Memory Lane 15

14th June 2023, Simon Poulton (1967-74) writes:

Recollections of Tony Smith and the music department

Although the numbers taking O and A level music were very small, just one or two a year, the enthusiasm that Tony Smith brought to the musical activities of the school was significant.

He was a highly talented musician, his main instrument being the organ and he was a Performing Fellow of the Royal College of Organists. He encouraged much musical activity outside of the school and there were regular needs for pupils to perform at concerts held at St Edmonds in Northwood Hills, at which he was a regular contributor, and at St Mary’s Church, Harrow on the Hill, where he was the resident organist and choirmaster. A number of us also took part in concerts at St Martin-in-the-Fields and St James’,  Piccadilly. On top of this, he was a piano teacher outside of school and relished having an extremely full diary, often busy musically most evenings and weekends.

He was known for a degree of spontaneity which could take you by surprise on occasion. When I was in the 5th form, he walked into my form room one Monday morning, the geography room, when registration was being taken by Mr Tanner and walked up to me and told me I was going to be playing a duet with him at the piano for that morning’s assembly – no pressure. I duly went and sat next to him at the piano, he produced the music, a blues number I recall, and without practice, he expected us to carry this off in front of the whole school. He covered up my shortcomings well and I think we got away with it but it was an exercise in nerves – and not one to be repeated!

On another occasion, I had a double period with him one morning in the L6 and he walked in and announced that we were off to London together! He drove us to Northwood Hills station in his Ford Anglia – his noticeable driving style was to lean forward with the steering wheel almost touching his chest – and we went off to Harrods where the store was holding one of their regular Piano Sales. On the train, he told me that he had been asked to choose a piano for the school hall as the existing one was getting a bit long in the tooth and we were going to see if we could find something to suit. He was very genial company on the train – I think the outing quite excited him. In Harrods, the pair of us tried all the pianos we could, selected one, and it was duly acquired and installed in the school hall – the old piano remained in the hall as it was still his favourite so that is how St Nicks school hall had and retained two grand pianos from summer 1973.