Talented musicians from autistic boys' school to showcase their skills at Banbury concert

The students at Swalcliffe Park School will perform hits from the likes of Elton John, Billy Joel, The Beatles and Paul Weller when they hit the stage on April 30.

Their last show at The Mill Arts Centre got rave reviews, and the boys are confident the upcoming show - titled ‘Duel of Legends’ - will also impress.

Swalcliffe Park’s senior teacher for music, Matt Platt, said: “These boys may only be teenagers, but their talent is off the scale, I promise you.

“We’ve called the show ‘Duel Of Legends’ in honour of the fabulous artists who first had hits with the songs the lads will be performing.

“I can promise anyone who comes to see it they will get a professional standard show. The lads have worked extremely hard in rehearsals, and it’s all coming together brilliantly.”

Several of the boys involved with the concert are hoping to study music at university, with a view to pursuing a career as professional musicians.

One such student is 18-year-old Edwin Keats-Hodkinson from Stonesfield, who hopes to land a music scholarship at Newcastle University when he leaves Swalcliffe Park later this year.

Edwin is a singer and keyboard player and will be performing a selection of hits, including the Elton John masterpiece ‘Your Song’ at the concert.

Edwin said: “Autism is regarded as a bit of a stigma, but it can also help people become brilliant at things like maths and music.

“I don’t want to be judged as ‘special’ or treated differently just because I have autism. I’ve been playing piano since I was aged 11. I’ve found my autism actually helps me focus on whatever it is I want to achieve. And I want to become a professional musician.

“Of course Mozart was autistic, and he didn’t do too badly, did he?”

Another is Oscar Bryant, 18, from Witney, Oxfordshire, who plays the bass guitar and also hopes to study music at university and have a career in music.

Oscar said: “I’m hoping to go to university to study music too. I have autism, and I’ve found that playing music just comes naturally to me.

“That’s the key with this condition, although I do get nervous walking onto a stage; luckily that fades away when I play the very first chord of my performance.”

Swalcliffe Park School is a specialist residential and day school set over a 23-acre parkland for autistic boys between the ages of 10 and 19.

The school involves its students in a number of projects, from taking them to race self-built carts to organising music performances.

The Swalcliffe Park ‘Duel Of Legends’ show will be two and a half hours of well-known hits and will take place at The Mill Arts Centre in Banbury at 7pm on Wednesday, April 30.

Tickets are free but must be booked via the theatre website at:https://www.themillartscentre.co.uk/shows/swalcliffe-rocks-2025/