September Scholar of the Month

10-year-old Divine from Southwark is one of our 2021-25 Scholars and plays the trumpet. She has had a fantastic first year of her Scholarship and is making rapid progress. She passed her Grade 1 Classical exam last year and has just taken her Grade 2 Jazz exam.

In her end of year report, Divine’s trumpet teacher told us that Divine is a well organised and hard-working musician with excellent listening skills. In particular her scales, sight-reading and breath support have come on in leaps and bounds this year, and she is also becoming a confident and proficient improviser. In the words of her teacher, “Divine is a joy to teach.”

Divine is a versatile musician and enjoys a variety of musical styles. In addition to her trumpet playing, she has taken part in percussion ensembles and is a very talented singer. She played Dorothy in The Wiz at her local drama school earlier this year, and is currently playing the role of Nala in The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre – her professional West End debut!

We asked Divine a few questions about her musical journey so far…

Tell us a bit about your trumpet playing over the last year. What do you do at Southwark Music Service and what’s it like?

I have really enjoyed going to Southwark Music Service! I learnt a lot from my private lessons and have a lot of fun in the group lessons too. My trumpet teacher (Beth) is brilliant, and she makes it easier for me learn new techniques.

What do you like about playing the trumpet?

I love how the trumpet is really loud like me! Also, I like how the trumpet can go from very high to the low notes.

What is your favourite piece to play?

I like playing Strollin’ because it is a happy and fun piece to play.

We are so excited that you’re performing in The Lion King! Can you tell us a bit about the experience and do you have any cool stories?

I love performing in The Lion King and I really really enjoy it every time I'm on stage. One of my favourite scenes is riding on the ostrich but I also love running up the graveyard! A cool story is one time the ostrich didn’t come on stage, so I had to dance without the ostrich until I went off scene. 

 If you could meet any famous musician, who would it be and why?

I would have loved to meet Louis Armstrong because he was an amazing trumpeter, and I loved his amazing riffs.