Find out about 13+ and 16+ Music Scholarships

Clifton College Music School

Clifton College’s musical facilities offer unique opportunities to young musicians. A selection of co-curricular groups offer a range of musical styles, from the more traditional Chapel and Chamber Choirs and Orchestra, to Soul Band, Swing Band and many other pop bands.

Individual weekly music lessons cover traditional classical instruments and more modern options, including bass, electric and acoustic guitar, jazz piano, and contemporary-style singing. Many pupils go on to take grades and the school hosts Associated Board Grade Exams, Music Theatre Exams (LCM) and Trinity College Exams on a termly basis.

Clifton College is a unique musical school in Bristol in that has a fully-equipped recording studio with two live rooms, a dedicated drum room and a central control room, all linked via video as well as sound cabling.

The Recital Hall can also be used as a recording space for large ensembles. The College also has a full-time sound engineer who teaches Music Technology and helps pupils with any project work involving use of the studio.

The music department works closely with the drama department, they collaborate to produce impressive full-scale productions of well known musicals and shows.

Find out more about our academic music courses, Willcocks Organ Scholarship, and the purpose-built Joseph Cooper Music School.

Music Staff biographies

EXAMPLE Music ENSEMBLE REHEARSAL TIMETABLE

The specification of the four-manual Harrison and Harrison chapel organ can be found here. The Chapel is also home to the College’s Fazioli 212 Grand Piano (new as of 2022), used for our largest concerts, including the annual Summer Serenade Concerto Concert which sees pupils performing solo movements with a professional orchestra (in 2023 including Marcello, Bottesini, Saint-Saëns, Chaminade, Shostakovich and a newly composed piano concertino).

For our latest Music news stories please click here.

You can also follow the Upper Music Department on Twitter, including regularly-updated pupil videos, photos, concert adverts and season brochures here.