2 minute read
Music
Music is very important to us all at KPS. The difficulties of the pandemic meant that during 2021/22, music events were very slow to return. Concerts with an audience were rare, and trips out ever rarer, although we did manage to take a group of children to sing carols to the elderly residents at Stratton House from their garden.
Clubs restarted and ensembles began to make progress as children were in school more often and able to sing and play together more. Finally, just before Easter, we were able to put on a Gala Vocal Concert in the Association Hall, in which over 100 performers – choirs and soloists – sang to an audience of nearly 200 parents and families. It was a fantastic, joyful occasion!
In the Summer Term, the department was very busy. Every week saw a different group performance and Mrs Cross was heard to repeat the phrase, ‘Another week, another show!’ There was a Pre-Prep Informal Concert; LAMDA Musical Theatre exams and concert; the Year 5 Summer Entertainment performance; a Summerhill Singers video recorded and sent to the Queen for her Platinum Jubilee celebrations; a return to the senior school Kingswood Theatre for Year 6 with their production of ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’; the Year 4 musical ‘Pirates versus Mermaids’; a choral performance in the school chapel to mark it’s 100th anniversary; a Year 3 music and drama concert; a Nursery Graduation performance; 33 ABRSM music exams; a special cello ensemble morning for all our school cellists; and three end of term services in the Chapel to finish the year! It was good to be back to normal and to know that collaborative music could continue to play a central part in school life as we go forward into the next academic year.
PRE-SCHOOL MUSIC
The Pre-School children really look forward to their weekly music lesson with Mrs Cross.
Over the year we see them grow so much in confidence and by the summer they are singing their names to answer the register and joining in with the songs with great enthusiasm. They get the opportunity to try out different instruments during each lesson, from percussion instruments to drum kits and violins.
The children performed for their parents during our Christmas Concert, our Mother’s Day afternoon tea and at our first ever end of year summer celebration, and did so well at standing on the stage in front of such a big audience.
