Pupils can access a broad range of instrumental and vocal tuition delivered by experienced visiting music teachers. Lessons are available for beginners through to advanced players, ensuring every student has an opportunity to grow musically. 

We currently cater for lessons on:

Singing; Piano; Organ; Violin; Viola; Cello; Double Bass; Flute; Oboe; Recorder; Clarinet; All saxophones; Basson; Trumpet, Cornet; Tenor Horn; French Horn; Trombone; Euphonium; Tuba; Percussion; Drum Kit; Acoustic/Electric/Bass Guitars

To get involved:
Parents and pupils can contact Mr L. D. Edney, Director of Music, via lde@bishopwordsworths.org.uk for information about lesson options, timetables, and instrumental pathways. 

The annual House Music Festival is a highlight of the school year, bringing together pupils from all Houses to celebrate a wide range of musical talent. Performances include both ensemble and solo items, spanning classical, contemporary, and popular styles.

In 2025 and 2026 the categories were:

• Year 7-9 Soloist
• Year 10-11 Soloist
• Sixth Form Soloist
• House Ensemble
• House Band
• House Song

The festival encourages participation from musicians of all abilities, fostering confidence and a sense of community. For many pupils, it provides an inspiring platform to experience live performance in a supportive and spirited setting.

The current champion house is Martival

Bishops has a long history of having a strong school choir, and this is something we are very proud of. The main choir has always been at the shop front of all major school services and events and that continues today. There are currently 79 pupils who are members of the choir, which rehearses twice a week. Pupils cover all year groups, with Year 7s being offered an informal audition workshop in the first few days of their time at Bishops. The trebles have an additional rehearsal with Mrs Budd on Thursday mornings.

Recent major performances have included:

Requiem Mass, Faure; Requiem Mass, Mozart; Gloria, Vivaldi; Ceremony of Carols, Benjamin Britten; Mass in C, Mozart

Venues performed in:

Salisbury – Cathedral, St. Martin's Church, St. Thomas’ Church, Wilton Italianate Church, St. Paul's Cathedral
Winchester Cathedral, Portsmouth Cathedral

Tours:

The choir travelled to Prague in 2003, Ypres in 2025 and the venue for 2027 is soon to be announced

Bishops Singers

The chamber choir was founded in 2020 when Girls were introduced into the sixth form. This is our advanced choir, which is auditioned. There are currently 25 pupils in the choir which perform as regularly as the main choir and are sought after both inside and outside of school for performances. The choir performed Faure’s Requiem Mass when the new organ was installed in the schools chapel. The repertoire for the chamber choir is much more complex than the main choir, specifically to challenge the singers. We are incredibly proud of this group and the results of their hard work resulted in gaining the prize; Runners Up Judges Distinction Award at the Barnados National Choir of the Competition 2026 at Symphony Hall, Birmingham.

Bishops Singers travel to St. Peter’s College, Oxford each year for a choral scholar taster day and to give Evensong. They have given Evensong at Exeter and Wells Cathedral; performed at the Minack Theatre as part of their tour to Cornwall in 2021; St. Endellion Church in 2024 and 2025 and will be returning to Cornwall again in July of this year.

At Bishops we have a busy ensemble program, which is run by the department staff and by the peripatetic teachers.

Orchestra:

The school orchestra rehearses on a Monday morning before school and currently has 33 members from years 7-13. The group performs a wide range of music and they accompany the choir’s major oratorio each year. The last four years have been Mozart’s Requiem, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Mozart’s Great Mass in C  Major and Faure's Requiem. They will again accompany in April; playing Bob Chilchott's Requiem Mass

Big Band:

This group was started in 2021 as the first group to start rehearsing coming out of the covid restrictions. Aimed for those pupils that are Grade 4 and above, they rehearse after school (often this is student led) and perform in all major concerts. Alumni of the band are now studying jazz at Guildhall School of Music & Drama and the Birmingham Conservatoire

Bishops Brass is a relatively new group which is run by one of our Brass teachers, Mr. Kevin Smith. This is a group for all standards, with the music being arranged specifically for its members and it continues to grow in numbers and popularity after every performance. They started our recent Christmas concert with a rousing rendition of Queens, I Want to Break Free

Bishops Wind is the newest ensemble in the music department and is run by our newest Peripatetic teacher, Ms. Emma Powell. Like the brass group this ensemble caters for all standards with their performance of A Charlie Brown’s Christmas involving pupils from Prep Test to Diploma Standard

Senior Brass is another invitational group run by Mr. Edney. The group accompanies many of the hymns and carols in assemblies and services. They were formed for the carol service in 2022 and are currently preparing for the upcoming carol service on the 9th December.

Chamber Groups there are a number of student led chamber ensembles that rehearse weekly. These groups are given mentoring by department and peripatetic teachers on request and leading up to performances.

We always try to end our major concerts with a mass item. The recent Christmas Concert saw over 110 pupils playing and singing Slade’s Merry Xmas Everyone.

WORT Scholarships

We are fortunate to have been gifted a foundation which allows us to offer a small financial contribution to instrumental lessons as a scholarship for pupils in Year 8-13. There are currently 9 music scholars who are all given the opportunity to perform solos on a regular basis. This may be as part of the department’s main concerts, the scholars concert every January, visiting local community groups and primary schools, or performing in school services and events.

We believe that the scholarship program is as much about nurturing outstanding young musicians as much as the financial aid that comes with the scholarship.

Beyond lessons, pupils can take part in a rich programme of musical activities, including:

• Concerts throughout the year, from large-scale events to smaller chamber performances. We give regular concerts in St. Martin’s Church, St. Thomas’ Church and The Italianate Church, Wilton.
• Community Performances, including visits to local groups, primary schools, and participation in cathedral services. The choir are also heavily involved in a national program called Gabrieli Roar where we join other schools to perform large scale works accompanied by professional singers and orchestral musicians. 
• Performance Pathways for Scholars, providing frequent chances to perform solos and develop advanced musical skills. 
• Visits to Live Performances, giving pupils the opportunity to experience professional music-making first-hand. Examples include attending Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra concerts and attending Glyndebourne’s Performances for Schools.
• Musical Theatre Productions, offering pupils exposure to high‑quality live theatre and broadening their understanding of performance arts 

These opportunities help ensure music remains an inclusive, vibrant, and celebrated part of school life.