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. The Key Stage 2 Instrumental Festival gives schools and children a chance to showcase their work.
On Thursday 27th June, Sutton Music Trust hosted the #MakeMusicWithUs Key Stage 2 Instrumental Festival, at the Fairfield Halls 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 2023. This included:
- Ukulele
- Strings
- Brass
- Samba
Schools who were with us for the entire day took part in a fantastic body-percussion workshop led by our hub-partners, Inspire-Works. Students learnt how to perform a gumboot dance, an energetic and fast-paced dance form, which relies heavily on stomping in combination with boot slapping and powerful hand clapping to create a variety of rhythms.
The concert included highlights of the WCET programme and concluded with a massed choir performance of ‘There’s a Power in the Music’, composed by Lin Marsh and accompanied by a live band consisting of tutors from Sutton Music Trust.
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.
A wonderful experience for the performers and the audience alike! Our #HighViewHeroes came back to school absolutely buzzing! We were proud to have taken part and look forward to the next!
What a finale! There's a Power in the Music! Thank you so much to all the staff at the Sutton Music Trust for organising a superb Key Stage 2 Music Festival.
