Portsmouth's Royal Marines School of Music features on new TV documentary

TALENTED musicians from the Royal Marines School of Music will take to the small screen as part of a 30-minute BBC documentary.
Musician Jack LewisMusician Jack Lewis
Musician Jack Lewis

The programme – Sea City Band School – follows the ups and downs of three musicians auditioning for a place at the prestigious musical institution, based at the Portsmouth Naval Base.

Major Jon Ridley, director of music (training) said the experience for all those at the music school had been an unforgettable one.

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He said: ‘We were delighted to have the BBC join us and we hope the documentary will give a sense of the passion for music, the world-class training and the pursuit of excellence that lies at the heart of everything we do.

Major Jon Ridley RM and other members of the Royal Marines School of Music in Portsmouth Picture: Tim SmithMajor Jon Ridley RM and other members of the Royal Marines School of Music in Portsmouth Picture: Tim Smith
Major Jon Ridley RM and other members of the Royal Marines School of Music in Portsmouth Picture: Tim Smith

‘The Royal Marines School of Music is proud to have its home in Portsmouth, and on Sunday everyone will get the chance to see how young people apply for a place at the school, and the life they lead whilst training to be in one of the finest military bands in the world.’

To show off their skills, some of the talented musicians from the band performed a couple of tunes on BBC Radio Solent yesterday morning to thousands of listeners.

Maj Ridley said: ‘The guys (from Sea City) arrived and they couldn’t believe quite what we did at the Royal Marines School of Music and how fantastic a place and learning environment it is and what a great opportunity for the young people it is.’

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The documentary will take place at 4pm on Sunday on BBC One South.

Major Jon Ridley RM and other members of the Royal Marines School of Music in Portsmouth Picture: Tim SmithMajor Jon Ridley RM and other members of the Royal Marines School of Music in Portsmouth Picture: Tim Smith
Major Jon Ridley RM and other members of the Royal Marines School of Music in Portsmouth Picture: Tim Smith

The programme will then be repeated as part of a one-hour programme featuring Portsmouth as a sea city in a series of five hour-long documentaries, to be shown on BBC Two between February 1 and 5 from 7pm.

The five-part series, narrated by Rob Bell, will explore the lives of those who have jobs around shores and rivers.

Maj Ridley added: ‘We take people from all sorts of musical backgrounds, the brass band world, school band world and even graduates too.’

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Musicians and buglers can join the Royal Marines School of Music at the age of 16.

After the initial 15 weeks of military training, they start a specialist course which lasts two years and eight months for musicians and two years for buglers.

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