On Friday we celebrate International Women’s Day and its theme for 2024, Invest in women: Accelerate progress. Classical music has traditionally been dominated by men and we’re committed to addressing this imbalance. Our year 13 student reporter, Macy Jagger, has written the below blog highlighting some of the female composers she loves most and has recommended a Spotify playlist of female classical composers for those exploring the genre, perhaps for the first time. “Friday 8 March is International Women’s Day. It’s a day to celebrate women in every corner of our lives, and as musicians ..read more

One question we get asked a lot is: what is it like to LIVE at school?! Nick Maynard is House Assistant and Deputy for Millgate House, one of our boarding houses, since 2021. We spoke to Nick about his unique job, what the challenges are as well as the best bits, and we asked him what his advice is for new students coming to board at school. What is regular working day like for you? Gosh – it’s full on! We wake the students at 7am – register at breakfast – dorm checks – post run – input registers – deal with requests and questions from academic and musical staff – more registers – follow up o ..read more

Some young people have found non-traditional routes into music as the pandemic continues to have an impact.    13-year-old Yasmin taught herself piano using an app during lockdown. Two years later, she has a place secured at Chetham’s where she is receiving the very best musical education.     Yasmin’s dad, Rob Fiddaman, said: “Yasmin was bored during lockdown and she started using an app called ‘Simply Piano’. I bought her a cheap piano off eBay and noticed she was learning pieces quickly.     “When the restrictions lifted, we got her some in-person piano lessons and after that, thanks to som ..read more

Our students have plenty of opportunities to achieve their dreams outside of the classroom and to give back to the community. Some of our vocalists are currently touring with the spectacular Welsh National Opera and, so far, they’ve visited, Cardiff, Llandudno and Bristol performing Play Opera Live! This out-of-this-world show aims to introduce families to the wonder of opera and get more people excited about it. Head to Instagram and click on the ‘Vocal Takeover’ highlight to go behind-the-scenes of the tour. It also happens to be ‘World Opera Day’ on 25 October 2023. So, to mark this special ..read more

Storytelling sessions for 5–7-year-olds and their families come to The Stoller Hall, our world-class music venue, from Sunday 19 November. Terra Musica, meaning ‘music of the world, is a new programme that will take you on a journey through sound and stories. You’ll celebrate the planet’s diversity and learn about different cultures and histories. Launching the programme this November is Michael Cretu, a composer and musician from Romania, and Faz Shah, a violinist and beatboxer with Pakistani heritage. Michael and Faz have been hard at work creating their story and we sat down to talk to them ..read more

Everyone at Chetham’s is bonded by a passion for music but not all students decide to pursue a career as a musician or composer. The alumni community includes teachers, journalists, politicians and more. We recently expanded our offering to students with the Arts Award. Read on to hear how a diverse and varied curriculum helps to instil a sense of identity and belonging… Creative Engagement at Chetham’s School of Music and The Stoller Hall (a world-class music venue on our grounds) delivers family and community projects and events, adding to the booming arts and culture offer in Manchester cit ..read more

Alexei graduated from Chetham’s in 2023 having scored an incredible five A* in his A-Levels! He’s also, of course, a wonderful musician playing double bass and the piano. We spoke to Alexei about his highlights from his time at school, his advice to new students and plans for the future. We love to see our alumni community thriving – find out more here. Tell us about your A Level subjects and instruments? For my A Levels, I studied biology, chemistry, maths, further maths and music! Doing 5 A Levels was certainly a challenge, but I think the support from both my teachers and my peers allowed m ..read more

Hot on the heels of a fantastic A-Level results day, we are delighted to announce that our year 11s have achieved an outstanding set of GCSE results. – 93.6% pass rate (higher than the national average at 67.8%) – Over half of all grades are 9 –7 (higher than the national average at 21.6%) – Almost a third of students achieved a full set of 7s, 8s and 9s – 40% of all grades are 8s and 9s – Four students achieved a full set of 8s and 9s – One student achieved a full set of grade 9s across 12 subjects – Seven Year 10 students sat their music exams a year early, achieving 8s and 9s We’re extremel ..read more

The benefits of boarding have been written about plenty of times – there’s no commute or effort required to go home and do homework, exercise, or eat meals. All the facilities are on-site and available to students, and they receive outstanding care from dedicated and highly trained house teams, medical staff, and tutors. But what’s distinct about boarding at a specialist music school? 1. The true wonder of music is that it can have a profound effect on quality of life. Singing, playing, or listening to music is shown to improve wellbeing and it goes without saying that there’s an abundance of ..read more

All the students at our school are bonded by a love of music, which makes Chetham’s a truly unique place to learn, live and make connections. But not everyone chooses to pursue a career in music. Sebastian Higgins scored four A* and one A in his A-Levels and plays the trombone, organ and piano. He now has a place secured at the prestigious University of Oxford to study maths and we’re so proud of his achievements! We spoke to his mum and member of our PTA, Nikki, about her decision to send her mathematically minded son to a specialist music school… Why did you choose Chetham’s School of Music ..read more