Pianos in the Park as Leighton Park School joins Yamaha’s Music Education partnership programme

Leighton Park School, located in 60 acres of beautiful parkland just outside Reading town centre, is a co-educational day and boarding school for students aged 11-18 years. The school’s academic achievement and pastoral care are underpinned by a distinctive ethos based on Quaker values.

Leighton Park has become the latest addition to Yamaha's Music Education Partner Programme and is the first educational institution in the UK to purchase one of the company's acclaimed CFX flagship concert grand pianos. Other instruments purchased include seventeen grands and uprights plus digital and stage pianos, totaling nineteen in all.

At the request of the school Yamaha UK brought the globally acclaimed virtuoso pianist and composer Julian Joseph into the CFX selection process. He accompanied Leighton Park’s Director of Music, Rosemary Scales to Yamaha’s European HQ in Hamburg in June and helped choose the most suitable instrument. Julian comments, “I was thrilled to be invited to help the school select the pianos that best suited the demanding and varied settings of their musical curriculum; inspiring school, inspiring teaching and now inspiring instruments.”


Rosemary Scales, Director of Music explains, “In looking to replace our stock of existing pianos the quality of the instruments was clearly a key factor, but we also wanted to find a partner who was equally passionate about making music accessible, irrespective of individual capabilities. Yamaha very much reflected this approach within their Music Education Partner Programme.”

The delivery of the new pianos, which coincides with the start of the school’s 125th Anniversary celebrations, is an important cornerstone for supporting and building on the musical reputation of Leighton Park. The aim is to continue producing excellent musical scholars whilst also providing opportunities for the all the schools’ students to discover their musical talents.

The full listing of new Yamaha pianos installed at Leighton Park School is:
1 x CFX Concert Grand Piano; 1 x C7X; 1 x C3X Conservatoire Grand Piano; 7 x U1 Upright Pianos; 4 x b3 and 3 x b2 Upright Pianos; 1 x CVP605 Clavinova Digital Piano; 1 x CP40 Stage Piano. More info on the models is found below.

Leighton Park School select their new Yamaha CFX

Virtuoso pianist and composer Julian Joseph accompanies Leighton Park School's Director of Music, Rosemary Scales to Yamaha's European HQ in Hamburg to help them choose the perfect CFX. Leighton Park School has become the latest member of Yamaha's Music Education Programme and the first UK educational institution to purchase one of the company's acclaimed flagship CFX Concert Grand Pianos; along with sixteen other pianos. For more information visit www.cfseries.com

Pianos in the Park with Leighton Park School and Yamaha

September 2014 saw Leighton Park School become the latest member of Yamaha's growing Music Education Programme and the first UK educational institution to purchase one of the company's acclaimed flagship CFX concert grand pianos; along with sixteen other pianos. To mark this important event we commissioned an entertaining and informative video documenting the day which shows music staff, pupils and management celebrating the occasion with the Yamaha team. The film captures the special spirit of the school, its beautiful setting and music educational culture. For more information visit www.cfseries.com