Sutton Music Trust has been delighted to work with schools and children from across the London Borough of Sutton over the past academic year, giving them the experience of learning an instrument. The National Plan for Music Education (NPME) states that all children should be able to learn an instrument through Whole Class Ensemble Teaching (WCET) - this should be part of a school’s curricular offer.
On Tuesday 24th June, Sutton Music Trust hosted the #MakeMusicWithUs Key Stage 2 Instrumental Festival, at Fairfield Halls, a large theatre in Croydon. Over 400 children from 15 primary schools in Sutton performed on the world-famous stage of the Phoenix Concert Hall to an audience of over 800. This showcased and celebrated the children’s hard work throughout the year.
Each school involved has focused on learning a specific – or combination – of instruments since September 2024. This included ukulele, strings, brass and recorder. We were especially delighted to welcome a WCET Recorder class for the first time this year, who performed a varied programme ranging from “London’s Burning” to the “Dr Who Theme”!
A long day culminated in an impressive performance, where all the schools taking part really shone. How lovely it is to be a part of something so special.
Schools who were with us for the entire day took part in an exciting vocal workshop led by our Senior Vocal Curriculum Leader, Emily Murphy. Students enjoyed learning a complex rhythmic vocal warm-up which involved layering four different rhythms, a fun round ‘Kumala Vista’, and also found time to work on our massed song ‘Be the change’! The students sang with energy and commitment throughout the day, resulting in a truly spectacular finale performance.
The concert included highlights of the WCET programme and concluded with a massed choir performance of ‘Be the Change’, composed by Emily Barden and accompanied by a live band consisting of tutors from Sutton Music Trust.
Our annual KS2 Festival is a highlight for so many. The concert was full of wonderful music, energy, enthusiasm and the simple, yet powerful joy of performing. The performers showed us just how powerful music can be when it’s shared with passion, purpose and happiness. We are also so appreciative of the wonderful audience that came to support and cheer on our talented young musicians. Well done to everyone involved!
We were very pleased to have a hardworking team of student stewards and volunteers working behind the scenes to make sure that everything ran smoothly. Thank you to all who assisted in collecting schools, overseeing workshops and helping the front of house team.
I found working as a steward backstage at the KS2 Festival really interesting - although there was quite a bit of pressure, it really challenged my organisational skills and I thought it was a really rewarding and unique experience. I would definitely be willing to help out at future events!
For many involved, this was their first time performing in front of an audience, at a prestigious venue– this is something they will remember for a long time! Well done and congratulations to all who took part!
