At Sutton Music Service (SMS), we know that different types of music touch people in different ways, so we engage with and celebrate all forms of music and all abilities. Music is music!

“Music technology can inspire and motivate pupils to engage with music who may not have done so previously, and can facilitate wider participation. It can also help improve the lives of those children who live in challenging circumstances, and benefit those moving on to the creative industries by giving early exposure to industry standard equipment and processes.“

The Importance of Music A National Plan for Music Education (2011)

SMS is always looking to expand our reach and strives to inspire the young people in the borough to make the music that they love. A key and well-established part of our activity has been by giving thousands of pupils in our primary schools the opportunity to have their first experiences of playing an instrument through our Whole Class Ensemble Tuition (WCET) curriculums. Adding to our traditional offer, we recently launched our Music Technology WCET curriculum pathway using an online package called Soundtrap.

Pupils can use Soundtrap to explore musical concepts and to compose original music.

Because the program is web-based, they can continue creating and extending their composition work at home. Soundtrap runs on any computer device, including tablets and Chromebooks.

Pupils in Year 4 at Hackbridge Primary School have been following the Music Technology WCET Curriculum during the autumn term. Andrew Bird, Music Coordinator, said:

“The children enjoy logging on and making their own music. They have found the technology very engaging and love that they can all be doing something at once.“

Bird goes onto explain that the Music Technology work is supporting the national curriculum for music through:

• extending the pupils understanding of musical vocabulary
• developing composition skills, including layering of sounds
• encouraging them to make creative choices, for example, by deciding appropriate musical timbres to use in their work
• developing their appreciation for different forms of music

Other feedback from the Year 4 teachers at Hackbridge Primary School goes on to say that:

• the pupils are very engaged and enjoy the lessons
• they are putting their hands up to answer questions
• they enjoy sharing what they have created

If you would like to know more about our Whole Class Ensemble Tuition (WCET) Curriculums and how they might benefit the students in your school, please contact suttonmusicservice@cognus.org.uk to arrange a meeting with Gareth Gay, Head of Music Service.

You can also find more information here