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Narrator: Manchester is a large city in the north of England.
In the mid-nineteenth century, Manchester was a rich and important industrial city. It was famous for its canals, railway and cotton industry.
Today, Manchester is still a busy and exciting city, but it’s now more famous for its football teams.
Right in the centre of Manchester, there’s an unusual school with an amazing history. The school is called Chetham’s and all of its 295 students are very special. Chetham’s is the largest music school in the United Kingdom, and every student here can play a musical instrument brilliantly.
It’s lunchtime at Chetham’s School. Four students are playing a classical concert in the school hall. These students are 18 and they are in their last year at Chetham’s. Students can come to Chetham’s when they’re eight years old. Students come from all over the world to study here. The Director of Music is Stephen Threlfall.
Stephen: We’re looking for young musicians who can play an instrument, ideally can read music and know something about musical language.
Narrator: The students study all the usual school subjects like maths, English and science, but they also study music for about three hours a day. All of the students at Chetham’s have a passion to succeed in music and the teachers can help them. A lot of teachers at Chetham’s were professional musicians before they came to the school.
Stephen: I can play the cello, that’s my main instrument. And I can play the piano; I can get by on the piano. And I can play the guitar, and of course I can sing. And one other thing I do a lot of is I’m a conductor.
Narrator: So with great teachers and hard work, the students can be very successful. They often win national and international music competitions. One of Chetham’s most successful young musicians is Peter Moore.
Peter: I’m Peter Moore, I’m 14 years old, and I study music at Chetham’s. I play the trombone and in 2008, I won the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition, which was a fantastic experience and a real honour to win.
Narrator: Peter was only 12 years old when he won the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition. This is a very important national competition for musicians under 8. Peter comes from a very musical family.
Peter: Music was very important when I was young. My parents were both professional musicians and I grew up listening to music all the time. My mum and dad were both horn players, in orchestras, and my brother plays the trumpet and my sister plays the piano.
Narrator: Peter was interested in music from a very young age.
Peter: I first started to read music when I was about six years old. My dad started teaching me trombone when I was seven years old and I started playing the piano a year after that.
Narrator: Today, Peter lives in Manchester with his family, but he wasn’t born here.
Peter: I was born in Northern Ireland and moved over to Manchester when I was eight. I started at Chetham’s when I was nine, in 2005.
Narrator: Life at Chetham’s can be hard work, but Peter
enjoys it, and he doesn’t play the trombone all the time.
Peter: The best thing about being at Chetham’s is the
musical opportunities that you get. At school, I can play in many different ensembles – orchestras, jazz bands, brass bands. I think my favourite is jazz band. When I’m not playing music, I like to relax and play sport like football or tennis. I support Manchester City Football Club and go to see the matches regularly, when I have the time.
Narrator: Peter is young, but he is very talented and
hardworking, and with the help of the teachers at Chetham’s and a lot of practice, he can become world famous in the future.
