Music

Music is enjoyed and celebrated at Tower House School, with weekly lessons to all year groups as part of the curriculum. The musical provision offers a varied and dynamic educational programme that inspires boys to explore the joy of music in theory and in practice through group singing and instrumental tuition.

Music is taught in a spiral curriculum, starting in Reception, in which concepts such as rhythm and note reading are revisited as children progress through the school.

In the Junior School boys develop their rhythmic, composition and listening skills through whole class activities:

In Reception boys develop their awareness of pitch through a range of solfa songs
In Year 1 children learn to play the recorder
In Year 2 boys learn to play the ocarina
In Year 3 boys take part in a wider opportunities string scheme and learn to play either the violin or cello

Children compose and improvise regularly using rhythms and their voices. Creativity is actively encouraged. Each class in the Junior School has a weekly singing lesson which at any one time may encourage good intonation, breath control, dynamic contrast and articulation. The Junior School also

In the Senior School boys study a wide and diverse range of schemes of work covering such topics as World music, Blues and Jazz, the works of Classical Composers, instruments of the Orchestra, theme and variation, music video composition and production and song writing.

In Year 4 boys study 10 classical pieces and learn to play and perform a range of pieces on the Boom-whackers
In Year 5 boys study the ukulele
In Year 6 boys study music from around the world including samba, Aboriginal music and African singing and drumming
In Year 7 there is an emphasis on studying the key elements of music in greater detail such as rhythm, pitch, texture and structure
In Year 8 boys work towards completing the Bronze Arts Award, which is a cross curricular project involving Music and Art, which aims to develop their independent and creative thinking

Getting Involved in Music

Outside of the curriculum, over 80% of our boys learn an instrument through private lessons with visiting music teachers. Boys are strongly encouraged to learn an instrument and there are multiple opportunities throughout the year to perform and compete! Our dream would be for every boy to take up this opportunity and benefit from the discipline of learning a musical instrument and the joy of performing on an individual basis or within a musical group. The Creative Arts Concert in the Spring Term is a wonderful showcase of music at Tower House with every class performing as a group as well as pieces from our orchestra and various music ensembles.

We have a strong school choir as well as a full school orchestra, jazz and swing band, rock bands, a recorder group and guitar ensemble. The Junior and Senior School music competitions are always hotly contested and the series of regular musical recitals always enjoyable events.