In this, the second episode of my podcast series, I am joined by Helen Pike from Magdalen College School, Oxford. She was not long back from the Tatler Schools Awards, where she won Best Head of a Public School, so it was great that she found time to speak to me.
Helen Pike explains to me how Magdalen College School was founded in 1480 as a “song school” and has carried that tradition through to the 21st century. It now sports a total of eight choirs, with parents and staff also involved. Teachers, she says, must lead from the front during the school’s many opportunities for singing through the academic year. Helen also explains the importance of music and oracy in the lives of teenage boys and we hear why she kept the title of “Master” when she joined the school.