Congratulations to Madeleine Hamilton, Joshua Rose, Alex Colson, Kieran Gould, Sarah Gould and Toby Holden (pictured from left to right) who all performed the ‘ Leonore Overture’ no.3 Op.72b by Beethoven in a ‘side by side’ concert arranged by Milton Keynes Music Service. Students performed the overture in a live concert alongside the professional Milton Keynes Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sian Edwards (pictured above) at Milton Keynes Theatre, giving each student the taste of life as a professional musician. Thanks must go to the Music Service staff for their time and dedication in organising the project. 

The Music Department

Following an assault on a student walking home from school in Loughton we have been asked by Thames Valley Police to remind students to take sensible precautions such as being vigilant when walking, staying in well-lit and well-populated areas and, if possible, to walk with friends or family. 

Please click on the following link for Thames Valley Police’s personal safety advice:

Personal Safety Advice from Thames Valley Police

Former Status Quo and Def Leppard Drummer leads Drumming Master Class

Over 120 students from across the school were treated to a Drumming Master class on Friday 13^th January led by Jeff Rich, former Status Quo and Def Leppard drummer. Students learnt about the development of the drum, from it’s simple beginnings to the modern day drum kit, and were taught simple drumming rudiments. At one point in the master class, over 60 students were performing rhythms on percussion instruments alongside Jeff who lead from the drum kit!

Ousedale students also had the opportunity to perform on Jeff Rich’s drum kit, including his Ludwig Black Beauty snare drum (which he used for many of his Status Quo recordings, valued at a minimum of £10,000). A special mention must go to Lana Camp, Tyler Hodges, Joe O’Brien and Rubin Das who impressed  Jeff with their Drum improvisation solo’s.

Thank you to all who attended for making it such a successful event.

The Music Department

From 21^st November - 4^th December, 10 students in the Ecoschools enrichment group at Olney ran a campaign to encourage staff and students to switch off all unnecessary lights for the 2 weeks of the campaign.

The campaign was announced in assembly, the form groups were encouraged to become involved and stickers and posters were distributed around the school. Over the two weeks we reduced the electricity consumption of the campus by 300 kilowatt hours per week, which is a saving of 4% of the electricity we use. This may not be a dramatic reduction but it will save the school money over time if we keep up our efforts.

As a result of this campaign we now have our bronze medal and are well on our way to attaining the prestigious green flag award of the Ecoschools group.

We hope that staff and students will not stop now but will continue to switch off those lights in the future – I am sure we can do even better!

Julie Lane
Eco Centre Technician