Meet Domino
Domino Burton joined Headington Rye Oxford in Year 7 from a local prep school. She is studying Maths, English, Economics and Music and is a Music Scholar. She is in Big Band, Percussion Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, Glee Club and Chamber Choir and has taken key roles in school productions, including as Elizabeth Bennet in the recent production of ‘Pride & Prejudice: the Musical’. She plays the Saxophone, Drum Kit and sings and has recently taken up Guitar. She has achieved Grade 8 in Saxophone and Voice. She is a member of the Cricket and Tennis teams and previously tried out Fencing
On Headington Rye Oxford
This school has given me so many opportunities. I never thought I would have been able to do so many different types of things and be able to manage it all and just have so much fun doing it. Especially with things like Sport, you can really choose what level you want to be competitive at. In the Lower School, I would be really stressed about doing competitive sports and I was able to take part at a lower level and do it for fun, while now I’m getting back into sports and doing training before school to be able to compete at a higher level. It’s great that you have the choice of how seriously you want to take something. You can try a bit of everything and get a feel for what you like and then explore it further.
On Music
My favourite thing about school is probably the Music Department. I get on really well with all my teachers, especially now I’m doing A Level. Everyone’s very welcoming and there are so many different people you meet there. Someone who is studying Sciences might also play an instrument in the orchestra – it means you make all sorts of different friends through those connections. There are so many music clubs, no matter what you play there will be something you can join. There is a Sixth Form study room for a A Level Music students and I find it a really nice way to get things done in a place which isn’t overwhelming. The studio is amazing, there are instruments you can borrow and try out
What I also appreciate is that even though I spend a lot of time in Music, I still have time to do everything else and there is so much available, I’m not closed off to everything else. It’s brilliant and honestly I have a really, really, great time.
On leadership
I wasn’t the most confident person coming into secondary, but with things like Drama, which I never would have tried if it wasn’t for teachers and other pupils encouraging me to audition, really helped me develop those skills. They really encourage you to try something new. Now I’m not afraid to take on something out of my comfort zone because I know I will have someone there to support me no matter how it goes.
Beyond Headington Rye
Academically I see myself going into social sciences, I really want to do PPE and I’m looking at Oxford, Birmingham, York and Warwick at the moment. I’m just going to see where the wind takes me and taking things one step at a time. I want to make sure I’m doing something I really love. I will always do Music, probably as a hobby rather than as a career.
Something I really want to achieve during my time at Headington Rye is to make friends with a Year 7 who joins in September. When I applied, a sixth former gave me a tour and she was really nice and in September when I joined, she came and found me multiple times to see how I was getting on. It made me feel so welcome and I really want to be that person for someone else. She made such a difference to the beginning of my school life. It’s really important to keep giving back.
