an extract from Beethoven Op.130.

He said at the end of it ‘by way of commentary’ ‘After hearing that, if you don’t think music is the greatest art form you shouldn’t be here!’ Unbeknownst to him, one of his students took him very seriously: it was one of the defining moments that contributed to my decision to leave the School and pursue English at Cambridge University.

Music was and is fundamental to my life, but it took me a least a decade of intensive reading to feel that I had relieved my literature itch! My time at Junior Guildhall had instilled a passion in me for music that I continued to pursue whilst at Cambridge alongside my academic studies. Even though I trained as a teacher soon after graduating, beginning my career in London state schools, I continued performing music up until about 10 years ago, playing chamber music and chamber orchestral work, and for a season in between teaching jobs was co-leader of the Orchestra of the Swan, which was a fantastic experience.

Even though I don’t work in the music business now, my musical training is a huge part of who I am. I know how to listen, I know how to lead, and collaboration is in my DNA. This, however, took me rather a long time to learn about myself, and probably explains why I am an advocate of young people knowing their own strengths, and being able to network and make connections.

In 2016, in my first year at Norwich High School for Girls, I launched the Inspiring Females programme after a conversation with our former entrepreneur-in-residence Siobhan Eke. We wanted girls to be savvy about their own strengths, and about the changing opportunities in the world of work. The programme enables girls to network with women at various stages of their careers, and be inspired by their authentic journeys. What is it like to be the only female in an engineering company? How can women best ‘lean in’? How can we best collaborate together? These are all questions that we have had on the table. Networking is a key skill that every event is designed to actively encourage: we are all stronger together!

We hosted our first summit in Norwich in June 2016 bringing together over 30 professional women, working in fields from Acting to Law who volunteered to speak to, mentor, and ultimately inspire over 190 girls between the ages of 13 and 15.

Over the three days, key themes of: Collaboration, Confidence, Commitment, Creativity, Compassion and Courage, were covered in keynote presentations, bespoke workshops, networking sessions, enterprise competitions and more. Since then the programme has expanded rather radically and we have had over 130 women contributing voluntarily. We have found that they get as much out of the experience as do the girls. Our projects include a STEM event, a live radio broadcast focussed on Women in the Arts, a dynamic careers event called FutureYou, a ‘takeover’ of the Aviva offices in Norwich, a Mums and daughters event, and Inspiring Females of the Future which brings back recent alumnae to share their tips about the next stages.

Our second Summit in 2017 was attended by over 300 young women and 40 VIFs (Very Important Females) attended over the three days. Our events are buzzy and youthful, as befits a programme that is tailored by girls for girls.

What makes Inspiring Females unique in that it is very much steered by the girls, who plan, shape and review the programme. This way of working shows the girls that their voices are important.

The Girls’ Day School Trust, of which our school is a member, has significantly supported Inspiring Females since its launch and together we are looking to expand the programme to benefit even more young people.

How did Guildhall shape me? I was so fortunate to have amazing opportunities which developed my leadership skills, and excellent teaching and coaching which challenged me to continually go out of my comfort zones. As Headmistress, this is what I hope to replicate for the students I have in my care. If you would be interested in connecting, or know someone who is passionate about inspiring the next generation of young women, please get in touch via the Twitter feed @InspFemales.

This article first featured in the Spring/Summer 2018 edition of the Guildhall magazine, PLAY, and was written by YBM for the Guildhall School of Music & Drama.