My name is Frances Smith. I used to be Frances Tresize and I was at the Grammar school from 1959 – 1966 and music was so special and so important.  Before the scholl amalgamated with the boys school next door the girls school also had a  very good choir and the music teacher was Mr Arthur Bending.  We sang on the radio in a competition which I think was called Let the People Sing.  I have a record of that choir as well.  I remember we sang My Soul There is a Country. With the amalgamation the choir became a mixed choir and Head of music was Mr John Holland  with Mr Alan Hutt.  Music became an integral part of the school and as you can see by the records we were introduced to choral music.  We also sang Brahms Requiem and were the first non church choir to sing at Buckfast Abbey.  When I was in the VIth form we were the choir within the choir for Dream of Gerontius with the local choral society.  As a fun visit we were invited to Westward Studios in Plymouth when ITV arrived in the county to sing on television.

We were so privileged to be part of the school at that time. Music was not just the choir.  There was an orchestra and recorder groups.  Every year the four Houses Treverbyn, Trenance, Tewington and oh dear the fourth one escapes me for the moment had a music competition which was great fun and fiercely contested with a whole week being given to the competition.

When our History teacher who became deputy Headteacher retired the girls choir reunited to sing the school song Red River Valley at her retirement party.