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The Mountbatten School

Music Alumni

A significant number of our music students go on to further study after leaving Mountbatten, choosing to follow courses in Music Performance or Music Technology at some of the country’s leading universities and conservatoires. Here are just a few who have kept in touch. If you are a former Music Academy member, and are pursuing a career in the music industry, please get in touch by contacting the Director of Music, Stu Marchant, by email: stuart.marchant@mountbatten.school. We would love to hear from you.

Alumni Profiles

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Ben Upfold

Band of HM Royal Marines CTCRM

Since leaving the Mountbatten School in 2016, Ben went on to study percussion at Peter Symonds College on the Hampshire Specialist Music course. Outside of college, Ben was a member of the National Youth Wind Ensemble of Great Britain for 3 years where he was Principal percussionist from 2017-2018. In September 2018, Ben joined the Royals Marines Band Service where he undertook 14 weeks of initial military training before moving to Portsmouth to complete 2.5 years of musical studies on percussion. In April 2021 Ben passed for duty and has since served in the Band of HM Royal Marines CTCRM and the Band of HM Royal Marines Plymouth. Since being in the band Ben has performed all around the country, playing several times at the Royal Albert Hall, playing at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and also the coronation of King Charles III. Further afield Ben has performed on the flight deck of the USS Midway in San Diego and at the British Embassy in Washington DC.

Emma Gerrett

Clarinettist

Emma Gerrett is a Clarinettist, who recently graduated with a Master's degree from Trinity Laban. Emma has long had a passion for contemporary classical music; she is a founding member of the London Ambient Orchestra with whom she recently performed at Wilderness Festival. The group regularly performs fully improvised sets, for example, their recent performance as a headline act in the Daylight music series. The London Ambient Orchestra are also releasing a single in early 2024 with None More Records. As a student at Trinity Laban, Emma was a Finalist of the 2023 Soloist competition and the winner of the Harold Clarke Woodwind competition. She has also won the Wilfred Hambleton Clarinet Prize and was a Trinity College London scholar for the duration of her Master's degree. Emma is a multi-instrumentalist, also playing Bass Clarinet, Flute and Saxophones. She recently appeared playing some of these instruments with Post Modern Jukebox, as well as performing on Bass Clarinet at the European Clarinet Festival back in 2019. Emma is also a dedicated teacher, working peripatetically in four schools in London. She firmly believes that music education is for all, and takes great pride in enriching the lives of the younger generation.

Jess Upfold

Royal Marines Band Scotland

Jessica Upfold was born and raised in Romsey, Hampshire. She began playing music at the age of 8 at Halterworth School taking up the clarinet initially, followed by the saxophone and flute several years later. Her love for music grew at Mountbatten where she discovered a range of ensemble types, including a concert band - her favourite ensemble. Outside of school Jessica was part of several musical ensembles including the Hampshire County Youth Wind Ensemble where she discovered her love for the bass clarinet. Jessica also became a member of the National Youth Wind Ensemble of Great Britain, under the direction of Phillip Scott. Additionally, Jessica spent her Saturdays at The Royal College of Music in London, where she was a junior student for two years. Playing in a mixture of ensembles has meant that Jessica has covered a vast range of musical genres which has given her the opportunity to perform all over Europe. Particular highlights from these tours include soloing at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland with The Mountbatten School Big Band and playing at J.S Bach’s famous St Thomas Church in Leipzig. Jessica was inspired by a school trip to watch the Royal Marines Band Service and as a result she later joined up in September 2020 as a solo clarinet player. After 13 weeks of military training followed by a year of musical training, Jessica then spent a year in Collingwood band based in Fareham. Highlights with this band included playing at the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant Parade. In January 2023 Jessica was posted to the Royal Marines Band Scotland, where she is currently still based. Highlights from this band have included playing on HMS Prince of Wales in Virginia, USA and King Charles III Coronation in London. Aside from music, Jessica thoroughly enjoys keeping fit by going on walks to explore the local Scottish countryside as well as competing in bouldering and sport climbing.

Joe Bristow

Trombonist and Composer

Joe Bristow is a professional Trombonist, Composer and Educator, who attended the Mountbatten School. After leaving Mountbatten he studied at Alton College and attended Tomorrow’s Warriors Youth Organisation before going to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he received a first-class honours degree in Jazz Trombone in 2020. He is currently a member of the Mercury Prize nominated SEED, Olivia Dean’s band, The New Regency Orchestra and has recently started his first project under his own name. He has recorded and performed with many artists on the UK jazz scene and abroad including Jason Moran, Mercado Negro, NU Civilisation Orchestra and the London Jazz Orchestra. He has toured all over the UK and the world playing in places such as Paris Philharmonie, Dizzy’s Club, Berlin Jazz festival, Barbican, Glastonbury, The Apollo and on the Graham Norton Show. As an educator he has worked with Tomorrow’s Warriors, NYJO and Jazz House Kids based in New Jersey with artistic director Christian McBride.

Tom Crouch

Musician and Songwriter

Tom Crouch, (born 5 September 1993) is a musician and songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. After leaving the Mountbatten School in 2010, Tom studied music at Totton College, and went straight onto the road touring with British songstress Gabrielle Aplin. The tours with Gabrielle took Tom all over the UK, Europe and Asia, and by the age of 20 Tom had performed in many iconic venues like The O2 Arena, Wembley Arena and Shepherds Bush Empire, and he had appeared on multiple TV shows like Top Of The Pops, ITV Daybreak, RTE Late Late Show and Britains Got More Talent. Whilst working with Gabrielle, Tom Crouch also shared the stage with world class artists such as Ray Davies, HAIM, and a European Arena tour supporting the Grammy Award winning artist John Mayer. The festival season which followed lead to performances with Aplin at Glastonbury, T In The Park, V Festival, iTunes Festival and the British Summer Time festival in London’s Hyde Park. Then, in October 2016, Tom Crouch moved oversea’s to Los Angeles, California, to continue his successful career as a musician, songwriter and artist, primarily playing live and recording in the studio for the Grammy nominated, Dove Award winning band Gungor. Tom spent a lot of time in Los Angeles, writing and recording in prestigious studios such as The Village, Sound City, Serenity West and Sound Factory, working in the same room that the likes of Fleetwood Mac, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Coldplay and John Mayer have worked in. In February 2019, Tom begun playing for the world famous, chart topping, Jonas Brothers, signed to Republic Records, as their official touring guitarist. He has appeared on multiple TV shows with the Jonas Brothers, including Saturday Night Live, The Late Late show with James Corden, The Voice, Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, The Billboard Awards, The Graham Norton Show, The One Show, and the Grammy Awards. Whilst playing with the Jonas Brothers, Tom has also graced the stage of many prestigious US venues, such as Wembley Stadium, Yankees Stadium, Dodgers Stadium, The Hollywood Bowl, and Madison Square Garden, and in April of 2023 was given the opportunity to open for the Jonas Brothers at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in London, where Tom performed his own songs from his debut album ‘Life of Goodbyes’ (2023). Tom has been a crucial member of the Jonas Brothers band for 5 years now, and continues to tour internationally with them, focussing on his own music and songwriting in the time off between tours.

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