Music

A wide range of musical activity in the classroom and beyond

Music activities and lessons are taught across the whole school. Children develop their understanding of musical language, basic theory and notation through a range of practical performing, listening and composing activities. Children have weekly music lessons delivered by specialist staff as part of the curriculum and are encouraged to take up an instrument. All children have the chance to sing, learn to play the trumpet, violin or cello, recorder, ukulele, classroom percussion and keyboard.

St Andrew’s Prep has a skilled team of peripatetic staff who offer individual lessons in piano, voice, violin, viola, cello, bass, drums, percussion, guitar, flute, oboe, bassoon, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone and French horn. Our peripatetic staff have excellent experience as teachers and many are also professional performers.

Beyond the classroom we pride ourselves on the opportunities we afford children to perform and develop into confident individuals, musicians and performers. We have a busy co-curricular programme encompassing Orchestra, several Choirs, Wind Band, Rock Group, theory classes and Musical Theatre activities. We run a recital programme, large scale concerts, the annual Carol Service and often partner with the Eastbourne College Music Department in workshops and joint musical performances. All styles of music are encouraged and catered for within the department.

We support school plays and productions and, to develop our performance opportunities, we take our pupils into the local community and beyond to give concerts and run music tours such as our Music Tour to Paris in Summer 2023.

Performance Opportunities

A typical year in the Music Department at St Andrew’s Prep will consist of well over 30 opportunities to perform to an audience including:

A chance to play a solo or as part of an ensemble in a Richardson Recital (three recitals on average per term)

Harvest Festival (Choral performances)
Classroom Concerts (Termly solo and small group performances as part of the curriculum)
Autumn Serenade (Large concert featuring ensembles, solos and choral items)
Nativity and Junior Productions
Carol Singing in the local community
Carol Service (Choral performances)
House Music Festival and Competition (Solo, choral and ensemble classes)
Middle School Production
Easter Service (Choral performances)
A Public Concert (Ensemble and/or choral performance, often in collaboration with either Eastbourne College or another reputable music department or ensemble)
Spring Recital (Featuring our Music Scholars)
Gig Night (featuring our Rock Band and a mixture of jazz/folk/pop/musical theatre)
Senior School Production
Summer Serenade (Large concert featuring ensembles, solos and choral items)

Plus each year we aim to run a special music tour, recent tours include a week in Paris where we performed at Église de la Madeleine and Disneyland Paris and a week in Italy where we performed in Venice and Lake Garda.

Our Ensembles and Choirs include:

Orchestra
Wind Band
Rock Band
Treblemakers (an audition only choir)
Junior and Senior String Ensembles
Djembe Group
Junior Choir
Middles Chamber Choir
Senior Chamber Choir
Cantabile (an audition only choir)