Skip to main content

Singing

Using our voice is the most natural and enjoyable ways to be involved in music-making. With the support of our partners, SoundStorm programmes a diverse offer for schools to enhance and support all kinds of singing from Key Stage 1 through Key Stage 5.

Early Years and Infants Work

In these early years of development in our member settings, singing is embedded in everything children do. Our tailored support for Infant Schools includes the delivery of Musicianship Workshops by a specialist practitioner as part of their membership package, with singing underpinning these sessions. Our recent project with Take Art offered the opportunity for two member schools to host early childhood music practitioners for facilitation and modelling of activities and reflection, as well as CPD sessions for our wider network and the option to sign up for a 6-week online course.

Singing at Primary

Our member Primary, Junior and First schools all have an assigned Coordinator from the SoundStorm team who will meet and speak regularly with the school’s Music Lead to discuss the school’s curriculum and extra-curricular provision. Our support can then be tailored to, but not limited to, singing support from a specialist practitioner to develop a choir or support with running singing assemblies. The schools all have access to Charanga as part of their membership package, a resource with extensive singing content, as well as access to our CPD Skills Days which frequently involve integrated and/or discreet content on singing.

Outside of their school settings, our schools are offered frequent opportunities to become involved with singing in the wider Hub, including projects such as the Massed Junior Contemporary Choir which involved six schools learning and contributing ideas to six schools composed by Doug Gould; the choir then came together to rehearse as a group of 100+ young singers before a stunning performance at The Lighthouse on 4th July 2024. Our offer for the academic year 2024-25 includes an afternoon workshop with the renowned VOCES8 Foundation as well as a new partnership with St Peter’s Church in Bournemouth, starting the school year as we mean to go on with workshops at the Church in September. It is our hope to develop this partnership as well as promote the Progression opportunities the St Peter’s Church Choral Foundation offer to singers in BCP.

It is our hope to develop this partnership as well as promote the Progression opportunities the St Peter’s Church Choral Foundation offer to singers in BCP: Home – St Peter’s Choral Foundation

Singing at Secondary

The transition from Primary to Secondary phase can be a time when young people, for all sorts of reasons, lessen their involvement in musical activities. To try to help our schools in combatting this, SoundStorm launched a transition form sent out to all member schools with a Year 6 cohort in early Summer 2024 through which parents/guardians could opt to share information with their child’s Secondary School Music Department about their musical experiences and interests. Additionally, we offer Secondaries an array of additional opportunities suitable as Progression from those in Primary. For example, our partnership with VOCES8 sees singers of the highest calibre working in-school with young people. We can also offer singing support to schools who need this provision.

Inspirational Experiences

Live & Inspired

As part of our Live & Inspired programme every member school receives one performance input in school each academic year. Many of these celebrate and inspire with singing and vocal work, including Kitty Stewart’s upcoming Infants Tour in 2024-25, Grace Savage and Ricky Tart’s beatboxing tours for Primaries in 2024, a week of ‘Opera Magic’ touring our Primaries and Jack Grace’s songwriting Live & Inspired offer for secondaries in January 2025.

Perform

2024’s Perform programme saw young people come together for a workshop day at The Lighthouse with Kitty Stewart and Nick Squires, followed by a performance evening at the venue. Our participants included singers, singer-songwriters, instrumentalists and multi-instrumentalists with all levels of experience welcomed at this fully funded event. Dates and information coming soon for 2025!

BandStorm

A real highlight of SoundStorm’s annual programme, BandStorm 2024 lived up to the excitement and high standards of previous years. The array of talented local youngsters was huge, leaving our team with the difficult job of whittling bands down to two full days of Heats at Absolute Music – and even more of a challenge for our judging panel at the final itself, held at Bournemouth’s Old Firestation. Please keep an eye on our website and social media channels for announcements

The Music Club

Singers and instrumentalists alike, the door is open for you at The Music Club if you are aged 12-17.

Our Partners

SoundStorm are proud to work with a number of prestigious Arts organisations who bring their work to our schools and young people, including:

Our Singing Strategy

Currently under review for major update in 2024 – watch this space!