Whole Class Music Tuition
We work alongside Gloucestershire Music to provide all the children in school from year 1 to year 6 with a 10-week block of whole class music tuition, run by a specialist teacher. This gives everyone in school the opportunity to learn how to read and perform music, as part of our national curriculum, to a high standard. They build on this skill each year and by the time they leave our school in year 6 they will have been exposed to a number of different instruments in this way, without having to pay for private lessons unless they choose to.
Private Tuition
We also facilitate private music lessons in school for those who wish to take it up and we actively encourage those who have shown a natural aptitude for an instrument during whole class tuition to go on to having private tuition if possible. At the moment, Bartholomew Mason teaches violin and piano (bartholomew.mason@gmail.com) and Kyle Lapsley teaches drums and guitar (kylemusic04@gmail.com). To learn more about lessons, please contact the music teachers directly. Throughout the year, there are opportunities for the children to perform these instruments to share with the school and parents the progress they have made.
After School Clubs
We run a range of musical after-school clubs. This year we have loved our Young Voices choir and samba drumming club!
The teachers at Whiteshill are also big fans of singing and dancing so each week we like to take the opportunity to spend some time just enjoying music together! Mrs Edmonds leads singing assembly every Tuesday where the children learn songs together, We love having musical visitors in our singing assemblies so if you know of any local musicians or music groups who you think would come and play for us please let us know!
Performances
We love performing at Whiteshill and we think it is such an important part of building self esteem and confidence. Each year we celebrate the children’s unique skills at ‘Whiteshill’s Got Talent’. Every two years we visit the NEC to perform in a mass choir at ‘Young Voices’. We perform in the annual village festival of light and at Whiteshill Party in the Park. At Christmas time Maple Class also sing at the village coffee morning. The children are encouraged to play their instruments in assembly. The year always ends with a fabulous performance from our Oak Class of their play at Cotswold Playhouse.
At Whiteshill, the children are encouraged to learn signing at every opportunity, to support children within our community who have communication needs. Each Friday, we sing Happy Birthday to the children who have celebrated their birthday that week and we sign along with the song. During singing concerts and assemblies, we also teach the children signs to go with the songs they are learning whenever possible.