Sounding Out
Sounding Out is a Saturday morning music centre at The King’s School providing an instrumental learning programme for students from local state primary schools. Current numbers are 28 attending each week - the children range from Year 5-Yr 7 from 9 different schools in the Canterbury area.
We hope to recruit another 16 students for Sept 25 - bringing the total to 44, and moving forward would aim to be between 12-16 students per year group with years 5 - 8 represented.
From September we plan to offer Violin, Trumpet, Cello and Viola
Children on the programme are provided with a quality instrument to use for the duration of the time on the scheme. They have a 45 minute group lesson on that instrument and a 45 minute general musicianship session.
All music and accessories are also provided.
Parents and guardians make a contribution of £3 per session - but this can be waived or delayed if necessary.
In addition to the music, the children also get time to socialise with each other - in the break between sessions.
We employ 4 specialist music teachers (rising to 5 in September) and a centre manager who oversees the Saturday morning sessions.
As well as the weekly Saturday sessions, we also try to provide one concert trip per year to an external venue and free tickets to all the King's concerts.
The Sounding Out children perform to a wider audience 2 or 3 times per year - the highlight being the King's Week concert where they collaborate with King's musicians. This year they will be working on a new commission by Dr Roy, based on Peter and the Wolf
Tracking forward it is our aim that students in year 8 might be able to join our junior music ensembles - Sinfonia or Concert Band - to further enrich their musical journeys.
Aims
To provide high quality and heavily subsidised opportunities for students from state funded schools to learn, perform and create classical music.
To champion the power of classical music.
Background
A huge decline in arts education in state funded schools has been exacerbated by curriculum demands and performance measures.
Many young people now have no familiarity with classical music or learning / trying out an instrument.
Sounding Out was set up to try and redress this in the Canterbury area.
Resources
Sounding Out takes place in The King's School Music Centre.
Teachers have been appointed to teach the trumpet and violin and lead our general musicianship hour “Saturday Jam”. Each beginner has been given their own instrument to take home and practise on, as well as a music case, tutorial books and a Sounding Out hoodie.
Pupil Involvement
- King's School musicians play to the Sounding Out students and have also visited the primary schools.
- 16 year 5 pupils from across 4 local primary schools.
Frequency
Every Saturday during term time from 8.30 till 12.30.
The project is planned to grow year on year increasing numbers of students participating and the range of instruments offered.