Music & Performing Arts

Music & Performing Arts

Founded in 1512, Wolverhampton Grammar School is an award-winning independent day school, for boys and girls ages 4 to 18.

Welcome to our creative side!

Drama

Students at WGS have amazing performing arts facilities. Our purpose-built Hutton Theatre provides a modern professional venue ensuring that our student actors and technical support have outstanding physical resources at their fingertips.

Drama is taught from Year 7 upwards and there are two school productions each year, one for the lower school and one for seniors. Students can audition for lead or supporting roles or help with sound, lighting and stage management. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Jason and the Argonauts, Macbeth and Shakespeare in Love are just some of our recent productions all performed to a sell-out audience.

LAMDA Acting and lessons are available at weekends and students can pursue their studies at GCSE as well as A Level. Many of our former pupils are now writing, performing and working on the professional stage.

Music

Our purpose-built Music block is appropriately situated at the heart of the campus, enthusing all who pass with the beautiful melodies that exude from the building. Housing two recital rooms, a music technology suite and eight practice rooms, it is always a hive of activity with over 100 private instrumental lessons taking place each week. The main school hall known as Big School offers an additional venue for larger concerts.

Music has always been celebrated at WGS and in addition to curriculum Music lessons, Music GCSE and A Level, there are countless opportunities to become involved in the musical life of the School. Extra-curricular music groups range from beginners’ Training Band through to String ensemble, Big Band and Orchestra. As well as our instrumental groups we also have several vocal groups including Chamber Choirs and Acapella groups for both boys and girls. Students will explore a wide range of musical styles, from film music to classics, from pop through to theatre. 

Performance skills are encouraged through several music competitions including the Judge Malcolm Ward Piano Cup. Malcolm Ward was a pupil of WGS who excelled during his time at the School. He was a former Chair of Governors in the 1980s and contributed to the school and community of Wolverhampton for his entire life. His wife was a wonderful pianist and he was a great supporter of music. Malcom very kindly donated his piano to the school on his death and the annual piano competition is held in his memory.

Students have further performance opportunities with termly concerts and a special Music Scholars’ Concert held in the Spring term is always a highlight. This celebrates the School’s most gifted musicians from Year 7 through to Upper Sixth.

Music Tours are a much-loved feature of WGS music and the department has led several successful tours over the years. Our most recent Music Tour visited Jersey with performances in the Howard Davis Park and at the Jersey School of Music.

At WGS we champion all styles of music and are proud to have a popular lunchtime Dhol club run by a Sixth Form Music Scholar. Both Dharam and former music scholar and Carnatic singer Laura (OW 2023) were featured in an ITV documentary about South Asian music. To find out more about our Year 7 and Sixth Form music scholarships which offer up to 25% fee remission, please visit our Scholarships & Bursaries page.

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Proud to be one of the oldest schools in the country but forward-looking in our approach.