We were pleased to welcome Miss Jesse into the department in January and hope that she will find her time in School both happy and rewarding. During the interim period, after Mrs. Gordon's departure, we were grateful to Mrs. Hughes for helping us in a part-time capacity.

The peripatetic staff has been greatly increased since September and we have been pleased to welcome Mr. Evans (Percussion), Miss Godwin (Violin and Viola), Mr. Halligan (Double Bass) and Mr. McLaren (Classical Guitar). We feel most fortunate to have such a variety of instrumentalists in school and we know that the orchestras are already benefitting from their expertise.

This year the Music Society has been under the leadership of a Committee, consisting of all its Sixth Form members. It is through their effort and enthusiasm that membership of all the activities in the Society has greatly increased. Nearly two hundred girls participated in the Christmas Carol Concert and our target of one hundred in the choir was so nearly realised on that occasion. One wonders which alternative activity received that elusive, final girl who would have fulfilled our ambition.

July saw the presentation of an informal concert which included many solo items, ensemble pieces and contributions from our various folk groups. Both the Senior and Junior Orchestras played, the former striving to be "with it", (as were most School Orchestras that year), by playing an arrangement of "Eye Level". The Choir concluded the programme by singing, "Stone Wall" and "Captain Noah and his Floating Zoo".

Christmas provided our busiest time with a Concert of Christmas Music taking place on Thursday, 12th December. The large sum of money raised by this concert was given to the Leukaemia Research Fund. The audience joined with the Orchestras and Choir in the singing of well-known carols. The traditional fare of Christmas was interspersed by items of a varied nature. Being designed to portray the spirit of Christmas in its many forms, the programme ranged from an arrangement of "The Little Drummer Boy", performed by the F'irst Year Music Club, to a "Christmas Medley", played with great verve by a Brass and Wind Group. The Junior Orchestra acquitted themselves with great aplomb in a breath-taking performance of "The Sleigh Ride" by Mozart, and the Senior Orchestra's ambitious choice of "Entrance of the Sirdar" was received with the enthusiasm it deserved. The Sixth Form Folk Group gave polished performances of "Sleigh Ride" and "Christmas Song", while it was left to the Folk Group from the Fourth Year to teach us all to clap correctly in "Rocking around the Christmas Tree".

Our annual visit to the Pensioners' Hall in Prescot was as enjoyable as ever. Young and old combined to sing the traditional carols of Christmas. This year the girls made mince pies to take with us to share with the pensioners. Such departure from the norm seemed to be greatly appreciated and we trust that nobody suffered as a reault of our experiments in the culinary arts!

The Sixth Form are to be congratulated on a well~presented and moving Carol Service, which they prepared for the entire school on the '"' last morning of the Autumn Term.

A party of girls visited Liverpool Playhouse in December to see a production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat". Great restraint had to be exercised in preventing certain members of the audience from "helping" the cast to sing these well-known songs!

When "Atarah's Band" travelled to the Knowsley area, the School was represented by a small party of girls who were enthralled by Miss Ben-Torim's infectious and enthusiastic introduction to the delights of music from Renaissance times to the "Top Twenty". This concert proved most convincingly that there is value in most types of music, provided the opportunity arises to acquaint oneself with it. A maxim such as this could have been equally well applied to the visit to school by members of the Scottish Ballet Company. Those of us whose knowledge of this highly-specialised art form is somewhat limited, were given a fascinating insight into the hours of dedicated practice required to achieve the incredible, physical control and poise of a professional ballet dancer.

As a result of a two-day Workshop for orchestral players held last July, the Knowsley Metropolitan Youth Orchestra has been formed under the overall direction of the area Music Adviser, Mr. P. Morris. Our School has been host to this long-awaited orchestra, the practices being held on Sundays each month. Almost thirty of our girls gained places in the orchestra and we are well represented in all sections. We hope that many more of our instrumentalists, as they become eligible, will avail themselves of this opportunity to make music with other young people in the area.

Many girls have achieved successes in instrumental examinations of Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. Passes were awarded to Anne Wells (Grade II Violin), Diane Dickinson (Grade III Trumpet), Deborah Allan and Elizabeth Flinn (Grade III Clarinet), Christine Miller, Gillian Kadley and Christine Wesby (Grade IV Clarinet), and Helen Price (Grade V Clarinet). Merit passes have been achieved by Carol Jeffrey (Grade III Violin), Ann Laycock (Grade IV Violin), Jacqueline Critchley (Grade III :Flute), Karen Gear and Janet Stafford (Grade III Clarinet), Diane Dickinson (Grade III Bassoon), Helen Jones (Grade V French Horn), and Margaret Bannan (Grade V Cornet).

In conclusion I should like to thank all those who have supported, or participated in, our activities throughout the last year. One final word of thanks must go to those members of staff who have given up their valuable time to perform with us or help behind the scenes,

H.B.