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.
We are delighted to be sending you our first newsletter of this academic year, and we send it with very best wishes to all Surrey teachers for the coming year in school. Below you will find news and information about opportunities for schools, including an exciting programme of CPD for the autumn term, delivered both by Surrey Arts and by external provider organisations.
As you will be aware, the new National Plan for Music Education was announced by the DFE just before the summer. This will be an important focus for Surrey Music Hub and Surrey Arts during the coming year and will be an important topic for discussion at the Primary Music Network, and also at Music Mark’s OFSTED Update on Music in Schools. Other CPD this term includes a variety of practical workshops, both online and face-to-face, covering various aspects of music making in primary schools, an introduction to the latest version of Charanga’s Musical School, and a session on whole class teaching using GarageBand. Pleasesee below for full details.
We are also pleased to remind schools about our Wardrobe Hire where you can find an amazing range of costumes for your productions, workshops and projects, see below for full details.
Finally, to help us provide the best possible service to schools, please note our request regarding signing up to CPD sessions, and also do let us know if your school would be interested in being a host school for one of our CPD sessions.
We will be discussing the impacts of the new plan at the Primary Music Network on Wednesday 21 September. In the meantime, a very good summary of the impact for schools can be found at The Music Teachers Association website: https://www.musicteachers.org/npme/
Surrey Arts Open Ensemble Rehearsals Week 17-23 September
Surrey Arts provides over 40 different choirs, bands, orchestras and music groups across the county, for all ages and abilities. Our Open Rehearsals Week gives young people of all abilities the opportunity to come and try an ensemble, for free. The aim of this week is to encourage young musicians to play a musical instrument of their choice in a setting that’s best for them. Playing an instrument has many benefits; including helping to boost or aid development, as well as providing the opportunity to have fun and make new friends.
We were delighted to welcome schools back for the Primary Music Festival season in 2022 and have now confirmed the following dates for the 2023 season. Applications will open shortly!
Surrey arts is able to offer all schools in Surrey free membership of Music Mark, the UK’s subject association for music education. Music Mark membership can offer your school opportunities for training and networking, as well as useful resources. You can find out more here.
In order to apply for membership please complete this form. To be granted membership we ask you to write a short statement which addresses the Music Mark membership criteria, and shows:
• evidence of a willingness to engage in developmental conversations related to improving music provision, including with the Music Hub
• recognition of the value of music education as part of a broad and balanced curriculum
• a strategy for music in place which provides for all children
• evidence of engagement with Surrey Music Hub
Applications should be made with the support of the school’s headteacher.
Wardrobe News
Wardrobe is raring to go and looking forward to welcoming you back for the Autumn term, which is traditionally our busiest period. Surrey Arts Wardrobe provides theatrical costume hire and educational resource for schools, drama groups and industry professionals; offering a unique collection of thousands of items of costume, vintage clothing and accessories to bring your shows, productions and events to life.
Browse our wardrobe! If you haven’t been to our Wardrobe for a while, or are new to our service, we encourage you to book a ‘prep’ appointment to come and explore our vast stock and discuss your aspirations for your next school production or topic workshop.
Costumes can be reserved for up to six weeks before your hire date and we operate an appointment only system for pick-ups and drop offs. If you are a regular hire customer, you could benefit from our membership programme, which includes 15% off our listed prices and a free ‘borrow’ week for fittings but membership is no longer compulsory for invoiced hire.
As accessories make a look more believable, we have reduced the prices on many of our accessories to help you complete outfits at an affordable price. You can find an up-to-date price guide and contact details on our website www.surreyartswardrobe.org.uk
Baroque Sessions from The Benedetti Foundation
The Benedetti Foundation is delighted to present a new edition of the Baroque Virtual Sessions. Taking place between 26 September and 2 October, we will be joined by internationally acclaimed Baroque Specialists including: Rachel Podger (violin), David Watkin (cello), Leo Duarte (oboe), Liz Kenny (lute), Steven Devine (harpsichord), Ursula Paludan Monberg (horn).
From 26-30 September, we will be releasing a series of short films exploring a range of baroque concepts. We hope these will be particularly of interest to students studying baroque as part of their exam-based music courses, and teachers can access this resource free of charge. They will be added to our existing Discover Baroque video resources.
On the weekend of 1-2 October, each baroque specialist will lead a live 1-hour session exploring the baroque era through the eyes of their instrument / family of instruments. These sessions are open to all ages, all instruments, all levels and they will be recorded and made available to all registered participants for 3 months.
Full information and the registration form can be found here. There is a registration fee of £15 to cover costs, and full bursaries available to anyone (just tick the box on the form). The closing date to register to join in the live weekend is 30 September.
Schools who wish to register to receive the resources and access to the recorded sessions can do so free of charge by entering a lead teacher’s information.
It is important for us to have a good idea of who is attending our CPD sessions, so that we know they are viable, and can prepare according to the group size we are expecting.
We would ask for your assistance and only sign up via the Autumn CPD events form for those sessions you intend to attend, and please let us know as early as possible if you will not be joining a session for any reason.
Primary Music Network
Wednesday 21 September 15.45-17.15 via Zoom
A session for all primary music teachers and music leaders in Surrey schools to discuss practical ways to provide a music provision in their school. We invite primary schools to present case studies and facilitate discussion on the current challenges, needs and seek to find solutions. This session will include a vocal warm up from Cole Bendall and presentation from ABRSM on their 200 pieces digital resources. We will be using the session to have a detailed discussion around the New Music Plan and its implications for your schools.
Full Agenda will be confirmed nearer the time. Send points you would like discussed to alex.bondonno@surreycc.gov.uk
New to being a music coordinator? Want practical ideas on how to take on this role at your school? Perhaps you have been in the role for a while, but would like more support and ideas? Whether you are a musician or not, taking on the challenge of leading music at a school can be a daunting task, but highly rewarding! Led by Alex Bondonno (Surrey Arts) and Kate Sweeney (St John’s Primary), this workshop will give you practical ideas on how to be an effective music leader for your school, looking at curriculum, instrumental uptake, choirs and ensembles and just getting music happening in your school.
Inclusive drum circles and body percussion workshop
Saturday 1 October 11.00-12.00 at The Bridge Youth Centre, Leatherhead, KT22 7RB
Led by Ollie Tunmer from Beat Goes On, this free, bite size workshop will equip participants with new skills and activities to imbed within their practice. The workshop is aimed at music teachers who have already had some experience of incorporating percussion and movement within their sessions with young people and are interested in developing their inclusive practice.
Start your choir: how to teach a song, find diverse material and lead primary school children in singing. If you’re new to leading singing in your school or just want some fresh ideas to help energise your primary school choir, this is the session for you! Learn some new techniques, explore new songs, and come away with some practical materials that you can put to use right away with your children using tried and true teaching methods. Led by Ula Weber (Sing for Pleasure, National Teachers’ Choir, Ex Cathedra), this is a great confidence booster for the new year!
Music with a focus on rhythm in EYFS and KS1: Stephen Grocott
Tuesday 11 October 16.00-17.30 in Person, Location TBC
This practical workshop is full of material and ideas to enhance learning, performance and creativity. It will focus on the rhythmic elements in music and their connection with movement, language and mathematics and participants will learn:
• New highly enjoyable and memorable songs and rhymes that can make the basis of music teaching and contribute to sociable mat times
• Ways of using this material with a focus on finding and making rhythm patterns with and without percussion instruments
• How rhythm work connects with mathematical thinking and language acquisition as well as addressing each part of the revised EYFS statutory framework
• How to move from improvising with rhythm to the beginnings of composition with or without instruments and including tuned percussion
Rhythm is a fundamental skill that is the foundation for all musical performance. Alex Bondonno leads a practical workshop giving ideas on how to teach and embed rhythmic skills for all your pupils allowing them to grow into aspiring young musicians.
An opportunity to hear about music opportunities for vulnerable children and young people as well as make connections, find solutions and discuss the topics that are currently important to attendees.
The Role of Play in Children’s Musical Learning and Singing
Thursday 3 November 15.45-17.15 via Zoom
Singing doesn’t always have to take place in the choir! Establishing a culture of singing-play in your classroom is easier than you might think and can have significant benefits on your classroom community and each individual child’s wellbeing, vocal and musical development, and personal and social skills. This session led by Ex Cathedra’s Rebecca Ledgard will leave you with lots of activities to enjoy doing with your children. Rebecca has worked as Ex Cathedra’s Director of Education and Participation since 2000 and has led Singing Playgrounds and other significant projects across the UK and internationally. She was bestowed with honorary membership for the services to music education by Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
Thursday 10 November 16.00-17.30 at Chertsey High School, Addlestone KT15 2EP
A session to help develop the choral leadership skills of teachers/MEH staff to lead high quality, whole school singing and choir sessions. This session is appropriate for new choir leaders or more experienced leaders who would like to further develop their leading skills. It makes a good follow-on session from our October “Start Your Choir!” workshop.
Introducing the Music of the 2023 Primary Festival Concerts – workshop 1
Tuesday 15 November 15.45-17.00 via Zoom
The Surrey Primary Festival concerts are back! Come along to this online workshop with conductor Cole Bendall as an introduction to Teresa Jennings’ “Positive” and some of the other music to be included in the 2023 Primary Festival concerts. This is a good way to have a first listen to the songs your children will be singing and to get some ideas for ways to teach the music in your school. A follow-on workshop with more teaching tips will be offered in January.
Tuesday 22 November 16.00 -17.00 at Surrey Arts, 14 The Pines, Guildford, GU3 3BH
A workshop exploring teaching years 5 & 6 how to compose using GarageBand. This session, with our Digital Music Lead, James Crompton, will provide lesson ideas for teaching full classes to create their own musical projects; teach students how to make voice collages & sonic art, video game themes, raps & vocals, rock & pop and dance music. GarageBand is easy to use, and notes are available with lesson ideas, learning objectives and studio tips. The workshop would suit both class teachers and music specialists looking to get their pupils exploring and creating their own music digitally.
Please note change of date due to National Bank Holiday
Surrey Arts and Charanga warmly invite you to this high-level overview looking at the structure of the Charanga units, the range of learning activities and supporting documentation. Led by Timothy Bond.
Below we highlight some free music workshops by other providers, that may be of interest
KS1 & KS2 focused interactive workshop from the Royal Opera House
Tuesday 4 October, 14.00-15.00, via Teams
This LIVE workshop invites schools to join ROH music and drama practitioners as they rehearse and lead participants through a culmination performance; followed by a special opportunity to meet an opera singer.
Register your class and/or school by Friday 30 September, to take part in this pilot study for ‘What is Opera?’ as the ROH explore how to best support school communities in providing access to the Royal Opera House. If you have any questions, please contact createandsing@roh.org.uk
Music Mark Event: OFSTED Update on Music in Schools
Wednesday 5 October, 16.00-17.15 (online)
Ofsted’s HMI National Lead for music, Christopher Stevens will discuss effective assessment in music and includes 15 minutes for questions.
Greetings from all our colleagues at Surrey Arts and very best wishes for the coming half –term and for your preparations for seasonal performance events at the end of term.
Please see below our second newsletter for this term, with details of a wide range of events and courses of interest to all who are interested in developing opportunities for music in Surrey schools.
The 2023 Primary Music Festival concerts are filling up quickly and several dates are already full. Space remains at our Dorking Halls concerts on the following dates 26 April, 11 & 15 May, 14, 15 & 20 June. Get in touch now if you’d like your school to take part!
Your registration gives you access to all the music you will need and some helpful online learning resources to help you prepare your children in learning the music. Specialised CPD is also available to teachers. The concerts are a great way for children to sing with other schools in one of Surrey’s top venues, along with a professional backing band. Email becca.jones@surreycc.gov.uk to request an application form for your preferred date.
Surrey Arts are expanding their ABRSM Grade 5 music theory online group classes and now offering individual online theory lesson for ABRSM Grades 1-3 or 6-8.
The lessons cost £9.50 per session for a 45minute online group lesson or £21.50 per session for a 30 minute online individual lesson.
Offering students of all abilities, from year one and above, the chance to try a wide range of contemporary instruments, learning together, as a group of 3 or more students. Instruments include guitar, drums, keyboards, bass guitar and ukulele – try each instrument or focus on your favourite.
Cost: £8.60 per lesson
Day and time: Thursdays from 4pm
Venue: Woking Youth Arts Centre, Trinity Road, GU21 2SY
In thisrecording of this Music Mark session, Ofsted’s Christopher Stevens, HMI National Lead for music, presents their latest thinking on effective assessment of music in schools. Christopher’s presentation, touching on different types and regularity of assessment, is followed by a period of Q&A covering a variety of topics raised by attendees.
Please find the recording of the session along with presentation slides on this link:
Classroom 200 is a free online resource for school teachers working with students up to the age of 14. Featuring 200 recordings of inspiring music in a range of styles, plus accompanying lesson plans, Classroom 200 is all about bringing music to life in the classroom.
Lessons can be filtered by age, musical element or classroom layout. Each lesson plan contains a learning objective, key terminology, resources needed, ideas for whole class learning, small group activities and ‘support and challenge’ suggestions.
Surrey Arts continues to offer all schools in Surrey free membership of Music Mark, the UK’s subject association for music education. Music Mark membership can offer your school opportunities for training and networking, as well as useful resources. You can find out more here.
In order to apply for membership please complete this form. To be granted membership we ask you to write a short statement which addresses the Music Mark membership criteria, and shows:
evidence of a willingness to engage in developmental conversations related to improving music provision, including with the Music Hub
recognition of the value of music education as part of a broad and balanced curriculum
a strategy for music in place which provides for all children
• evidence of engagement with Surrey Music Hub
Applications should be made with the support of the school’s headteacher.
UP! Orchestra is a free inclusive orchestra for experienced musicians, complete beginners and anyone in between. This award-winning ensemble is designed to be accessible for young people aged 13+ of all abilities, including those with special educational needs. We are particularly interested in welcoming Looked After Children, children from diverse backgrounds and any young people who have found it difficult to access music because of their life circumstances. Equally, if you’re a young person who just loves to make new music in a fun and creative way then we’d love to hear from you also. Best of all, there is no audition process and it’s totally free to attend!
UP! Orchestra is led by an awesome team of professional musicians whose aim is to ensure each participant has a meaningful musical and dance experience regardless of ability, musical interest, vocal style or instrument. The team is experienced in supporting young people in mainstream settings as well as those who have mental health, disability, behavioural, ESL (English as a second language) needs and young people from diverse cultural backgrounds.
During the Saturday morning music sessions, the young people will be taking part in a range of fun and fulfilling music activities. The theme this term is Pop Music! UP! Orchestra warmly welcomes new members to apply online or contact Lucy.Zirins@surreycc.gov.uk for further information.
The Role of Play in Children’s Musical Learning and Singing
Thursday 3 November 15.45-17.15 via Zoom
Singing doesn’t always have to take place in the choir! Establishing a culture of singing-play in your classroom is easier than you might think and can have significant benefits on your classroom community and each individual child’s wellbeing, vocal and musical development, and personal and social skills. This session led by Ex Cathedra’s ), Rebecca Ledgard will leave you with lots of activities to enjoy doing with your children. Rebecca has worked as Ex Cathedra’s Director of Education and Participation since 2000 and has led Singing Playgrounds and other significant projects across the UK and internationally. She was bestowed with honorary membership for the services to music education by Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
Thursday 10 November 16.00-17.30 at Chertsey High School, Addlestone KT15 2EP
A Voices Foundation session to help develop the choral leadership skills of teachers/MEH staff to lead high quality, whole school singing and choir sessions. This session is appropriate for new choir leaders or more experienced leaders who would like to further develop their leading skills. It makes a good follow-on session from our October “Start Your Choir!” workshop.
Introducing the Music of the 2023 Primary Festival Concerts – workshop 1
Tuesday 15 November 15.45-17.00 via Zoom
The Surrey Primary Festival concerts are back! Come along to this online workshop with conductor Cole Bendall as an introduction to Teresa Jennings’ “Positive” and some of the other music to be included in the 2023 Primary Festival concerts. This is a good way to have a first listen to the songs your children will be singing and to get some ideas for ways to teach the music in your school. A follow-on workshop with more teaching tips will be offered in January.
An opportunity to hear about music opportunities for vulnerable children and young people as well as make connections, find solutions and discuss the topics that are currently important to attendees.
Tuesday 22 November 16.00 -17.00 at Surrey Arts, 14 The Pines, Guildford, GU3 3BH
A workshop exploring teaching years 5 & 6 how to compose using GarageBand. This session, with our Digital Music Lead, James Crompton, will provide lesson ideas for teaching full classes to create their own musical projects; teach students how to make voice collages & sonic art, video game themes, raps & vocals, rock & pop and dance music. GarageBand is easy to use, and notes are available with lesson ideas, learning objectives and studio tips. The workshop would suit both class teachers and music specialists looking to get their pupils exploring and creating their own music digitally.
Thursday 24 November 17.00-18.30 at Cranleigh School, Horseshoe Lane, Cranleigh, GU6 8QQ
A workshop hosted by Cole Bendall, for teachers who want to develop their choir’s skills in singing in 2 or more parts. This practical workshop will explore ways in which to introduce part singing, rehearsal techniques, and real-world examples from music submitted by teachers. Learn methods you can put to use straight away in preparing your holiday concerts!
Charanga and the Model Music Curriculum
Monday 5 December 16:00-17:00 via Zoom
Please note change of date due to National Bank Holiday
Surrey Arts and Charanga warmly invite you to this high-level overview looking at the structure of the Charanga units, the range of learning activities and supporting documentation. Led by Timothy Bond.
Below we highlight some free music workshops by other providers, that may be of interest
Inspire-Works free online djembe leader training
Wednesday 9th November 5:30pm-6:30pm (GMT)
Fully interactive session via Zoom – bring a hand-drum (e.g. djembe) to brush up on your technique!
Using Inspire-Works’ model of workshop facilitating as a starting point, participants will have the opportunity to:
Learn:
new djembe facilitation skills for whole-class teaching
the roles of the djembe, dununs, bells and talking drums within a typical Senegalese ensemble and what classroom percussion instruments are suitable substitutions
how to use differentiation in a whole-class environment with different age groups.
Engage:
in practical music-making activities to help enhance your own teaching
in discussions with other like-minded facilitators/teachers.
Develop:
techniques for teaching djembe in the classroom
an understanding of appropriate West African music and pedagogy for different age groups.
Greetings from all at Surrey Arts. By the time you read this your school Christmas events will likely be either in full swing, or finished, and then you will be looking forward to a well-earned break. When you are fully recovered, please take a moment to have a look at our newsletter below, and the range of CPD and other opportunities we are offering during the first half of next term and beyond.
We are very excited to be able to announce that Surrey Arts will be hosting the Surrey Music Hub Conference again in 2023. The event will be taking place on Wednesday 21 June, at the University of Surrey, Guildford. We can look forward to a daylong event, jam packed with inspirational ideas for teaching at your school, practical workshops and challenging workshop sessions. The day will include sessions for all school age groups, mainstream and specialist settings. We will share details on how to book very soon.
In recent months we have had requests from teachers and from our Primary Music Advisory Group to help facilitate networking and skill sharing between teachers in their localities.
In order to help this take place we have set up the Surrey Primary Music Skill Swap.This is a simple, but open-ended survey form which you can complete on line. You can use it to note any specific music expertise or experience that you might be willing to share, as well as outlining knowledge you would be interested in finding out more about. You can also indicate if you would like to join another teacher for general reflection / co-observation etc…
The survey is open now and can found here. Completing the survey should only take a few minutes. We hope to share the results of the survey with all participating teachers early in the New Year. We hope this new tool will help to build up strong links between school music leaders and enable you to build and share skills more effectively.
What Is “UP!”? UP! Orchestra is an award winning ensemble designed to be accessible for young people aged 13+ of all backgrounds and abilities including those with special educational needs. We are particularly interested in welcoming young people who have been unable to access music education because of their life circumstances and lack of suitable opportunities on offer locally. Whilst there are no specific entry requirements and no audition process we feel that the ensemble is not currently suitable for PMLD/SLD young people. Please do contact us to discuss this if you are unsure.
What happens at the sessions? – UP! is led by an awesome team of professional musicians whose aim is to ensure each participant has a meaningful musical experience regardless of ability, musical interest, vocal style or instrument. The team is experienced in supporting young people in mainstream settings as well as those who have mental health, disability, behavioural, ESL (English as a second language) needs and young people from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Saturdays, 11.00-13.00 at the Bridge Youth Centre, Leatherhead on 21 January, 4 & 18 February and 4 & 18 March, with a gala concert 26 March. UP! Orchestra warmly welcomes new members to apply online or contact Lucy.Zirins@surreycc.gov.uk for further information.
Surrey Arts have expanded their ABRSM Grade 5 music theory online group classes, with four classes a week, starting in Spring 2023. These sessions could be particularly helpful in supporting secondary GCSE students and cost £9.50 per a 45minute online group lesson.
Offers students of all abilities, from year one to six, the chance to try a wide range of contemporary instruments, include guitar, drums, keyboards, bass guitar and ukulele. Learning together, as a group of 3 or more, students can try each instrument or focus on their favourite.
Sessions at Woking Youth Arts Centre, Trinity Road, GU21 2SY on Thursdays, at 4pm for school years 1-3 and 5pm for years 4-6, costing £8.60 per lesson. Parents and carers can apply for Picks ‘n’ Stix here.
Keep your eyes on your mailboxes because we will soon be sending “Save the Date” emails announcing the dates for the 2023 Singing Picnics to be held in June and July in beautiful outdoor spaces across the county!
If you haven’t yet joined us for a fun-filled and informal day of singing in the sunshine, please make sure we have your up-to-date contact details and get your application to us early before places are filled.
The Cheryl King Trust has funds available to finance 50%-75% of the cost of music lessons for Surrey children who would otherwise be unable to start or continue to learn because of financially challenging circumstances. The trust will cover activities by pupils who do not qualify for free school meals but whose joint annual parental income is less than £33,000 per annum. It will also fund activities going beyond those covered by state funding for students who are eligible for free school meals. You can apply for this support through Surrey Arts.
Audience all primary teachers, both specialist and non-specialist
Session leader: Alex Bondonno
Session will discuss practical ways to provide a music provision in your school. We invite primary schools to present case studies and facilitate discussion on the current challenges, needs and seek to find solutions. This session will share work from our Primary Advisory Schools, including case studies on: Instrumental Curriculum Design at Danetree School, and Approaches to Primary Composition at Bisley School. Also at the meeting there will be a focussed look at the new Surrey Primary Music Curriculum Evaluation Tool, which we hope to roll out to schools in January. Full agenda will be confirmed near the time. Send any points you would like discussed or case study ideas to alex.bondonno@surreycc.gov.uk
The Surrey Primary Festival concerts are back! Come along to this online workshop with conductor Cole Bendall as an introduction to Teresa Jennings’ “Positive” and some of the other music to be included in the 2023 Primary Festival concerts. A useful session for those who are new to this year’s music and also teachers who’ve started to prepare but would like more ideas for their rehearsals.
Note this is an exact repeat of the session held on 15 November 2022
This session will provide an opportunity to develop your skills and confidence in delivering simple songs and instrumental work with very young children. We will also look at ways of encouraging musical play, supporting it through adult interactions with children, and ways settings can celebrate children’s musical achievements.
Participants will:
· Gain skills in learning a few appropriate rhymes and simple songs to develop very young children’s musicality
· Develop skills to notice and support very young children’s music-making in all areas of your setting
· Watch and discuss young children’s spontaneous music making and look at ways adults might play creatively with them
· Discuss theoretical information to inform and support our practice, with a brief over-view of musical development of very young children and the benefits of music making in the early years
During this interactive training, participants will learn techniques and musical activities in order to support children and young people to participate and create music they feel proud of regardless of their current musical ability. Attendees will also develop a deeper understanding of the importance of creativity and improvisation as tools for inclusion and equality in mixed abilities settings.
Monday 6 February 16-00-17.30 Venue TBC (Mole Valley)
Audience: Non specialist primary teachers
Session Leader: Alex Bondonno
How do you teach music if you think you aren’t musical, or don’t have any training? This session, is aimed at primary non-specialist music teachers and will provide you with practical ideas on how to teach music in the classroom. We will cover basic concepts of music teaching, classroom management and curriculum development. It will be an open space where you can ask any question no matter how simple.
A workshop for teachers who want to develop their choir’s skills in singing in 2 or more parts. This practical workshop, rescheduled from November, will explore ways in which to introduce part singing, rehearsal techniques, and real-world examples from music submitted by teachers. Learn methods you can put to use straight away in preparing music for the Primary Music Festival concerts!
A new set of resources for Primary and Secondary school music. Features Musician of the Month resources and some fabulous curriculum focused song ideas and all linked with the Model Music Curriculum. We think it is well worth checking out for some new approaches. As a special limited time offer for Surrey Teachers there is an extended selection of FREE resources available from the Manic Street Teachers website: Manic Street Teachers
· 4x September Musician of the Month packs
· 6x Songs (The Science Jukebox, The Maths Jukebox and The Literacy Jukebox)
· The Music Jukebox
· 1x Timeline History poster
· 1x Lyric Reading Comprehension pack
· 1 x Marvellous Music Video writing prompt
ABRSM: Teacher Hub ABRSM has launched and provides a place where you can join a community of like-minded teachers, share resources, knowledge and expertise, and find relevant and engaging CPD, including several devised for non-music-specialist Primary teachers. There’s also a wealth of free material, including free videos to watch, articles to read and resources to download. We’ll be adding to this regularly to create a thriving space that embraces new content and fresh ideas guided by you – the teachers!
Make
Club Origami – Early Years touring show
Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 March 2023
Rip, fold and scrumple! Shall we see what we can make with a single square of paper? As you scrunch the paper, see how your imagination begins to dance… Dive into the magical world of Club Origami, an immersive and interactive dance show inviting family audiences to create, imagine and explore whole new ways of thinking, playing and moving. Dance, fashion and live music meet the magic of origami to sweep us up on a spirited and inspiring adventure in a land made purely of paper and play.
Club Origami is presented by Little Big Dance – a pioneering national initiative creating new dance work for under-fives and their families, led by South East Dance in partnership with DanceEast, Take Art and Yorkshire Dance. “Full of imagination, creativity springing from an empty page” The Guardian Little Big Dance – Club Origami Trailer – YouTube
Fee: £125 for two performances during the day at your setting. At least one of these must be for nursery aged children. Audience size approx. 40 children. It is up to you if you pass on the costs by charging for tickets.
The Guildford Sinfonia Orchestra which has been running for over 20 years, will be starting 2023 under a new name and relaunch evening!! The ensemble which is for adult musicians, will be known as ‘The Surrey Arts Community Orchestra’, to better reflect their friendly and welcoming atmosphere and community ethos.
The orchestra started out based in Godalming, and then Guildford and now Woking. Conducted by Tanya Charlesworth, rehearsals take place at Westfield School in Woking on Thursday evenings during term time with an informal concert at the end of each term. Past performances have included Summer Sounds at Woking Bandstand, and a joint concert with Woking Wind Orchestra at the HG Wells Centre.
The ensemble plays a wide variety of repertoire, ranging from Baroque to the modern day, including film music, show songs and music from around the world.
The orchestra will be holding an open rehearsal on Thursday 12 January 2023 from 7.45 to 9.30pm at Westfield School, and players of any orchestral instruments are welcome, particularly trumpets, bassoons, trombones and strings. Players are recommended to be of grade 5 standard or above (although it is not necessary to have taken an exam). This is great opportunity for musicians who have not played for a while to get back playing and many of the current members dusted off their instruments after long breaks from playing and haven’t looked back!
Surrey Music Hub (the Music Hub for Surrey) is seeking to appoint an Independent Chair.
This is a voluntary position with an allowance of up to £3,000 for expenses.
You will be passionate about ensuring that all children and young people can access high quality music education opportunities that meet their needs. This role offers an opportunity for the right individual to make a difference to the lives of the children and young people of Surrey through music.
You will chair the Hub’s Advisory Board, working alongside the Music Hub lead organisation, Surrey Arts, and partners to ensure and maintain the effective delivery of the new National Plan for Music Education (NPME) both in and out of school settings.
The Independent Chair will need to have significant experience and expertise in partnership working and strategic thinking, business and budget monitoring and management. The chair will commit to developing a thorough knowledge and understanding of the needs of, and challenges for, children and young people, issues affecting Local Authorities and schools, Arts Council England/Department for Education policy relating to Music Education Hubs and the breadth of music providers working in Surrey. Experience in music/music education is not required as we are seeking to broaden the range of experience and skills to help drive our future development forward.
The chair role will run for a term of 3 years with an opportunity to be reappointed.
Surrey Arts, the Arts Service for Surrey County Council, is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and would especially welcome applications from the ‘global majority’, the LGBTQ+ community and people who are disabled.
For further queries please contact Sarah Lee, Head of Service, Surrey Arts sarah.lee@surreycc.gov.uk
Commitment: Four board meetings plus preparation per year; at least one meeting per year will be in-person. Other meetings as advised.
Context – Surrey Music Hub is a partnership led by Surrey Arts. It serves the local authority area of Surrey County Council with a total school population of 158,000 children, in 392 state maintained, academy and free schools (221 state maintained, 165 academy, 6 free schools including 8 pupil referral units), through music making and the arts and cultural offer. The lead partner in Surrey Music Hub is Surrey Arts, which is part of Surrey County Council (SCC) Cultural Services. The Hub is overseen by the Surrey Music Hub Steering Board, which is made up of partners and local stakeholders and is currently chaired by the Head of Surrey Arts.
Vision – “Changing lives through world class arts” Surrey Music Hub’s aim is to work in partnership to ensure that children and young people from all backgrounds receive music education that is high quality, wide ranging, sustainable and accessible to all and that there are clear routes for progression.
Mission – “Work in partnership to ensure that everyone in our community has access to high quality and engaging arts and cultural opportunities”.
Our Values Surrey Arts is an ambitious and forward-thinking organisation that places young people at the centre of our work. We are committed to developing Surrey Arts as a genuinely inclusive organisation, fostering a culture of belonging where all are respected and valued and one that meets the needs of the whole diverse community of Surrey. Equality, diversity and inclusion is central to our organisation and we are committed to its development at all levels of the organisation as outlined in our EDI strategy.
Surrey Music Hub is committed to delivering ‘The Power of Music to Change Lives’, the Government’s National Plan for Music Education, for all children and young people throughout Surrey. Surrey Music Hub performs all the current Core and Extension roles as set out by Arts Council England. These roles underpin all planning and musical activity that we offer.
Core roles of Surrey Music Hub:
Ensure that every child aged 5 to 18 has the opportunity to learn a musical instrument through whole class ensemble teaching programmes.
Provide opportunities to play in ensembles and to perform from an early stage.
Ensure that clear progression routes are available and affordable to all young people.
Develop a singing strategy to ensure that every pupil is singing regularly, and that choirs and other vocal ensembles are available in the area.
Extension roles of Surrey Music Hub:
Offer Continuous Professional Development (CPD) to school staff, particularly in supporting schools to deliver music in the curriculum. Provide an instrument loan service, with discounts or free provision for those on low incomes. Provide access to large scale and/or high-quality music experiences for pupils, working with professional musicians and/or venues. This may include undertaking work to publicise the opportunities available to schools, parents/carers and students.
Offer Continuous Professional Development (CPD) to school staff, particularly in supporting schools to deliver music in the curriculum.
Provide an instrument loan service, with discounts or free provision for those on low incomes.
Provide access to large scale and/or high-quality music experiences for pupils, working with professional musicians and/or venues. This may include undertaking work to publicise the opportunities available to schools, parents/carers and students.
Surrey Arts has been successful in securing just under £100k of funding from Youth Music, for a 2-year programme of activity for displaced young people across Surrey. Youth Music is a national music charity that invest in music-making projects for young people and along with generous additional match funding from partners, Alliance for Better Care (NHS), Big Leaf Foundation and Arts Partnership Surrey, the funding will enable Surrey Arts to expand its current delivery programmes ensuring we are able to build on this worthwhile and much needed provision.
The project, which is fully funded for the next 2 years will be called I Speak Music:Next generation with the aim to improve participants’ musical skills, improve participants’ wellbeing and develop participants’ engagement within their host communities. The programme will include a range of activities including music lessons and both online and face to face music ensembles for children who have asylum-seeker or refugee status.
Project lead Jim Pinchen said ‘We are absolutely delighted that Youth Music have awarded Surrey Arts with this grant. The funding will allow us to expand our music programmes for children who are living in Surrey after being internationally displaced due of war, persecution and/or climate change.’
Sarah Lee, Service Manager for Surrey Art said “We are so proud of our work with displaced communities across Surrey, and this funding will have a huge impact in helping us to build a programme that reaches more young people and is lasting. We are hugely grateful to Youth Music and our local partners for their support and for providing funding”.
Surrey Arts inclusion music teacher Raghad Haddad has won the Inspirational Music Leader Award at the Youth Music Awards 2022. Raghad received her award last night in TroxyLondon in recognition of her work for Surrey Arts as a diverse leader of refugee background, supporting vulnerable children in Surrey.
Raghad Haddad is a viola player from Yabroud, a small town in the mountains north of Damascus. Since being granted asylum in the UK in 2018 she has performed at numerous charity events in London and Brighton and recently performed with Damon Albarn, The Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and The Orchestra of Syrian Musicians.
On behalf of Surrey Arts Raghad has worked on multiple projects supporting vulnerable children including SEND and refugee children and has been the executive producer of a major international music project involving the United Nations and 120 participants from around the world.
After finding out she was had won the award, Raghad said “I was speechless when they announced my name as the winner of the Inspirational Music Leader at the Youth Music Award 2022 this week! It’s such an honour to have received this award and I’m so grateful to my colleagues at Surrey Arts for the support they have given me since I arrived in the UK from Syria. Thank you for giving me the opportunity, not only to rebuild my own life but also the privilege to help others affected by war, poverty, climate change and discrimination. Sadly, the need to support displaced communities is not getting smaller and I look forward to supporting more of your transformational projects in the months and years ahead.”
Kavyan Hajirostami has also been nominated for the Young Leader Award for their work with Big Leaf. Big Leaf support Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) across Surrey and work closely with Surrey Arts on a range of music and arts projects. You can find more information about Big Leaf here https://www.bigleaffoundation.org.uk/
Inclusion Manager Jim Pinchen said “I first met Raghad when she arrived in the UK from Syria 5 years ago and Kavyan through the I Speak Music Orchestra in 2019 shortly after his arrival from Iran. Between them they have used their musical expertise, language and generosity to support hundreds of our most vulnerable children. This recognition on a national stage is well deserved”. Surrey Arts Head of Service, Sarah Lee said “Surrey Arts is delighted to have played a part in supporting the development of these astounding music leaders. We would like to thank Youth Music for their continued support and for our most recent funding application success which will allow us to develop more project to support displaced communities and professional across the county”
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:
The Surrey Music and Arts in the Summer Holidays (SMASH) activities programme is now available for registration. The activities are taking place in four locations across the county so there are more opportunities to experience DJing, brass and wind instruments, singing, ukulele and being part of a band. The activities are a great way to try different musical instruments and start your musical journey. All instruments and equipment are provided and no previous experience is required to join in and have fun.
Dates
26 July at Westfield School in Woking 27 July at Three Rivers School in Hersham, Walton-on-Thames 28 July at Hazelwood School in Oxted 29 July at Glebelands School in Cranleigh
Activities
The programme of activities is the same for each location with the exception of Discover Wind and Discover Brass.
The DJ Experience for 8 to 11 year olds. 9.30am until 12.30pm. Cost £30 The DJ Experience for 11 to 16 year olds. 1.00pm until 4.00pm. Cost £30 The Band Experience for 8 to 11 year olds. 1.00pm until 4.00pm. Cost £30 The Band Experience for 11 to 16 year olds. 9.30am until 12.30pm. Cost £30 Discover Wind (Woking and Walton-on-Thames only) for 8 to 11 years old. 9.30am until 12.30pm. Cost £20 Discover Brass (Oxted and Cranleigh only) for 8 to 11 years olds. 9.30am until 12.30pm. Cost £20 Ukulele Jam for 8 to 11 year olds. 1.00pm until 4.00pm. Cost £20 Singing the Musicals for 8 to 14 year olds. 1.00pm until 4.00pm. Cost £20
Further details about the programme and how to register are available on the Surrey Arts website
