Category Archives: events

Surrey Music Hub Conference 2023

Group of children with their thumbs up

The Surrey Music Hub Conference returns in 2023 on Wednesday 21 June, with an exciting programme at the University of Surrey in Guildford. The Conference is a fantastic opportunity for all music teachers and educators to reflect, refresh and re-invigorate their teaching practice. The programme will involve:

  • Inspirational speakers 
  • Performances and music experiences 
  • Primary & Secondary and SEND strands 
  • High quality workshops, panels & networking. 

Alex Bondonno, Curriculum Lead Teacher (Primary), says ‘We are so excited to be returning to putting on a conference, highlighting the superb music provision we have in Surrey, and helping to take it to even higher levels.  It has been a long time since our last large scale face to face event in 2018 and much has changed in the music education landscape since then.  The new 2023 conference will be a wonderful chance to regroup and refresh our ideas and skills, and provide inspiration to enable us to give young people in our area the best musical outcomes possible.’ Alex Bondonno:  Primary Lead Teacher, Surrey Arts 

The 2023 Conference is focused around the theme of the new National Plan for Music.  We take the new music strategy’s aims to heart, working with all Surrey Schools to use the ‘Power of Music to Change Lives’.  There will be strands of content for all specialist and non-specialist teachers from primary, secondary and specialist settings, built around active workshops, forums, discussion groups and focused surgeries with content led by leading national providers, alongside our own highly skilled music leaders from Surrey.  There will be a parallel conference for our ‘youth delegates’ who will learn alongside teachers, take part in performances and reflect on what their music education means to them. 
 
Find out more about the conference and how to book including the Early Bird offer.

Singing Picnics 2023

Singing Picnics are back again this summer with dates, venues and registration now available. Surrey Arts has been hosting these informal singing events for primary schools across Surrey for the last few years giving young people the chance to sing and have fun together outdoors. 

Vocal Strategy Manager, Nancy Giulio-Terry says “I’m delighted to announce the dates and venues for our 2023 Singing Picnics, including a return to many of our old favourite venues and as well as exciting new locations. We’re all looking forward to some singing in the sunshine!”

Singing Picnics are a fun-filled and informal way for KS2 children (yrs 3-5) from your school to enjoy singing with others in a beautiful outdoor setting with other schools from your area. Children play singing games, perform songs to each other, sing together, and enjoy a picnic lunch followed by more singing games.  

Singing Picnics provide opportunities to: 

  • Perform a song to others in an informal setting 
  • Listen to the performances of others 
  • Sing a group song learned by call and response on the day 
  • Engage in singing games led by vocal tutors 
  • Engage in healthy outdoor activities. 

Children from schools prepare one song to share at the picnic and are taught other songs and singing games on the day by professional vocal leaders. 

The 2023 Singing Picnics will be held on  

Wednesday 28 June 2023 (Runnymede/Spelthorne) 

Thursday 29 June 2023 (Mole Valley) 

Tuesday 4 July 2023 (Woking) 

Thursday 6 July 2023 (Redhill/Reigate) 

Tuesday 11 July 2023 (Lingfield) 

The application deadline is Friday17 March 2023 and places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Primary Music Festivals return in 2023!

The Primary Music Festivals are a highly regarded event in the school calendar with close to 100 schools taking part each year in celebration of children’s singing and music making!

The Festival concerts have been running for over 25 years and produce magical evenings for primary school children to come together and sing as one large choir in front of packed audiences in Surrey venues such as Dorking Halls.

Following the success of 2022’s wonderful programme of music including “My Planet, Your Planet”, by composer Teresa Jennings, the 2023 concerts will feature another new piece by Teresa Jennings entitled “Positive” about how we can all make positive contributions to our own lives and the lives of others around us with positive, thoughtful, and kind words and actions. 

Applications open soon and scores will be made available from mid-November. Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, so don’t delay — join us at one of our 9 events for schools in the following areas:

Monday 24th AprilMole Valley Dorking HallsFULLY BOOKED
Wednesday 26th AprilWoking & North Surrey Dorking HallsFULLY BOOKED
Thursday 11th MaySouth East Surrey Dorking HallsAVAILABLE
Monday 15th MayEast Surrey Dorking HallsFULLY BOOKED
Tuesday 16th MayElmbridge Dorking HallsFULLY BOOKED
Thursday 25th MayWest Surrey  Princes HallFULLY BOOKED
Wednesday 14th JuneMid-Surrey Dorking HallsFULLY BOOKED
Thursday 15th JuneEpsom & Ewell Dorking HallsFULLY BOOKED
Tuesday 20th JuneSurrey Borders Dorking HallsAVAILABLE

If your school would like to be part of a Primary Music Festival concert email: paula.camp@surreycc.gov.uk or rebecca.jones@surreycc.gov.uk

Easter Activities 2022

Surrey Arts Easter Activities Return in 2022 

The Surrey Arts Easter activities programme returns in April after a couple of years break due to the Coronavirus pandemic. This year sees a significant change to the programme. For the first time the programme is split over two areas of the county, East Surrey (Redhill) and West Surrey (Woking). This exciting programme gives young people the chance to experience a variety of different activities including playing in an orchestra for the first time, trying a string instrument, producing their own music and DJing, being part of a rock band, learning dance routines and being creative in an art class. 

Programme coordinator Yvette Madden says ‘The Coronavirus made it difficult to run the residential programme which has been held for over 40 years. However, we have developed a diverse and exciting programme that will be accessible across more of the county giving young people more opportunities to participate in music, dance and art.’ 

The range of activities for 6 to 16 year olds will run on Monday 4 and Tuesday 5 April at St. Bede’s School in Redhill and Wednesday 6 and Thursday 7 April at Westfield School in Woking. 

Activities include: 

Discover Strings suitable for 6 – 11 year olds (Redhill only) – no experience needed 

Orchestra in a day for grades 1 – 4 and 4 – 8  or equivalent standard  

Music production and DJing suitable for 8 – 16 year olds – no experience needed 

The Band Experience suitable for 8 – 14 year olds – no experience needed 

Creative dance suitable for 8 – 15 year olds – no experience needed 

Art class suitable for 6 – 10 year olds – no experience needed 

Easter Music Programme for 2021

Usually at this time of year we are getting ready for the annual Surrey Arts Easter Music week, a fun packed week of a variety of residential and non-residential music courses and workshops. Unfortunately due to the current lockdown the week has had to be cancelled for a second year. However, following the success of last summer’s online music and art activities (SMASH) we will be running an exciting week of workshops and videos from Monday 12 – Friday 16 April. These activities will include music production & music composition, multiple singing workshops, arts workshops, piano tasters, Celtic folk strings and much, much more. Registration is required for the live sessions and you can watch the recorded video tuitions for free by following Surrey Arts on social media. The timetable and registration details are now available.

Last few places available for Primary Music Festivals 2020

Primary Music Festivals are a series of concerts that have run in Surrey for over 25 years. They are highly regarded events in the school calendar with close to 100 schools taking part each year, joining forces to perform to packed audiences of parents and the general public at venues such as Dorking Halls. Many schools have sung with us for several years and some of the concerts are already full. However there are a few spaces left and we welcome applications from Primary Schools to join us in the 2020 concerts. If you have not joined us before and are considering joining for the first time we encourage you to take that step: in 2020 Surrey Arts is providing a vocal specialist to support a limited number of schools that would like some help in getting to know the music. We appreciate how difficult it can be to organise and staff the rehearsals and we hope that this may go some way to help. Our music co-ordinator, George Jones has responded to popular demand in programming ‘Jake and the Right Genie’ by Richard and Thomas Allain for the 2020 series of concerts.

2020 Festivals

Woking/Godalming/North Surrey Primary Music Festival – Monday 23 March 2020

  • Dorking Halls, Dorking

Mole Valley Primary Music Festival – Monday 27 April 2020

  • Dorking Halls, Dorking

South East Primary Music Festival – Tuesday 5 May 2020

  • Dorking Halls
  • SCHOOL PLACES FULL

Mid Surrey Primary Music Festival – Thursday 7 May 2020

  • Dorking Halls
  • SCHOOL PLACES FULL

Epsom and Ewell Primary Music Festival – Monday 18 May 2020

  • Dorking Halls

Elmbridge Primary Music Festival – Wednesday 20 May 2020

  • Dorking Halls
  • SCHOOL PLACES FULL

West Surrey Primary Music Festival – Wednesday 3 June 2020

  • Princes Hall, Aldershot
  • SCHOOL PLACES FULL

Surrey Borders Primary Music Festival – Monday 15 June 2020

  • Dorking Halls

East Surrey Primary Music Festival – Wednesday 17 June 2020

  • Dorking Halls
  • SCHOOL PLACES FULL

Surrey Arts Ensembles Booked for Festive Season

Surrey Arts ensembles boast some of the best young musicians in the county. With over 50 ensembles to join for a range of musical instruments and singing there is something for everyone. With Christmas approaching there is a chance to see some of these ensembles in concert:

16 November – 3pm Cranleigh bands Cranleigh Christmas lights switch on

17 November – 3pm Surrey County Youth Orchestra and Surrey County Youth Wind Orchestra Winter Concert St Catherine’s School, Bramley

24 November – 3pm South West Ensembles Winter Concert St Catherine’s School, Bramley

28 November – 5pm Reigate String Orchestra Christmas Concert St Bede’s School, Redhill

28 November – 8pm Surrey County Youth Jazz Orchestra Winter Concert Chertsey Hall

29 November – 7pm Just So Singers – Rockin’ Christmas Concert Guildford United Reformed Church

2 December – 6pm Cranleigh Bands Christmas Concert Cranleigh Bandroom

3 December – 5pm Piano Concert St Jude’s School, Englefield Green

6 December – 7.30pm Surrey County Youth Wind Orchestra Concert George Abbot School, Guildford

7 December – 10am South West Surrey Concert Band Christmas Concert Broadwater School, Farncombe

7 December – 11am North Surrey Winds and Crafty Clarinets Christmas Concert Matthew Arnold School, Staines

7 December – TBC Woking Wind Orchestra Christmas Concert Church of the Good Shepherd, Pyrford

11 December – 7pm Surrey Youth Choir and Surrey Youth Training Choir Christmas Concert with A Tempi and Da Capo Strings Christ Church, Woking

12 December – 7pm Blast Off and SESAW Christmas Concert Reigate Park Church

12 December – TBC North Surrey Strings and Guitars Christmas Concert St Paul’s, Egham Hythe

13 & 14 December – 7.30pm Camberley Youth Wind Orchestra Christmas Concert High Cross Church, Camberley

14 December – 12.30pm SCPE and SPARC Christmas Concert at Burpham Church

16 December – 6pm Mid Surrey Wind Band Christmas Concert St Paul’s Church, Dorking

For further information about these concerts and how to get tickets please email alison.harding@surreycc.gov.uk

Schools Professional Development Day

Tuesday 2nd July 1pm-6pm

Woking Youth Arts Centre Trinity Rd, Knaphill, Woking GU21 2SY

Tickets: £20 for up to 3 workshops.

A fantastic opportunity to renew and refresh your music teaching skills, our Summer Music Professional Development Day offers workshops for primary and secondary music teachers. We’ve asked some of our some of most successful workshop leaders to come and deliver sessions for us with all new content, including a focus on digital resources and delivery. There will be six workshops to choose from, and a selection of content that is useful for all. One ticket lets you attend up three workshops in the afternoon and twilight.

1.00-2.00pm: Session 1 

Session 1A Using topic songs across the curriculum: Al Start: Go Kid Music (Primary)

In this dynamic session, Al Start will show you how anyone can use topic songs to deliver the music curriculum and First Access/WCIT as well as improving your SEND provision by introducing actions and signs. A fun and inspiring session packed full of great songs and creative ideas!

Session 1B Online Materials For KS 2-5: Lewis Edney, Royal Alexandra and Albert School (Primary and Secondary)

This session will cover a number digital resources for use in the classroom. There will be demonstration of Focus on Sound and how this can be used in the classroom, for research and revision and homework. ‘Classroom’ integrates a number of different software and links to the Rhinegold educational products as well. We will also look at Just Play (from Musical Futures), this is a set of PowerPoint resources which are brilliant for getting all pupils engaged and playing music. Finally I will demonstrate VIP Studios (from Charanga) and the excellent schemes of work they offer to help pupils create music using Soundation4Education.

2.15-3.45pm: Session 2 

Session 2A Become a singing school: Sing Up: Charlotte Law (Primary)

What does it take to become a singing school? In this practical session, we’ll understand how to navigate the Sing Up website and get the best out of the online resources. We’ll explore the features of a singing school and approaches to applying them to your own setting, considering the whole school community. We’ll look at the wider benefits of singing, ways to inspire school staff, and songs to sing throughout the school day, including; transitions, topics and assemblies.

Session 2B Promoting instrumental and vocal learning across your school: Ally Daubnay (Primary and Secondary)

Within the proposed new Ofsted Inspection Framework, schools are encouraged to ensure that all students have access to a broach and rich curriculum that fully embraces music. As music in the curriculum develops, so too do the opportunities for instrumental and vocal learning within the wider cultural of the school. This session is for any primary and secondary teachers interested in promoting and growing instrumental and vocal tuition in their schools. It will consider how this is co-developed with the music curriculum, exploring ways to embrace instrumental learning within the curriculum, and for it to flourish in the co-curricular programmes. It will provide opportunities to share good practice with other delegates and to think about practical ways in which instrumental learning can be enhanced and maintained across transition points, based upon research from Ally Daubney and Duncan Mackrill at The University of Sussex.

4.00-6.00pm: Session 3

Session 3A Kodàly In The Klassroom 2 – Len Tyler

Building from his previous session in the autumn term, Len will provide inspiration for your primary music teaching. Warm ups and singing games, choosing suitable material for school children, circle games and songs, strategies for building pitch literacy, the important of canons and further information on the underlying principles of Kodàly music teaching. Virtually all material will be different from the previous workshop. This follow up session from Len Tyler will be of use to any primary school teacher with an interest in music. The will be accessible to teachers who weren’t at Len’s previous session.

Session 3B Teaching Music with iPads – An Introduction: Transformance Music

Our Teaching Music with iPads training opens up the world of classroom iPad music-making to both specialist and non-specialist teachers at KS 1 – 3, including the technology-shy! The training explores tasks that develop musicianship and music theory through carefully structured creative tasks. Activities will be based on best practice when using tablet technology to teach music, with clear links to the National Curriculum and a strong cross-curricular emphasis. Each delegate will receive a free copy of our ‘Teaching Music with Garageband for iPad resource, containing pupil-facing videos, lesson plans and assessment criteria. This two hour session includes an experiential introduction to Garageband, including an initial 10 week song writing project for KS2/3. Creating backing tracks for short films and an equipment guide. There will be some Ipads available to use for this session if you don’t have your own to bring.

Courses and workshops 2019/2020

Easter Music Courses for 5th to 9th April 2020. Registration opens in October.

Easter Music Course

Running for over 40 years, the next Easter Music Course is from Sunday 5 – Thursday 9 April 2020. Bookings are now open.

Other workshops

Surrey Arts run a variety of music workshops throughout the year for young people. These range from instrumental master classes to instrument skills, DJ & music production with experienced tutors. Workshops are held during school holidays, after school or at weekends all over the county. 

DJ & Music Production

DJ & Music Production – a chance to learn how to beat match tracks and produce some unique beats of your own.

A unique half day workshop for young people to learn the art of DJ-ing and an introduction to music technology in a fun and educational way. Use mixing consoles to beat match , blend, cut, paste and scratch music to create a DJ mix. No previous musical experience necessary.

Saturday 14 December – The Bridge Youth Centre, Leatherhead KT22 7RB

8 – 16 year olds – 10.00am – 1.00pm

Monday 6 April – Royal Alexandra & Albert School, Redhill

8 – 11 year olds – 9.00am – 12.00pm 
11 – 16 year olds – 1.00 – 4.00pm

Book now

Coming soon

Guitar skills – a workshop designed to bring together young guitarists who want to improve their skills while playing with other musicians. 

Singing workshops – come and sing choral songs with Surrey Youth Choir tutors in a fun and relaxed environment with other young singers.  

Easter Music Courses 2020

Coronavirus – update 19 March: ALL Surrey Arts activities CANCELLED

Following the latest Government advice relating to public gatherings, non-essential contact and social distancing, it has been decided to cancel all Surrey Arts activities until further notice including ensemble rehearsals, concerts, lessons, activities, and the Surrey Arts Easter Music Course. All upcoming exams are also cancelled.

Surrey Arts are continually monitoring the situation relating to the impact of the coronavirus and are following guidance given by Surrey County Council and Public Health England. We will keep in contact with our customers by e-mail and SMS on any changes to planned activities. Please contact us by e-mail: surreyartsmusic@surreycc.gov.uk rather than by phone if you have specific queries.

We appreciate your patience during this period.