Music

The scientific proof of the cognitive and broad educational benefits to learning a language and in learning to play a musical instrument is well established. Participation in music making also enhances children’s feelings of self-esteem and confidence and promotes emotional well-being, further contributing to academic success.

At Haberdashers’ Hatcham Primary, we have a thriving music department with a large number of children learning to play at least one instrument and a number of music enrichment activities.

From nursery, all children are taught music weekly by a specialist music teacher. In addition, there are weekly singing assemblies. Our enrichment programme includes choir, a large orchestra and jazz band. There are many opportunities for children to perform both at school and in the wider community with an evening concert or production each term, plus numerous other events throughout the year.

In Year 3, all children learn basic instrumental and note reading skills through learning the recorder. In Year 4, all children are offered violin, cello, clarinet, trumpet, trombone or bass guitar lessons in our subsidised instrumental programme. Our extremely successful Year 4 Whole Class String Scheme is unusual in that children also have weekly back up lessons in addition to the whole class lesson, which means they are able to make very rapid progress in one year.

Our outstanding visiting instrumental specialists work hard to ensure that each child is able to progress at their optimum level and all children on the subsidised programme are expected to show commitment to regular home practice. The success of our instrumental programme is reflected in the clear enjoyment our children demonstrate when sharing their skills with the other children and staff. The high level of skills many acquire are shown by the many excellent ABRSM and equivalent examination results and in the number of children who go on to be outstanding musicians in the secondary school or attend the Centre for Young Musicians or other centres of musical excellence.

Hatcham Primary has now been awarded a Music Mark, here is a comment from Lewisham Music about how we were awarded the mark;

"The criteria for the Music Mark Award comes from the National Plan for Music Education. Through school visits and school networking events/projects, Lewisham Music became aware of the music provision available at Hatcham Primary, and was very impressed with the music program. The opportunities for music learning experiences, both at in-school and wider events, was a significant part of what made Hatcham Primary very deserving of this award."

Help us raise money for our music department at Hatcham Primary

We are raising money to fund our excellent instrumental programme at Hatcham Primary so that all of our children can participate in our high quality programme and fulfil their potential regardless of their financial circumstances.

Target £17,000 per annum.

The money will be used to fund the instrumental programme at Hatcham Primary - paying the visiting instrumental teachers for their hours and also for maintaining and repairing our large stock of instruments. All children learn on school instruments.

If you would like to donate, please click here. This will take you to PayPal where an account has been set up so that donations will go directly to the Instrumental Programme at Haberdashers' Hatcham Primary. Every little helps us achieve the target of £17,000.

Here are just a few performances from our talented children: