November Scholar of the Month

Francesca is one of our 2019-23 Scholars from Bromley. Now aged 13, she is in the final year of her LMF Scholarship and making brilliant progress as an oboist.

When she began her Scholarship, Francesca had been playing the oboe at school for two years and showed a huge amount of natural talent and potential. Thanks to her Scholarship she has been able to make accelerated progress, discover new musical genres, and build her confidence. Francesca has weekly lessons at her secondary school, plays in Senior Wind Band, and recently joined the main orchestra. She also takes theory classes. Outside of school Francesca plays in BYMT’s Hess Band and is a member of their Jazz School. She also regularly performs at her church.

Francesca performing as part of the LMF Wind Ensemble at our 10th Anniversary Concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in February

Francesca is currently preparing for her Grade 7 Oboe exam which she will take later this term. She has worked very hard to learn all her scales, practising them slowly with a metronome. She is also revising the use of different octave keys, working on her posture and in turn her breathing, and increasing her stamina with regular practice of her Grade 7 pieces. Her teacher told us Francesca is a great student who has really persevered with the challenges she has been set this year.

Francesca’s Mentor told us: “Joining the jazz group made a huge difference for Francesca this year. It has given her confidence in improvisation and more freedom in her playing, which has resulted in a more musical outcome in her playing generally. Francesca is a wonderful student to see progress and her commitment and talent will take her far.”

Francesca’s mum told us: “We have seen a noticeable increase of confidence whilst performing in front of an audience particularly thanks to the training while playing improvised jazz, a genre that only just a year ago terrified her at the very thought! She has now a newly discovered appreciation of playing within a jazz ensemble and her performance anxiety is pretty much disappeared. Francesca played at the LMF 10 year Anniversary Gala in February. This was a particularly memorable event and Francesca was asked to be part of a new arrangement of ‘A Celebration’ by Oscar-winning composer, Rachel Portman OBE, and a specially-formed LMF Wind Ensemble led by clarinettist Julian Bliss. This was a very proud moment indeed.”

We asked Francesca some questions about her journey:

Tell us a bit about your Scholarship – what have been the highlights so far?

I loved playing in the big and beautiful concert halls where the sound was magnified and echoed around the hall. I also loved it when it was my very start of LMF and we played such a bone-shaking song that I think we invented ourselves inspired by a storm and it sounded so cool!

What are you most looking forward to in the final year of your Scholarship?

In this final year I joined the next band up in my local music centre and I am looking forward to performing the pieces we are working on in a CHURCH for the first time because the acoustics will sound so cool!!!

What are your musical goals for the future?

I am hoping to achieve my grade 7 and hopefully learn how to do jazz properly!

Do you have any advice for our new Scholars?

Play whatever genre of music that you like the most (followed closely by your exam pieces) and don’t forget, just once in a while, to mess around with your music and experiment with the sounds that come out of your instrument!

Can you describe your musical journey so far in three words?

Invigorating, inspiring (because of the musicians I’ve met and the teachers I’ve had) and – I can’t think of any more.