Music

The Yarm Preparatory School Music Department seeks to give all children the opportunity to take part in music making and achieve high standards of musical performance. Above all, we seek to instil a love and enjoyment of music.

We teach pupils key musical concepts through hands-on experience in lessons, as well as break time and after school activities. For the budding musicians, there are year-group concerts throughout the year that they can get involved in. However, our policy of ‘music for all’ means we encourage every child to become the best musician they can be, whatever level they are.

Concerts are an essential part of childrens’ musical development. We ensure that there are numerous opportunities for the children to showcase their talents and progress throughout the year. We also host regular music assemblies, informal concerts, year group productions and formal concerts in our Prep Hall and the stunning 750-seat Princess Alexandra Auditorium.

Why is music education important?

We believe music education is extremely important for children of all ages. In addition, it introduces children to skills and behaviours that are essential as they progress to Senior School and beyond.

As well as teaching the principles of time management and improving their ability to remember key information, music provides children with a platform to express themselves and an opportunity to share unique experiences with other pupils.

It also has strong links to areas of our core curriculum, including maths, English, science and history and is used to support and complement other lessons in school.

Our music lessons

Our music lessons vary. Children explore how to move to sounds, practice singing, learn about musical instruments and listen to a variety of genres. By offering a range of learning methods, children can further build their knowledge and confidence in music whilst honing their skills in different ways.

Year 3-6 have an exciting music curriculum which focuses on the key areas of listening, performing and composing. We strike a balance between structured, formal projects and more creative activities, whilst focusing on the main elements of pitch, rhythm, dynamics, structure, texture tempo and timbre. This provides every child with a grasp of basic musical notation as well as helping them to explore the potential of different sound worlds.

Pupils who wish to pursue individual study benefit from instrumental or vocal tuition with a specialist teacher. Children are also entered for ABRSM, Trinity and Rock School examinations as appropriate.

Our instruments

Our selection of musical instruments includes the core orchestral instruments, a drum kit, piano and saxophone. Singing is also a central musical skill here at Yarm Preparatory School.

We have a wide array of ensembles and music clubs for the children to get involved in, including:

• Training Choir
• Senior Choir
• Boys’ Choir
• Orchestra
• Brass Group
• Wind Band
• Recorder Groups
• Flute Ensemble