On Friday 26th September, Ramsbury Primary School welcomed the incredible Derek Paravicini to meet the children and to deliver interactive workshops across the year groups. Derek is an autistic musical savant and blind pianist who has a repertoire of tens of thousands of musical pieces, all learnt very rapidly, just by listening. Derek and his lifelong mentor, Professor Adam Ockelford, also performed a concert at the Ramsbury Holy Cross Church in aid of The Ramsbury School Development Trust (RSDT) and the Amber Trust.
Derek Paravicini and pupils
Sian Haynes, Music Lead, at Ramsbury Primary School, said, “It was wonderful for the children to meet Derek, and they were totally transfixed by his playing. What a fabulous opportunity for the choir to be to sing with such an incredible musician – we are so grateful to Derek and to Adan for including us in their fantastic concert.”
Derek played firm favourites and took lots of requests from the children, some quite unusual, and he didn’t refuse once! Derek can listen to 10 seconds of an unknown song on a digital music platform and play the song perfectly.
The staff and children were astounded by the musical joy and creativity of his unique mind.
“It was amazing that he only needed to listen to a few seconds of a new song and then he could play the whole song. He was really good!” commented Ralph aged 8.
At the evening concert, the Ramsbury School Choir joined Derek to sing four songs. A spokesman for the school said, “This was a special moment, combining Derek’s unique gift and inspiration with a young choir of 45 children, ranging from 8 to 11 years old. The evening of music was veryspecial, celebrating Derek’s wonderful talent – it was incredibly moving, with plenty of moments that will stay with the audience long after his final note.
Julia Blunt, a Ramsbury resident, commented, “The choir was beautiful. Pure voices, radiance and wonderfully clear diction. I was impressed with how immaculately behaved the children were and how they responded to the music with such enthusiasm and joy,”
Ramsbury School would like to thank Derek and Adam for visiting the school and for performing their magical concert to raise money for the two charities.
The Parade Cinema – Come join the Kitchen team
