I wrote to invite you to sign up your child for music tuition in September 2024, something I know many of our students would like to do.
By signing them up for musical learning in the new academic year we can give your child the opportunity to learn a brand-new skill, or continue their learning from this academic year, as well as extending the learning they would be doing in classroom music lessons. Music is a great way to make friends and take part in the performance opportunities we can offer to pupils.
As you may already know, at Newman RC College our music lessons are delivered in our purpose-built practice rooms, located within the Expressive Arts Zone of the college building. Signing up to this provision would give your child a weekly lesson, in which to develop their musical skill. These sessions are run during the school day, on a rota system so that pupils should not miss the same classroom learning each week.
The disciplines we can offer are:
Brass: Trumpet, Cornet, Horn, Euphonium, Trombone, Tuba
Upper Stings: Violin, Viola
Woodwind: Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Bassoon
Percussion: Drum Kit
Voice: All singing styles and voice types [musical theatre, pop, etc.]
Guitar: Acoustic guitar
Keys: Keyboard
Please note that we cannot offer the loan of a keyboard or drum kit. Pupils expecting to take part in this provision from September would require an instrument to practice on at home. All other disciplines would be issued with an instrument by the start of the academic year.
Please note that places are filled on a first come first served basis so the sooner you return a completed contract the more likely it is your child will be able to commence/return to music lessons in September 2024. Also, please remember that your child doesn’t already need to be learning an instrument to sign up for lessons.
As well as developing proficiency on an instrument/voice, musical learning is also proven to have many other benefits to our young people. I have taken the liberty of listing a short selection of recent studies that highlight the impact of musical learning on students:
1. ‘Children who study music tend to have larger vocabularies and more advanced reading skills than their peers who do not participate in music lessons’ Arete Music Academy study, 2014
2. ‘It’s striking that both teachers (87 percent) and parents (79 percent) strongly believe music education has a positive impact on overall academic performance’ NAMM Foundation and Grunwald Associates LLC, 2015
3. ‘… those who had extra-curricular music classes, developed higher verbal IQ, and visual abilities, in comparison to those with no musical training’ Forgeard et al, 2008
4. ‘… pupils who took part in extended music classes, found they reported higher satisfaction at school in almost every area, even those not related to the music classes themselves’ Eerola & Eerola, 2013
5. ‘…The research indicated that being involved in learning music can improve intellectual development. Moreover, musical aptitude is related to general intelligence. Thus, it can be argued that learning music can probably improve musical aptitude as well as non-musical abilities.’ International Symposium on Performance Science, 2011
Should you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me on the number below.
Yours faithfully
Mr M Edwards
Curriculum Leader - Music, Newman Catholic College
