IT WAS one of the highlights of the year in Oxford schools – pupils would come together to dance, sing and play instruments at the annual Oxford Schools’ Music Festival at the Town Hall.

They would audition and rehearse under expert tuition during the day, then perform at concerts attended by families and friends in the evening.

This picture shows members of the massed senior and junior schools at rehearsal in 1957.

We don’t know the names of any of the singers or the schools they represented, but that year, 1,500 children from 38 schools took part in the four-day festival.

Memory Lane this week

Not all of them were lucky enough to feature in the concerts. Because so many schools wanted to take part, auditions had to be held.

Musical director Trevor Harvey would listen to individual groups in the morning, and choose a selection to take part in the afternoon rehearsals.

The songs performed at all three evening concerts were the same, but about 10 different schools were chosen for each night and there were different interludes.

The interludes on Monday night were provided by the Oxford Youth Orchestra and maypole dancers from East Oxford Junior School.

The Tuesday night concert, which was attended by the mayor and mayoress, Alderman and Mrs W J Allaway, and the Sheriff, Councillor Lionel Harrison, featured a recorder group, mainly from junior schools, but with two senior girls from Summertown, and Scottish country dancers from St Denys Girls’ School.

The recorder group, which performed an excerpt from a Handel oratorio, was a new innovation that year.

The Wednesday evening audience was entertained by the primary schools’ violin orchestra and English country dancers from Headington Secondary School.

Meanwhile, nearly 300 infants gave their own concert, under musical director Joan Sykes.

It featured a percussion band from SS Mary and John School; songs and rhythmic movement from East Oxford School; songs from St Michael’s School (Marston), Cutteslowe and Headington; a percussion band, dancing and singing from Cowley St Christopher; songs and verse from Cowley St James; and singing and games from Wood Farm.

The festival ended with a ‘teatime conference’, where 80 teachers met conductor Mr Harvey to discuss how well children had done at the festival.

l Any memories of the Oxford Schools’ Music Festival? And can we identify any of the smartly-dressed pupils above? Write and let me know.

  • Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone’s contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed.