My first association with Hymers was in 1970, when I was appointed as a part time Bassoon teacher in the Senior School. It was a very masculine environment in those days. Coming from a mixed educational setting, I found it quite hard to call my students by their surnames, but it soon became part of my life at the school.

I remember that the boys were very smart in appearance and incredibly polite, always opening doors for me and treating me with great respect. They also seemed to have an underlying sense of humour which I found was very refreshing to work with, during our weekly lessons. I remember thinking at the time that it was certainly the place that I would like to send my two young boys to, when they eventually reached the age to sit the Junior School entrance examination.

I moved on to teach class music in various secondary schools in the area and returned as Director of Music in the Junior School, not long before the first group of girls arrived.

I suppose, as other members of staff have voiced, we were somewhat wary that the girls would ‘take over’, especially in the arts subjects, but this was not the case. 

Social skills were increased, and a healthy feeling of competition developed between the two sexes. Musically, we expanded; we continued with our wonderful boy’s chamber choir and the girls soon requested a separate one of their own. Such groups as the Junior School Orchestra, String Group, Recorder Consort, Brass Group, and Wind Band expanded because of our additional numbers and they represented the school at various combined workshops and music festivals.

The girls did bring colour into our lives, especially in the musical productions which they graced with their beautiful artwork, dancing, gymnastics, and acting skills. At this time, it was possible to have independent choirs in each school year, and the Chamber Concerts were a platform for all the children to perform, especially as a rehearsal before they took their Associated Board examinations. (The occasions could be rather long but were great fun!).

My aim throughout my time at Hymers was to give the students a really wide experience of all types of music before they moved up to the Senior School. With the aid of the descant recorder and tonic solfa, they could all read music at the end of Year 6, and this helped them enormously when they transferred to playing an orchestral instrument or started to have singing lessons. 

Music touched them all, both boys and girls. I am really pleased to say that some of them have moved on to become members of both the theatrical and music professions.

Diana Bushby, OH Staff 1987-2011