On Monday 8th November, I was very pleased to find out that I had been successful in my recent audition for the National Children’s Orchestra (NCO), and have been offered a spot in main orchestra, where I will spend my fourth and final year of NCO.

As the audition was a recording, you would have thought that this would make it easier, but I found it very difficult not to keep recording until I got a perfect tape, and every time I listened back to it, there seemed to be something wrong that would stop me from sending it in, whether it be someone walking through the concert hall, the camera dying halfway through a recording or the actual concert hall not being free to use!

I would like to say a huge thanks to Miss Dee, who was extremely patient with me, as by the time we had finally got a satisfactory take, it was the third consecutive day of recordings, and I lost count of how many times we had played the same two pieces repeatedly! Overall, the audition was a challenging, but a very rewarding experience, which really helped me to improve, and I would urge anyone passionate about music to get involved in an ensemble, as it really is an unforgettable and exciting experience.  I can’t wait until the residentials next year!

Tallulah (Year 9)