Lifelong learning – not just for the New Year!

At one time or another, we’ve all resolved to do something new for the New Year: new exercise routine, new diet, new resolutions to do something worthwhile. But how about learning a new instrument?! Well, as the Spring Term gets underway, that’s precisely what many students at BSB are doing. As usual, lots have chosen to sign up for 1:1 music lessons as part of our Individual Music Programmes (IMPs) –  there is still time to register if you haven’t done so yet! – but, in addition, all children in Years 3 and 4 are learning an instrument as part of their Performing Arts curriculum.

Year 3 students have begun learning the ukulele and, so far, it’s going very well! We have covered posture and hand position as well as the name of the strings and plucking technique. Students have even started learning a piece of music that we hope to perform for parents in the near future.

In Year 4, all children have been given a recorder and have been encouraged to bring it home to practise. They’ve learnt how to hold the recorder and know how to blow effectively to achieve a good tone. They will be learning a variety of pieces as they develop their skills and, at each stage of the programme, students will be given opportunities to take mini-exams to advance to the next.

Of course, the idea here is to instill a love of music that will last a lifetime (not just a year) and I hope you will be hearing the dulcet toot of the recorder and the mellifluous twang of the ukulele for many years to come.

By Matthew Champness

Head of Performing Arts