Music Workshops... the Beginnings!

Since 2006 a working partnership with Lillian Boutté and her band has led to an annual programme of singing workshops and concerts taking place at Pitcheroak School. For our young people these have become an eagerly anticipated series of events throughout the Spring and Summer terms which benefit them and the school in numerous ways.

Music Workshops... the Benefits!

• Developing language and communication skills

• Building confidence in individuals to perform and express themselves vocally, through sign language and in movement

• Developing musical skills through singing, dancing and playing instruments

• Building links with parents and families who join us in the workshops and at the celebration concerts

• Developing skills to work with others

• Enjoyment - the focus is on making learning FUN!

• Involvement with other schools. We have brought in over 300 children from our local community to work with and learn alongside our children

• Exposure to live music played by professional artists

• Providing young people with a sense of occasion when they perform at our celebratory concerts. In 2008 the workshops culminated in children from 5 separate schools singing together at the Palace Theatre in Redditch

Music Workshops... the Future!

We would like to develop and extend this work to focus on building positive links with other schools as part of our wider integration programme. A key element of this is to promote signing alongside singing as a way of raising awareness of the different ways of communication used by groups within our society.

In 2009 we went 'on tour' and took music workshops out into other schools local to Pitcheroak. We took with us groups of Pitcheroak students who helped us to lead the sessions.