Jo Marsh visits CCCS
To celebrate the founding of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 80 years ago this year, flautist Jo Marsh has been travelling around the UK visiting schools with the aim of inspiring a new generation of woodwind players. We were thrilled to host her here at CCCS yesterday (Monday 12th October), as her final school visit of 2026 (after seeing 24,500 children in over 100 schools!). Jo gave an assembly for the Prep School, in which she played a piece especially written for her by John Rutter, as well as showcasing the contrasting sounds of the piccolo and alto flute.
Jo spent the morning giving a workshop to the boys in Ms Mogridge's Woodwind Band, where they focused on tuning, breathing and improving their ensemble skills, before performing a newly-learned piece written for the CCCS boys. This was modelled on Benjamin Britten's 'Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra', with melodies from 'Jurassic Park', 'Superman' and 'Harry Potter' hidden between sections from well-known sea shanties. We finished Jo's visit by giving a performance to the children in Pre-Prep, demonstrating everything that had been learned throughout the day.
There is a huge amount of potential in the woodwind players at CCCS, many of whom are in the younger years of Prep and have exciting years still ahead of them. Hearing a performer from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in the Walton Hall was such a wonderful way to begin the week. I am very grateful to Ms Mogridge for supporting us throughout the workshop, and to Jo for giving her time to inspire the whole school!
