Associate College
WAT an Orchestra! A Celebration of Student Talent and Collaboration
4th June 2025
Earlier this year, Mr Cotterill, 黑料吃瓜在线永久 Academy Trust鈥檚 Head of Performance, launched a bold new project called WAT an Orchestra! 鈥� a virtual orchestra experience designed to bring students from across our schools together in one shared musical performance.
Inspired by Jeff Wayne鈥檚 Eve of the War, Mr Cotterill created an original arrangement and recorded a full professional version himself, performing each part as a guide for students. These recordings formed the backbone of the project, giving students a clear vision of how their contributions would fit into a larger, collaborative performance.
He then opened the opportunity to all students across the WAT family with an interest or ability in any musical instrument. Through Google Classroom, students were given access to instrumental scores, bespoke tutorial videos recorded by Mr Cotterill (covering bass, guitar, and keyboard), and backing tracks to practise with at home.
Music teachers and peripatetic tutors across WAT supported rehearsals in schools, working with individual students and small ensembles. In a further creative twist, drama teachers were also invited to nominate students with a talent for voice acting to perform the iconic Richard Burton-style narration that opens the track 鈥� blending dramatic arts with musical performance.
Mr Cotterill then hit the road, visiting schools to professionally record student performances and video their contributions. The result? Over 200 separate audio tracks were edited, layered and mixed 鈥� with students often recording multiple parts to replicate the depth of a full orchestra. These were combined with filmed footage to produce a moving video montage, showcasing the talent, dedication and teamwork of our students across the WAT family.
鈥淭his project was about so much more than just music,鈥� said Mr Cotterill. 鈥淚t was about bringing young people together from across our trust, showing them what鈥檚 possible when they contribute their unique talents to something bigger. I鈥檓 incredibly proud of what they鈥檝e achieved.鈥�
The final result is an extraordinary celebration of creativity, ambition and collaboration. WAT an Orchestra! not only highlights the musical talent across our schools, but it also reflects what can be achieved when we work together to unlock the academic and personal potential of our students.