I auditioned and joined the Yehudi Menuhin School at the age of 8 shortly after having started my violin studies. The school is very special as it combines an instrumental music specialism focus, along with the usual academic school studies running from junior to senior school. I was at the school for a total of 11 years, and it was an integral part of my childhood and musical training before heading off to the Royal College of Music for my bachelor. 

The school is very small, only a maximum 70 students across all year groups while I was there, and I was the only one in my year group when I first joined. The school is an old country house along with some adjoining buildings and its very own concert hall surrounded by nature (although not too far from the M25). We were a close-knit international group, which by consequence meant that a lot of past students continue collaborating musically to this day which is a perfect example of Yehudi Menuhin’s vision for community and music making as part of his legacy.

Hours of individual instrumental lessons with our principal teachers, chamber music coaching, orchestral coaching, and multiple performance opportunities were available to us each week, and practice time was in-built into our schedules. Each year, we had the opportunity to perform in prominent venues in the UK and internationally, most notably we travelled bi-annually to perform at the Menuhin Festival in Gstaad.

We had the privilege of welcoming eminent musicians for masterclasses, concerts, and coaching as well as our individual training (one of my earliest memories of the school was our then president, Mstislav Rostropovich sitting in on my violin lessons occasionally at the ages of 8 and 9)! This was a very inspiring approach, and I know this affected a lot of students throughout their musical careers. 

The school grew my love of music, and a lot of my knowledge and drive for my job now supporting our artists every day owes to my musical upbringing at this special place.