Invicta Grammar School is a high performing school which places music and the arts at the heart of our Enrichment Programme. We have been blessed to work with the Wolfe/Zerpa-Falcón Duo this year. The quality of the workshops has been exemplary. Our students have been both inspired and upskilled as a result of the workshops. I have seen students’ confidence develop, as well as their whole demeanour, as part of our school orchestra. Both Joseph and Anthony are extremely professional. Their passion for music and the personal development of our students exudes. Our students are genuinely excited about the Wolfe/Zerpa-Falcón Duo’s next workshop, and indeed I do not think that the parents can wait either. The outcome of the workshops is certainly worth it – so many of our parents commented on how they could not have had a better night in London!

Julie Derrick

Headteacher – Invicta Grammar School

 

Invicta Grammar School have been delighted to work with the Wolfe/Zerpa-Falcón Duo this year. The duo have inspired our students - enthusing them with their passion for classical music and ensemble playing. The duo have delivered engaging and imaginative workshops at key stage 3, and produced informative, and highly specialised lessons to our GCSE and A Level students, which has really brought the academic side of their studies to life. The duo have also been fantastic in working with our school orchestra and string orchestra; not only bringing their considerable musical knowledge to these ensembles, but also supporting and encouraging students across a wide range of abilities, in a warm and friendly environment. These collaborations have resulted with some stunning performances at our Autumn and Spring Concerts, which have proved really inspirational to our students. It has been a real pleasure working with the duo this year - thanks to Joseph and Anthony for all of their support and contributions to the school.

Mark Heaton

Head of music Invicta Grammar School

 

The Wolfe/Zerpa-Falcón Duo have been hugely helpful in assisting the learning of my Year 13 class. The students have benefitted from the experience of hearing their A Level music played live, and have been able to quickly understand complex string and keyboard techniques thanks to the Duo’s clear demonstrations and explanation. It was extremely beneficial for the class to be introduced to concepts such as interpretation and the rehearsal process by professional musicians. Hearing the music played in different ways has greatly improved their analytical skills and ability to answer A Level questions. Overall, the experience has enhanced the students’ understanding of musicianship, which has been reflected in their own academic writing, composition and performance

Charlotte Fletcher

Teacher of Music Invicta Grammar School

 

The Wolfe/Zerpa-Falcón Duo played to our Year 11 and Year 12 pupils who found the combination of live performance and detailed analysis both fascinating and useful. The players were encouraging and engaging and it was a new and relevant extension to our academic programme.

Edward Whiting

Head of Music Benenden School

 

The Wolfe/Zerpa-Falcón Duo perform regularly at Wadhurst CEP School. They are committed to providing pupils with the opportunity to experience live performances of a range of classical music. The members of the duo are both exceptional musicians and also have a clear understanding of how to engage pupils (from Nursery to Year 6) in listening purposefully to music. The pupils look forward to the visits from the Wolfe/Zerpa-Falcón Duo and revel in the calm atmosphere that prevails as the duo perform. This academic year we are really excited to be working with the duo on a whole school project. Key music skills will be developed through a range of musical activities that the duo will be organising for the pupils. Pupils at Wadhurst CEP school are becoming increasingly enthused with the process of music making and we are beginning to see a rise in the numbers of pupils who are receiving instrumental tuition.

Clare Vernon

Head teacher - Wadhurst Primary School

 

“Great to have specialists who use precise musical knowledge and vocabulary. Their ability to share their expertise is invaluable. Thank you.”
“The workshop was interactive and engaging for such a large group of mixed ability children.”
“We enjoyed working on the rounds and learning the music prior to the Wolfe/Zerpa-Falcón Duo’s arrival. Setting a purposeful homework on Mozart was helpful to extend the children’s learning.”
“We cannot underestimate the power of a live performance. The children were spellbound and silent during this enriching experience.”

Upper Key Stage 2 teachers comments, Wadhurst Primary.

 

Children's comments from Wadhurst Primary School

 

We have been very lucky to have the Wolfe/Zerpa-Falcón Duo visit Cranbrook School to lead musical workshops with students from Yr 9, 10 and 11. On all occasions students were captivated and were able to enjoy the unique and special experience of hearing live music performed by exceptional musicians. Having the opportunity to listen to professional musicians teach aspects of musical form and explain how the pieces are played has greatly benefited our students. There is no doubt that live performance makes the music teaching offered by the Wolfe/Zerpa-Falcón Duo truly memorable.

The Wolfe/Zerpa-Falcón Duo’s work with students provides a key aspect to musical teaching and learning. It has been a wonderful experience to inspire and inform our gifted students.

Richard Fagg

Director of the Cranbrook School Choir and Orchestra; Music Teacher and Piano Teacher Cranbrook School

 

The Wolfe/Zerpa-Falcón Duo have offered our children a unique opportunity to be exposed to classical music of the highest quality, and have provided many with their first experience of such a genre.

The workshops provided are well structured and enthusiastically presented, with each member having a deep understanding of how to engage children and maximize their learning potential. This has led to the duo working closely with the school throughout the academic year.

Areas covered within the workshops have included: researching the life of Mozart with the duo performing pieces to the whole school; introducing the instruments that make up the duo; experimenting with tempo whilst developing and singing a ‘round’, accompanied by the duo; and developing an understanding of Italian terms and time signatures.

We as a school are enormously grateful to the Wolfe/Zerpa-Falcón Duo for their continued support and contribution in providing an exceptional musical educational opportunity for our children.

Ian Fitzgerald

Chair of Governors Wadhurst CEP school

 

The children at Wadhurst Church of England Primary School were privileged to experience an inspiring and informative performance from The Wolfe/Zerpa-Falcón Duo. Mr Wolfe helped the children learn about the different instruments and how they contribute to a Duo through their sound and techniques. We even learned some Italian! Prior to their visit, Mr Wolfe requested that the children completed some research about Franz Schubert and learned a round based on one of his songs. This we did and then Mr Wolfe taught us how to make improvements by changing the tempo or dynamics. He used his duo to provide the music - the children thoroughly enjoyed this and sang with increased enthusiasm and understanding. We were then treated to a performance - this was such an amazing opportunity for the children to appreciate a live performance in their own school. From the whole of Lower Key Stage Two ..... thank you SO much!

Kay Coles Teacher at Wadhurst Primary School