Christ's School is a secondary school in Richmond, Surrey, with a growing reputation. Music is a very big part of our school life - our recent Summer Concert had around 90 performers.

We strongly believe that now is the right time in the life of the department where a really good grand piano could make a big difference to our events, and provide an instrument for our increasing number of good pianists to practise and perform on.

It would also mean that the department could host concerts by visiting professionals and other music makers, something that we would like to do more of in the future, with an ambition to make the school a hub for the arts locally.

Our school PTA has pledged £2000 in seed funding to start us on our way, and we will need total capital of around £10,000, which will purchase a high quality instrument.

We invite those associated with the school and the wider community to help us reach our goal, which would make an immense difference to the lives of our young musicians, and further assist us in making the school a hub for the arts locally. In these times of austerity we know that a piano might not be the first thing in people's minds, but we hope you can identify with the outcome of transforming our young people's lives through music, and provide a resource which will last a very long time and provide a legacy for future generations at the school.

Christ's School music department is a constant buzz of young people performing together, improving their skills, and entertaining us in the many events, small and large, which we put on.

Recent highlights include being the world schools' premiere of the Gypsy Kings' and John Cameron's Zorro the Musical (performed in the presence of the composer); a concert in the Carnegie Hall, New York, of Sir Karl Jenkins' Adiemus, Songs of Sanctuary, also in the presence of the composer; jazz band mini-tours; at least five informal concerts annually; a performance of Fauré's Requiem with full orchestra; the opportunity for our best students to perform a concerto with a professional orchestra every two years; opportunities for rock bands to perform in a range of concerts. Ex-students include two currently studying music at university, a member of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra and two of the most successful young rock bands in Britain: King Nun and the Carnabys. Opportunities for our young composers to perform their pieces in our concert series abound.

Although we have digital pianos at the school, a really good grand piano would make a vast difference to the quality of music making within the school.