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Scarborough Sixth Form College Music
department 14/11/11

S6F has recently opened its new and improved music and music technology building. The new resources are a fantastic addition to the College and provide a wonderful opportunity for students to explore their creative talents. Students will have increased opportunities to develop their own skills and interests which will serve them well in their future careers. Many ex-students from the College have gone on to study music and music technology at University as the department have been very successful in the past. The suite consists of a new music technology suite and teaching room with 17 new digital audio workstations, practice rooms and a new recording studio with state of the art Brickworm system. The College hope that the new facilities will enable students to have a realistic experience of working in a professional recording studio whilst studying for their AS & A level qualifications.

Thirteen students from AS and A2 French are currently in Gex, on the French-Swiss border, staying with families for 10 days. This is the second part of our annual exchange, and Scarborough students had already met their French friends back in October of last year when they visited the Yorkshire coast.

The programme includes a half day in school, a visit to the castle and cheese factory of the picturesque medieval town of Gruyeres, as well as a visit to the international Olympic museum in Lausanne, the United Nations headquarters and a cable car ride up to the highest accessible mountain of the Alps.

 

Berlin Study Visit: Feb 2011

In February the Lower Sixth German students headed off to the incredible city of Berlin for a five day educational visit. The city’s fascinating history meant that there was plenty for us to do, learn and experience. For instance trips to a former Stasi prison and their headquarters, a chance to go to the top of the Fernsehturm (TV tower), a monument of East German ambition, and enjoy panoramic views over the city and thought provoking visits to museums such as the memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.

We also had lots of opportunities to walk around Berlin and to experience its incredible atmosphere. Although the city has been unified since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, cobblestones following the original path of the Wall and some sections which still remain today serve as a reminder of Germany’s divided past.

After breakfast on the first day we visited remnants of the Wall; with much history surrounding it, it was amazing to witness it first-hand. Next was the ‘Potsdamer Platz’, once the busiest square in the world, then no-man’s-land behind the Wall and now one of the most dynamic places in Europe. After that we saw the Holocaust Museum and read about the victims of the Nazis, the sense of dread caused by the huge standing stones is almost tangible. Later we saw the Brandenburg Gate, the symbol of Berlin and the huge TV tower. A shopping mall in the former East Berlin was our next stop, where we had lunch and a nice view over Berlin. As the Berlinale, the international film festival, was on we spent a very cold evening hoping to see some celebrities but the only ‘star’ we met, if you don’t count us when we appeared on the large screen, was a rather eccentric wannabee who told us to look out for him on the red carpet next year!

Although we managed to learn a lot about Berlin’s history, there was also time for other activities such as a trip to KaDeWe on the second day, the largest department store in Europe, where we marvelled at the choice and prices.

The architecture of Berlin was very impressive and it still gives you an idea of whether you are in the east or the west of the city. We saw the huge Berlin Cathedral, an eerie, empty, underground ‘library’ where the Nazis burned books from the university opposite on Kristallnacht and visited a museum of ancient Egyptian artefacts. Lastly we reached Checkpoint Charlie and took a group photo to finish off our busy day.

On the third day we went to Potsdam in the former GDR, where the future of post-war Germany was decided. Many of the buildings had remained unchanged since that time, so we had a feeling of what it must have been like in East Germany. We visited one of the last remaining Stasi prisons:  the atmosphere and isolation there created a sense of being trapped even though we knew that we could leave at any time. It was shocking to think that the GDR dealt with its own people e.g. who tried to leave the country more harshly than murderers and real criminals. The central courtyard, the only place where the prisoners would have seen daylight was the most noticeable. After we left that dark area of German history, we explored the ‘Park Sanssouci,’ which is a vast and very beautiful park, with breathtaking Prussian architecture. George and Babs then treated us to Kaffee und Kuchen to warm us up!

The last day sadly came around all too quickly and after packing our cases we went to the German Parliament, the  Reichstag. Sadly, we were not allowed to go up to the glass dome due to reported ‘terror threats’, and there was an armed guard patrolling constantly, so we took a large group photo, before returning to the hotel, collecting our luggage and heading for Berlin Schönefeld airport.

All in all, the trip was a great opportunity to experience part of an incredible city. Since returning, many of us have found ourselves wanting to go back again and should you have the chance to go there, we would definitely recommend it. Thank you to the German Department for organising the visit.

 

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