Music

Our newly enlarged Harmony Choir are enjoying their rehearsals and already singing new songs with confidence and enthusiasm!

A reminder that from the third week of the spring term onwards, children's Harmony Choir attendance is being recorded as evidence of commitment to this activity. When we invite children to apply (next autumn) for the chance of a place on the 'Young Voices' 2021 trip, these will be the children who have been the most committed during the spring and summer terms of Year 5. Obviously, if children are absent from school due to illness or provide a letter confirming that they are missing a rehearsal due to illness/a medical appointment, this doesn't affect their commitment/attendance record. As a school, we feel that commitment to an activity and/or team is a life skill to encourage and promote. Thank you for supporting your child with this ethos.

Happy New Year to our wonderful Manadon Vale musicians and their families! Thank you again for your amazing performances during the run up to Christmas - you most certainly shone and made us all so proud!

A reminder that parents/carers of the 15 children going on the 'Young Voices' trip to Birmingham (Friday 17th to Saturday 18th January 2020) are invited to a meeting in 6Y on Tuesday 7th January at 5.15pm. Please attend if you can but we will send the information/kit list home if not.

Instrumental lessons start again this week, with the exception of guitar lessons, which resume at the start of week 2.

String lessons - Tuesday 7th January

Brass lessons - Tuesday 7th January

Woodwind lessons - Thursday 9th January

Guitar lessons - Monday 13th January

Orchestra and Harmony Choir start again on Tuesday 7th January 3.15 - 5.00pm.

The first 2 rehearsals will be purely singing sessions so the orchestra children don't need their instruments!

Newly invited Harmony Choir members, please ensure that you have returned the consent form in order to join on Tuesday!

Just to let you know that I shall be sending out 'Young Voices 2020' letters in mid September. We are limited to 14 minibus places for this residential trip and we aim to reward children for their commitment to Harmony Choir rehearsals. The letters will be going out to Year 6 children who attended every single Harmony Choir rehearsal from January to July 2019, apart from occasions where they were absent from school due to illness or at a medical appointment (with a letter handed to Miss York to confirm this). The children were fully aware and regularly reminded of this incentive to attend regularly. If the number of children returning their slips to express interest in this trip is greater than the number of places, we will make it as fair as possible by 'pulling names from a hat'! If there are spare places after this initial priority allocation, I will then contact children who just missed one rehearsal.

UPDATE!...WE HAVE FILLED ALL OF THE PLACES FOR THIS EXCITING RESIDENTIAL TRIP! PLEASE CAN THE CHILDREN INVOLVED RETURN T-SHIRT FORMS AND ANY TICKET REQUESTS BY WEDNESDAY 9TH OCTOBER AND FULL TRIP PAYMENT IS DUE BY MONDAY 14TH OCTOBER. ONCE WE RECEIVE FULL PAYMENT, YOUR CHILD WILL RECEIVE THEIR 'YOUNG VOICES' CD AND WORDS PACK (AS WELL AS THE PASSWORD FOR THE TERRIFIC ONLINE RESOURCES) SO THAT THEY CAN GET PRACTISING!

I am excited to let you know that we have been allocated 40 Manadon Vale Primary School Harmony Choir places, to be part of the 200 strong Plymouth International Chorus (made up from children aged 10-17 from several different schools in both Plymouth UK and Plymouth MA USA!) Concert. These will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis, with the named letters being handed out at their rehearsal today, Tuesday 11th June 2019! Please read the letter (see below!) very carefully before you return it to apply for a place for your child, because there are certain commitments for you as parents/carers. If you are able to commit to ALL of the rehearsals, as well as the necessary transporting of your child, and the performance itself (and are happy to give permission for the social media aspect of this performance), please return the slip as promptly as possible...once the 40 places are gone, they are gone! The children know to personally hand the form back to me, not to hand it in to the office.

I will give successful children a confirmation letter, which gives details of where you can purchase audience tickets from (online). Please note, we will not be ordering tickets through the school, or monitoring their ongoing availability, so book soon to avoid disappointment! This will be an occasion not to be missed!

Our extra-curricular Music clubs are continuing to flourish! A huge well done to the talented children involved in these.

Tuesdays - Orchestra (20 members) - Miss York and Mrs Taylor

                    3.15-4.15

                    Children invited to join in Years 5 and 6 when they have been learning an orchestral instrument for a year

                    Harmony Choir (currently 60 members) - Miss York

                    4.15-5.00 (bring a quiet activity for 3.15-4.15!)

Children invited to join in Years 5 and 6 when they have shown commitment to the Orchestra and/or 'Christmas Choir' by attending rehearsals and performing at the evening concert, as well as demonstrating consistent enthusiasm, focus and positive team work during the rehearsals and performances.

Thursdays - Recorders - Mrs Llewellyn

                      3.15-4.00

                      Year 4 children who signed up in September

We are enjoying rehearsing with these enthusiastic young musicians!