Collaboration
Much of who we are and what we do is shaped by collaboration. We are always looking for ways to collaborate, and we have established a number of partnerships to enhance the Junior Guildhall student experience. These include:
Barbican Centre
The Barbican Centre is Europe's largest multi-arts and conference centre. It pushes the boundaries of all major art forms including dance, film, music, theatre and visual arts and is situated immediately next door to Guildhall School within the iconic Barbican Estate.
The Barbican and the School enjoy a unique educational and cultural partnership. Built over many years, this partnership provides a number of exceptional learning opportunities. These include masterclasses and projects with the London Symphony Orchestra, resident orchestra at the Barbican, and the Barbican's visiting orchestras and ensembles, such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic (International Orchestra Partner), Australian Chamber Orchestra (International Associate Ensemble at Milton Court) and Jazz at Lincoln Center (International Associate Ensemble). Junior Guildhall students are involved in many of these projects.
Joint City of London School for Girls & Junior Guildhall Scholarships
There are two scholarships, one for Years 12-13 and one for Years 9-11. These competitive scholarships are awarded to outstanding musicians of high academic attainment. Successful applicants join the City of London School for Girls for academic work and receive specialist musical training through Junior Guildhall.
The scholarships, which consider financial need, cover up to full fees at the City of London School for Girls and up to the full Basic Course Fee at Junior Guildhall.
Initial enquiries should be made to the City of London School for Girls (Tel. 020 7847 5500). Auditions are usually held in November for entry in the following September.
European String Teachers Association (ESTA)
Junior Guildhall has an exciting new partnership with European String Teachers Association (ESTA UK). This partnership provides many opportunities for Junior Guildhall students and staff as well as both organisations working together on a composition project aimed at encouraging young composers to write new string music. This will hopefully be the first of many collaborations.
ESTA UK is dedicated to the needs of string teachers across the UK and to improving the quality of string teaching at every level, from toddler to conservatoire. ESTA provides support and professional development through their website and magazines, Arco and Jesta, and offers generous financial benefits to members, including insurance and legal cover, funding to put on local events and discounts to ESTA-organised seminars.
String Training Programme at Brentwood School
In addition to Junior Guildhall's highly successful String Training Programme in London, we also run a similar programme based at Brentwood School, Essex allowing children from across the community to follow the course in the excellent facilities of the Brentwood School music department.
This exciting partnership, the first educational collaboration of its kind in the UK, offers talented musicians a unique pathway to study at both Brentwood School and Junior Guildhall and also provides a programme for beginners, open to the wider community and taking place at Brentwood School. By following a tailored academic programme at Brentwood, selected students will benefit from the flexibility to study music at Junior Guildhall as well as in the Brentwood Music Department.
Talented students may apply for a scholarship in all instruments (including voice from mid-teens). Please contact Brentwood School’s Director of Music or Junior Guildhall for further information.
Guildhall School
Junior Guildhall offers a direct entry route to BMus2 - the second year of the Guildhall School’s BMus course for students with exceptional performance and academic ability. Students are selected by the Senior Management Team. This provides a significant cost-saving advantage for those who wish to pursue studies at the Guildhall School, as students entering BMus2 will only need to complete three years of full-time study to obtain their degree.
National Youth String Orchestra
The Junior Guildhall partnership with the National Youth String Orchestra (NYSO) provides opportunities for both Junior Guildhall students and staff to be involved with NYSO and for the two organisations to work collaboratively on projects.
In less than 20 years NYSO has become one of the UK’s most prestigious and important training organisations for young string players. It provides specialist, quality training for talented musicians up to the age of 21, and gives them regular experience in public performance, both in the UK and on overseas tours.
