News

Testimonials

From Manor Mead School

  To the Christine Best Foundation

I am writing to say a huge thank you from all the children and staff at Manor Mead School for the invaluable donation you have made towards instruments and music. The children have already gained so much from using the instruments and I hope from these few photos you will have a snap shot of the pleasure and motivation it provides for our children. Today one of my pupils who is learning to vocalise a clear ‘Yes’ and ‘No’, demonstrated this beautifully when asked “Would you like a go on the piano?” to which she replied ‘Yes’. A bit later on she was asked if she had finished, she smiled and said ‘No!’. This is just one of many examples of how important music is to our children in motivating them to be their best.

Thank you once again.
Emily and all of us at Manor Mead School.   

From St Paul's C of E Primary School

Thanks to the amazing support of the Christine Best Foundation, St. Paul’s C of E Primary School have now been the proud owners of our own class set of Suzuki handchimes as well as an octave of outdoor chimes and a set of outdoor samba drums, for two whole terms. Outdoors, it has been an absolute privilege to witness the independent self-expression of the children realising that they can play tunes that they know, by ear, improvising with friends, and composing nature songs in response to their environment during Forest School sessions. The sound of the handchimes have enchanted the children and have made such a difference to our teaching and learning. They have provided us with the immediate, accessible and inclusive opportunity to play collaborative music, explore chords and bring the sound of bells into our own curriculum rather than purely relying on visiting workshops. We have included two performances to the wider school community at the end of both terms and used them in extra-curricular clubs. We cannot thank the Christine Best Foundation enough. The whole is far greater than the sum of the parts!

Thank you from everyone at St. Paul’s C of E Primary School!!

From Heathside School
We are very grateful to the Christine Best Foundation for funding the purchase of thirty five ukuleles for Heathside School. The instruments will be used by students in Years 7 and 8 as part of their musical curriculum. This is a direct result of feedback given by the students over the last few years regarding improvements that could be made to the music education they receive at Heathside. There are also plans to form a Ukelele Orchestra which will rehearse weekly alongside all of the other ensembles that are offered at the school. The students at Heathside School are very lucky to have these resources.

From The Surrey Music Education Hub
The Surrey Music Education Hub (led by Surrey Arts) is grateful for the generous support which the Christine Best Foundation provided for the 2018 community opera commission “No Sound Ever Dies” by Joanna Lee (composer) and Stephen Plaice (librettist) which was premiered at Brooklands Museum in Weybridge, Surrey on 14 July 2018 as part of the “Brooklands In Sound” festival. This was an ambitious project which brought together Surrey musicians from schools, county orchestras and the community to perform a site-specific piece which celebrated an important Surrey site of international historical significance. The support provided by the Christine Best Foundation enabled us to bring an ambitious and exciting piece by a young female composer to participants and audiences of all ages, abilities and backgrounds, as well as the chance for Surrey musicians to work closely alongside professional opera singers and directors. The work also provided an important platform for young emerging artists in the first stages of their professional careers. We look forward to continued partnership working with the Christine Best Foundation and thank them for their vision and support.

Nancy Gillio-Terry  Chair, Surrey Music Education Hub, Senior Teaching and  Learning Manager, Surrey Arts

Testimonial for Christine Best Foundation
The Christine Best Foundation has generously supported three students who have attended summer music courses that I run in France over the last two years. At the courses we aim to give children the opportunity spend a week immersed in making music and creating new friends, which often inspires them for the rest of the year to get involved in music making back home. For many children there are limited opportunities for playing classical music in school; lots of the students who arrive on our courses have never played chamber music with friends before and we hope that having a taste of this at a high level, in a fun and social atmosphere, will install in them a lifelong love of music. The Christine Best Foundation gave financial support to three of our students so that they could attend the course. Witnessing how these children flourished both musically and socially during the week, and seeing their continued commitment to music through the year, is an incredible testament to the impact of local charities such as the CBF.

From Isabella Bartlett
For the past two years, the Christine Best Foundation have kindly supported my sister and I. Thanks to the CBF, we were able to attend the Thames Youth Orchestra tour to Italy this summer. We spent 10 days in the Lake Garda region, and performed five concerts, 3 orchestral and 2 jazz, at some beautiful venues. Each of us have been pushed outside of our comfort zones – myself learning the oboe especially for tour, and my sister getting the opportunity to sing with the Big Band. Touring with TYO has not only challenged us musically, it has also been a culturally enriching experience. Highlights this year included day trips to Venice, Verona and Lazise. Once again, we would like to thank the Christine Best Foundation for their support. We are extremely grateful to them for facilitating these musical opportunities.

Isabella Bartlett