Music Faculty Staff
Left and right: Sion Parry, Lynda George, Paula Williams, Amanda Lockyer and Bev Steensma
The Senior School Music Department has a Director of Music, an Assistant Director of Music and a Music Administrator, while the Preparatory School has its own Director of Music and Assistant Director of Music. In addition, there are about thirty visiting music teachers who offer individual tuition on orchestral and percussion instruments, piano, keyboard, organ, classical and electric guitar and in singing.
Sion Parry BMus (Hons)
Director of Music
Sion Parry became Director of Music at Ipswich School in September 2014. Prior to this he was Assistant Director of Music and Head of Strings at Eastbourne College. He was a music scholar at Chetham’s School of Music and continued his studies at Trinity College of Music. He has worked as a freelance violinist with numerous orchestras including the National Chamber Orchestra of Wales and as soloist and chamber musician aboard the Queen Elizabeth II. Sion has performed many of the major violin concertos and given recitals in the UK and abroad. As a conductor he has worked with numerous choirs and orchestras including Seaford Choral Society (Musical Director from 2008 – 2014), Eastbourne Symphony Orchestra, Lewes Concert Orchestra and Fletching Singers, performing with artists including Felicity Lott, Matthew Rose and Stjepan Hauser.
Amanda Lockyer MA GTCL PGCE
Assistant Director of Music
Amanda began her musical training whilst at school in Bromley, Kent. As principal oboist of the Bromley Youth Orchestras and an active parish church organist from the age of 17, the oboe and organ became joint study instruments at Trinity College of Music. Further organ study with Jane Parker-Smith led to recitals at parish churches and cathedrals including Westminster Cathedral (1997), St Paul's Cathedral (1998) and Portsmouth Cathedral (1999). A classroom music teacher since 1996, Amanda has taught from nursery to A level in both the independent and maintained sectors in London, Kent and Sussex, covering music of all genres including African Drumming, Steel Pans and Samba. Since starting a family, Amanda has been Director of Music at Eastbourne Parish Church and St Peter's Church in Seaford. Amanda's MA in Education reflected upon recent provision of ICT in Music teaching and provision for Gifted and Talented children in Music at Key Stages 2 and 3.
Paula Williams BMus (Hons) PGCE
Part-time Teacher of Music
Paula Williams joined our team in September 2008. She studied Music at Cardiff University and completed her teacher training at Durham University. Paula has taught in schools in Hull, Chelmsford as well as in Ipswich, where she led a successful music department at Thurleston High School for eight years. In this post she directed its many ensembles, including the orchestra, African drumming groups and ran clubs for pupils to get involved in music making such as keyboard club and other small ensembles. Paula has a wide-ranging musical experience and currently plays with Suffolk Concert Band. She was previously principal oboe in the Ipswich Orchestral Society and played with Ipswich Hospital Band.
Lynda George BEd (Hons) LRAM
Music Administrator
Lynda George has been the Music Administrator of Ipswich School since September 2004 and also teaches the piano here. She studied music and education at the Hertfordshire College of Higher Education and went on to teach in several Suffolk primary schools for eight years. In her last post she was responsible for music and the aesthetic side of the curriculum. For the next three years she worked at RAF Bentwaters as Administrative Officer of the Traffic Management Office and, when the base closed, she became Manager of the Suffolk Music and Drama library, whilst also building up a piano-teaching business. Lynda's main interest in addition to music is the craft of comedy, and she has worked in amateur theatre as a writer, actor and director, and has written topical jokes for BBC radio, as well as dabbling in cartooning and photography.
Lucy Collinson BSc (Hons) PhD PGCE
Music Administration Assistant
Lucy graduated from City University, London, with a first class honours degree in music. Whilst in London she studied flute with Philippa Davies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and taught flute and recorder in local primary schools. After graduating, Lucy worked at St. Paul's Cathedral Choir School before embarking on an extended period of research into Scottish Gaelic traditional song. This involved time studying at the University of Edinburgh's School of Scottish Studies and at Sabhal Mor Ostaig on the Isle of Skye, part of the University of the Highlands and Islands.
After several years of fieldwork in the Outer Hebrides, Lucy began a post-graduate course in Ethnomusicology at the University of Cambridge under the supervision of Ruth Davis. She then transferred to the Sociology Department of the University of Essex to complete her PhD thesis entitled 'A Living Tradition? The Survival and Revival of Scottish Gaelic Song' in 2001.
Lucy trained as a primary school teacher after having her own children and she now shares her time between working in the music office and teaching at Ipswich Preparatory School.
Beverley Steensma BEd (Hons) MUS
Preparatory School Director of Music
Beverley Steensma gained a first class degree from Kingston University where she specialised in music education and 20th century flute techniques. Over the years Beverley has studied with a wide variety of flautists including Susan Milan and Sebastian Bell, who is the head of woodwind at the Royal Academy of Music. Beverley now plays with the Suffolk Concert Band and a Suffolk based wind ensemble. After finishing her degree Beverley moved to Suffolk and took up a post as Head of Music at Combs Middle School. For the past 14 years she has taught in three Suffolk schools, as Head of Department, where her main enthusiasm has been to extend and encourage musical activities. This has involved participation in The London Symphony Orchestra's Discovery programme and the Barclay's Youth Drama Awards. Beverley took up the post of Director of Music at Ipswich Preparatory School in September 2006.
Frances Messenger AGSM
Preparatory School Assistant Director of Music
Frances Messenger began her musical education in Grimsby in North East Lincolnshire where she learned to play violin and viola. Whilst at school she led the local School and Youth Orchestras. In 1974 she earned a place in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. During this time she played concerts conducted by Pierre Boulez , Sir Simon Rattle and Christopher Seaman. In 1979 she moved to London where she attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She studied violin with Yfrah Neaman and Erika Klemperer. In 1982 she graduated from the College as an Associate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. On leaving College she continued performing with various London orchestras. Gaining employment with several London Boroughs, Frances developed her teaching skills and by 1986 was Head of Strings at the Latymer School in Edmonton. In 2000 she moved with her family to Suffolk where in 2001 she began teaching Violin and Viola at Ipswich School. Here she has enjoyed a gradually increasing involvement with individual pupils, class teaching and with various string, orchestral and choir ensembles.
Visiting Music Teachers
Violin & Viola
- Greg Eaton BA (Hons) LTCL
- Helen Farrell BMus(Hons) PGCE Spec Strings Teaching
- Cal Fell BA (Hons) LRAM
- Frances Messenger AGSM
- Kathryn Parry MA (Cantab) Dip RAM ARAM
- Rachel Parry BMus (Hons) PG Dip
Cello
- Melanie Woodcock BA (Hons) LRAM LTCL
- Rebecca Welham BMus (Hons)
Double Bass
Flute and Recorder
- Anna Ter Haar BMus (Hons) LTCL
- Stephanie Wingham BA (Hons)
Oboe
Clarinet
- Claire Baughan BA Hons (Oxon) MMus ARCM CT ABRSM
Clarinet & Saxophone
- David Abbott BSc (Hons)
- Clem Cocker
French Horn & Trumpet
Trumpet
Trombone
Percussion
- Gerry Gillings
- Leo Laherty
Guitar
Harp
- Helen Sharp MA (Cantab) ARCM
Singing
- Lindsay Blay BMus (Hons) LRAM
- Richard Edgar-Wilson MA (Cantab) ARCM (Hons)
Pianoforte
- Jennifer Derrick BA (Hons) ATCL
- Lynda George BEd (Hons) LRAM
- Lizzy Leggett MA (Cantab) ALCM
- Sue Wilkins GTCL FTCL CertEd
Piano & Keyboard
- Nigel Virley BA (Hons) CertE