Music

Music

Music is an integral part of life at The Cavendish School and plays an important role in developing creativity, confidence, collaboration and self-expression. Through specialist teaching, individual tuition and a wide range of performance opportunities, girls are encouraged to explore and enjoy music from an early age.

Music lessons form part of the curriculum for every pupil, including Nursery, ensuring all girls experience a broad and enriching musical education throughout their time at the school. Our music curriculum introduces pupils to a wide variety of musical genres and traditions and incorporates Kodály-inspired teaching methods to develop musicianship, listening skills and musical literacy. Singing with accurate pitch awareness and musical understanding begins in the early years and continues throughout the school.

More than 80% of pupils in Years 1 to 6 currently learn a musical instrument through individual lessons with our experienced visiting music teachers. Instrumental tuition is available across a wide range of disciplines, including piano, violin, cello, flute, oboe, trumpet, drums, guitar and singing.

Performance is a central and celebrated aspect of music at Cavendish. Girls regularly perform throughout the year in concerts, productions and informal recitals, helping them develop confidence, stage presence and a love of sharing music with others.

Musical Highlights

Recent highlights from the school’s music programme have included:

• Workshops with visiting composer Lucy Armstrong, who worked with Years 3 and 4 on her piece Christmas Magic;
• Performances and musical collaborations with members of the parent community, including live performances of major classical works;
• Musical theatre productions such as The Lion King, The Wizard of Oz and Mary Poppins;
• Christmas and Spring concerts showcasing pupils across the school;
• Regular informal concerts in which girls are encouraged to volunteer and perform in a relaxed and supportive setting.

Choirs and Ensembles

Music-making beyond the classroom is thriving at The Cavendish School. Pupils from Years 1 to 6 take part in weekly choir sessions as part of the curriculum, developing vocal confidence and ensemble skills from an early age.

We also offer a wide range of extra-curricular music groups, including:

• Training Orchestra
• Senior Orchestra
• String Group
• Year 6 Band

These ensembles provide valuable opportunities for girls to collaborate musically, rehearse together and perform as part of the wider school community.

Instrumental Projects

As part of our commitment to broad musical participation, girls also take part in whole-class instrumental initiatives. In Year 1, every pupil participates in a Strings Project, learning the foundations of violin or cello playing, while Year 4 pupils learn recorder as part of their music lessons.

Through this rich and inclusive musical education, The Cavendish School nurtures confident, enthusiastic young musicians and fosters a lifelong appreciation of music and performance.