Westholme School

Music

The Music Department seeks to provide education and enjoyment, through music, to all year groups in the school through class teaching, individual music lessons on instruments and voice, extra-curricular activities, the Concert Series, Productions and Choir Tours.

Teaching takes place in a purpose-built Music Centre which includes a large classroom/rehearsal room, 20 keyboards, 17 music computers, Sibelius Software, interactive whiteboard, four practice rooms, instrument store and recording studio. In Years 7 and 9, each class has a one-hour music lesson each week which follows and exceeds - the National Curriculum guidelines. Pupils also have experience reading music; playing keyboards and other instruments; singing; composing and listening and learning about a wide range of music.

Pupils who choose to study music in Years 10 and 11 follow a course leading to a GCSE in Music from the AQA Examination Board. There are normally between seven and fifteen pupils in each GCSE Music class and our results are exceptional. Marks on average are at least 10% above the national average and 50% have achieved A or A* in the last 5 years.

The Edexcel Advanced level examination in Music is offered to students in Years 12 and 13. Class sizes depend on the numbers choosing music and have varied from two to seven in the last five years.

About a third of the pupils in the school (200) take individual music lessons in school with many others having private lessons outside school. Standards range from Beginners to Grade 8 and Diploma successes. Many pupils also take the examinations of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music during termly visits to school.

Extra-curricular musical activities include Senior Choir, Junior Choir, Chamber Choir, Senior Orchestra, Junior Orchestra, String Orchestra, Brass Band, Swing Band, Aural and Music Theory classes. Groups normally meet for hour at lunch time with extra rehearsals before particular performances.

School music groups also contribute to our annual Concert Series, usually performing a prelude to concerts by visiting artists. Pupils of different standards have the opportunity to perform in our annual Soloists Recital with every Wilmar Lodge group contributing to the School Concert at the end of the Spring Term. The Saturday following the May Day Bank Holiday always sees our Summer Concert. This concert features performances from the school orchestra and choral works by the Westholme Choral Society, which includes parents and friends of Westholme.

The Music Department contributes fully to school productions which have recently included Annie, Carmen, Les Miserables, Oliver, The Magic Flute, West Side Story, Jesus Christ Superstar and Joseph. For each of the past twelve years, between 45 and 110 members of the school choirs have undertaken a performing tour during the summer holidays, singing in such places as New York, Granada, Naples and Geneva.