By Anne Sargent (Deputy Head) and Rosie Griffiths (Music Lead).
As you walk through the corridors at Little Stoke Primary School it would be unusual not to hear music being made in some form or another. Our children absolutely love music and there is a wealth of different musical opportunities which children across the school participate in.
Our seventy strong red-tie choir performs concerts which are truly memorable and magical. The Christmas show is our pièce de résistance and is always a sell out! The programme is varied, challenging and highly entertaining with songs which are funny, reflective and moving in equal measure. We also have twenty children who participated in the South Gloucestershire Schools’ concert at the Colston Hall in June.
One hundred and twenty children are currently working hard on our summer musical production – Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat! It promises to be a spectacular event for parents and friends to enjoy. We have been amazed at how quickly the children are learning the lyrics, the tunes and the drama and dance; their enthusiasm and motivation is always awe-inspiring. As an added bonus, staff are enjoying it just as much as the children!
Next year, we have a full and varied music curriculum planned to engage and excite children as well as introducing them to some new musical experiences linked to different cultures. These are provided by the Music Hub, conveniently located in our school!
Year 2 have a ten week block interestingly entitled STOMP! This involves making music using junk. In Year 3, the children will be enjoying Samba which explores Brazilian rhythm and will link well with the South American aspect of their travel theme. Year 4 will receive musical tuition as a class over a period of thirty weeks. Next year they will all be learning to play the Fife (a great introduction to the flute) and through these lessons, will learn to read musical notation, understand and explore rhythm and pitch and learn to perform as part of a group. At least the fifes will be easier to carry than the trombones which Year 4 have been learning this year! Year 5 are taking part in a cultural extravaganza – Bhangra. This is involves Indian music and dancing and culminates in a fantastic performance which parent always greatly enjoy. Finally, in Year 6, the children will have ten weeks of Djembe African drumming – a hugely popular experience and great for teaching children about rhythm and beat.
In key stage one the children will also be having opportunities to sing several times a week, learning new songs which support their learning through developing memory and concentration and is also lots of fun! Many of our songs have actions and link well to our oral story telling emphasis.
In addition to this musical repertoire, we also have two dance groups (involving key stage one and two children) who regularly meet together to choreograph their own pieces and often perform in assembly and at school events. This year, both the choir and dance troupes performed at our summer forest community event on 8th July.
This article originally appeared in the July 2016 edition of the Bradley Stoke Journal news magazine, delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH, to 9,500 homes in Bradley Stoke, Little Stoke and Stoke Lodge. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.
