Music at Sir Henry Fermor School

We offer a high quality music education to engage and inspire pupils so that they develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, which increases their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement.

The music curriculum for all year groups is made up of the following strands:

• Exploring and controlling pulse, rhythm, pitch, speed ( tempo ) loudness

( dynamics ) and sound quality through singing, body sounds (e.g. clapping) and a variety of percussion instruments

• Learning a range of cross-curricular songs and hymns, in preparation for the various seasonal Christian festivals and monthly church services, as well as for the Key stage productions throughout the year

• Learning to play melodic instruments, such as tuned percussion, including gaining experience of playing some orchestral instruments in class

• Performing music to a wide variety of audiences with expression and confidence

• Composing and improvising new music to demonstrate an understanding of musical skills and themes

• Listening to and discussing a wide variety of musical performances from different genres, both live and recorded

In addition to the weekly class lessons, we are supported by the East Sussex Music School teachers and Red Butler, who offer individual and small group lessons at school on instruments such as guitar, flute, ukelele, drums, fife, clarinet, violin and keyboard. We are currently looking to expand the provision of instruments, to include more orchestral ones in the future and singing lessons.

All children in Year 3 are taught the descant recorder and begin to read and compose, using traditional staff notation. 

There are various events throughout the year when the children get the chance to perform live in front of an audience, such as church festivals, carol singing, instrumental workshops and the end of year summer concert.

We have a flourishing school choir, presently open to all children in Year 3-6, and a school orchestra, again open to children from Year 3-6. Both perform regularly in school and in the wider community at events such as the Christmas Fair, Carol singing at local Nursing Homes and and at the Summer Fair. Highlights have included the choir performing at the Proms4Praise Concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London and at All Saints Church, Crowborough, where they were accompanied by a professional symphony orchestra.

Aims for the future are to further expand the musical opportunities, both in class and for the extra-curricular ensembles, including at competition level where appropriate, in order to promote music and performing arts at the school.