Music Department

Aims and purposes of music

By engaging children in making and responding to music, music teaching offers opportunities for them to:

• develop their understanding and appreciation of a wide range of different kinds of music, developing and extending their own interests and increasing their ability to make judgements of musical quality;
• acquire the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to make music, for example in community music-making, and, where appropriate, to follow a music-related career;

develop skills, attitudes and attributes that can support learning in other subject areas and that are needed for life and work, for example listening skills, the ability to concentrate, creativity, intuition, aesthetic sensitivity, perseverance, self-confidence and sensitivity towards others.

There are numerous opportunities for students to perform in public at events such as the Winter and Spring Concerts, Competitions, Assemblies and Musical Evenings.

We encourage and nurture a high level of performance while fostering an ethos of inclusion amongst the entire student body.  The department hosts the Associated Boards practical music examinations in May. Theory examinations are held in November and March.Each year, our most advanced students are invited to take part in the prestigious Young Musicians of the Gulf Competition in Bahrain.

The department also operates a very popular afternoon programme of instrumental tuition. Presently there are well over 100 students receiving tuition in piano, keyboard, violin, clarinet, flute, saxophone, guitar, drum kit and voice. The music facilities are used extensively at break times and after school by many groups, bands and ensembles in addition to our tuition programme.