Sounding Out - The King's School Music Partnerships

Sounding Out Music Partnership working with local state funded schools

“Too many children are denied the joy of classical music�

Julian Lloyd Webber

The King’s School, Canterbury, has an international reputation for the quality of its music provision and maintains opportunities for its pupils to engage in a wide range of classical music making in orchestras, choirs and small ensembles.

Not all children in state funded schools have access to such extensive musical opportunities. A huge decline in arts education in state schools has been exacerbated by curriculum demands and performance measures. Many young people now have no familiarity with classical music.

The Edred Wright Music School at The King’s School

Sounding Out will give the opportunity for children from local state schools to benefit from the expertise and resources that The King’s School can offer and to develop a love of classical music through learning, performing and creating music. This will help to close the gap in music provision in and around Canterbury. It is recognised that ‘group music making is also beneficial to the development of social skills and can contribute to health and well-being throughout the lifespan and can therefore contribute to community cohesion providing benefits to society as a whole’ (The Power of Music by Susan Hallam).

Our vision 1. To provide high quality and heavily subsidised opportunities for students from state funded schools to learn, perform and create music The King’s School is offering its enviable music resources to Sounding Out at no cost. The cost of lessons, activities and instruments will rely on financial support gained from fund raising.

2. To champion the power of classical music Sounding Out will go much further than some established programmes, which have aimed to enthuse young people about classical music as audience members. By engaging in high quality music making, the young people will develop understanding of the power of classical music through their experiences of learning, performing and creating music.

The plan To establish a Saturday morning music centre which will allow children from state schools to engage in a range of activities. From September 2019 Sounding Out will offer a variety of opportunities:

1. An instrumental learning programme for students from local state primary schools.

Within the programme students will: • learn to play an orchestral instrument that they have not previously experienced, taught on a Saturday morning by experienced instrumental teachers provided by The King’s School • take part in a range of complementary musical activities on a Saturday morning • progress to individual instrumental lessons • attend rehearsals and performances by professional performers Families will be encouraged to engage with the initiative initially through an outreach programme of live musical performances and activities within their own school and subsequently at The King’s School.

The programme is intended to build on Key Stage 2 whole class musical learning and will allow children who demonstrate talent, aptitude and interest to continue in their musical learning after this ‘first access’.

2. Opportunities for talented students from local state schools to join a range of ensembles at The King’s School.

Children who show promise in their instrumental lessons at Sounding Out, and others from the local community, will be able to join one of The King School’s ensembles and gain experience of high-quality instrumental playing, alongside other young players.

Young singers locally who show exceptional talent will be invited to join one of the King’s School choirs and gain practical choral singing expertise and support with applying for choral scholarships at Oxford and Cambridge.

Support us If you are able to support this exciting new initiative, you can: •

give a one-off donation (e.g. to buy an instrument for an individual pupil)

•

set up a regular donation (e.g. to support the cost of instrumental teaching over a number of years)

If you would like to support Sounding Out by making or pledging a donation, or if you’d like to know more, please contact Julie Evans, Head of Music Partnerships: jde@kings-school.co.uk Offers of practical support are also welcome. Donors and supporters are warmly invited to attend King’s Music events.