Music Department Archive

It all began in 1969…

The distinguished history of the first one hundred and fifty years of Bangor Grammar School is recorded in Trevor Gray’s magnum opus. By comparison, the opening of the Music Department one hundred and thirteen years after the School’s foundation starts a short life, one of which I was fortunate, honoured and happy to be a part for thirty-two years.

This represented one teaching career but, in contrast, the Music Department continues to build on a work begun and to play its role in the ongoing and changing life of the School. Long may it be so.

About Ian Hunter

Ian HunterWhen he was three years old, Ian’s parents moved to live in Belfast and, feeling obliged to accompany them, his education was in the city, at two schools which had excellent music departments and reputations: Strandtown Primary and Annadale Grammar. Coupled with a boy choristership in Belfast Cathedral, Ian’s life was firmly centred on music.

After four years at Stranmillis University College, he was appointed to the staff of Bangor Grammar School as its first Director of Music.

Living by then in retirement in Spain, Ian decided in 2014 to garner the Music Department’s annual contributions to The Gryphon as a record of some of the musical life of the School.

It then became obvious that there existed an opportunity to expand the initial work into a larger archive of the Department, one which now includes the chapters listed as appendices.

This has only been possible with the help of many people and, at the risk of offending others, some are listed in the acknowledgements. These, along with the great number of former pupils who have contributed information and photographs, have been of inestimable help and great encouragement.

It is now archived in the hope that present and future pupils and staff will update it regularly, perhaps even annually or more frequently. This way the archive will be as alive as the Department it seeks to represent.