Julia: Unlocking Her Potential as a Music, Sport and Academic Scholar
At Sedbergh, our scholarship programme isn’t just about recognising talent—it’s about unlocking your full potential. Meet Julia, a Year 10 scholar excelling in music, academics, and sports, who has found that being a Sedbergh scholar means so much more than achievements on paper. From performing in inspiring concerts to taking on new challenges in the classroom and on the sports field, Julia shares how this opportunity has helped her grow, connect with others, and discover what truly inspires her.
What instruments do you play?
I’ve only been playing the xylophone for a year, but I’ve been playing the piano since I was around five. I really enjoy playing the piano; it’s fun and quite versatile. There are so many different styles of music you can explore, and it has helped me develop the skills needed to play the xylophone and similar instruments.
At the Bridgewater Hall Concert I’m playing in the orchestra. I’m mostly playing the xylophone, but I’m also playing the cymbals and performing with the percussion ensemble to accompany the choir as they sing.
What does it mean to you to perform at such a historic event?
It is a great opportunity to perform in such a big concert hall, especially at this age. A lot of younger pupils haven’t experienced anything like this before, so it’s quite new for all of us.
I’m most excited about all the new experiences. Obviously, we’ve never played in front of so many people before, especially in a venue this large, so it’s really exciting to have this chance.
What inspired you to start playing?
I was inspired at first when my mum took me to a concert where I saw a lady playing the piano, so I decided I wanted to play the piano after watching that. Then, when I first came to Sedbergh, Mr. Norman, who’s the percussion teacher, asked me to play the xylophone in the orchestra. After I played it there for a term, I decided that I wanted to have lessons as well. When I started my percussion lessons, they branched out into all the different types of percussion.
Do you have a favourite memory of performing at school?
I like the Thursday assemblies because the first time I played in one of the Thursday assemblies, I was really, really nervous. And then afterwards, everyone was really encouraging. It felt really good. They were all complimenting everything and it felt good having done it, like I’d really achieved something.
Why do you think music is such an important part of celebrating Sedbergh’s anniversary?
I think music is really important in celebrating Sedbergh’s anniversary because it’s always been a big part of Sedbergh to be musical. Every morning in chapel, everyone sings really loudly, always trying to be louder each time, and there are music assemblies every Thursday. It’s just a big part of our culture.
Who inspires you as a musician?
I’m quite inspired by the music teachers to be honest. For example, Mr. Seymour, he’s always really passionate when he is teaching us in choir, he tries to get every detail and practicing as much as possible. It’s always quite inspiring how dedicated he is to every aspect of music – and Mr. Allinson as well. They’re all really nice at the same time.
How are you enjoying the senior school?
I’m really enjoying it. My first impression of the senior school was that it was quite big. I couldn’t find my way around, but after a while it got a lot easier. It’s kind of the same as prep school, but then it’s bigger and it’s got lots of opportunities and things that you can do. So if you are not enjoying something, then you can just switch and do something else and then you’ll eventually find something that fits your interest. There’s just so much to do.
How have you found joining the scholarship program at the senior school?
The scholarship program at the senior school has been really good. It offers a lot of things that you can do to improve. For example, in music we have a scholar’s concert, which it helps you practice performing in front of other people and you have to introduce your piece and what your music is about. In sport, we’ve just had early morning strength and conditioning sessions.
For academics, we had 9 star meetings where you learn about different subjects that you wouldn’t ordinarily learn about in lessons; things you wouldn’t even think about day-to-day. One time we did film studies, which was completely new. We did one about problem solving using the Rubik’s Cube, so it was completely random. There’s a really big variety of the things that they talk about in Nine Star and you learn a lot of different skills and ways of thinking about problems.
You were also an 11+ scholar at Casterton, Sedbergh Prep School. Did the programme teach you any skills that have helped you in Senior School?
In the prep school, we were taught a lot of exam techniques, as well as how to manage our time in exams. They also taught us skills to help us avoid stress and stay calm.
I still use all the exam skills I learned whenever I have a test or something big coming up. For example, they taught us breathing techniques, and I always use them to calm myself down or prepare, which is really helpful.
If you could give advice to younger pupils who are about to start at the senior school, what would you tell them?
The advice that I’d give to new people joining the school would be to try and do, try as many different things as you can. Not necessarily at the same time, but just try out new things because there’s so many things that you can do that you’ll discover something new that you really enjoy.
