Orchestra & Choir

MUSIC AT CLORE TIKVA

Introduction: Importance of Music
Music offers our students a chance to express themselves and to experience what the variety of music they hear, means to them and how it inspires them, as individuals. This provides a contrast and relief to the academic work that they do. It offers the students an opportunity to ‘tune out’ of what is going on around them and to concentrate on their own thoughts, feelings and interpretations, thereby promoting the development of their emotional intelligence and their uniqueness as human beings. It also enables them to be creative and often leads to the discovery of hidden talents.

Music is considered by Judaism to be one of the seven classical, pure wisdoms. Music is, therefore, viewed as being very uplifting, and conducive to such higher states as Divine inspiration and prophecy. For these reasons, music was an instrumental part of the service in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

Music is, therefore, an integral part of life at Clore Tikva. Walk into the school foyer at any time and you will hear relaxing music being played in order to promote a calm and peaceful atmosphere. Music is also played at the beginning and end of school assemblies as children enter and leave the school hall.

Music in the Classroom
As part of both the arts curriculum and social ethos of the school, all children get involved in classroom music. They learn to listen and appreciate music, enabling them to express feelings and emotions, as referred above. In some classes on a Friday afternoon, ‘flamenco chill’ music is played quietly in the background whilst children are working in silence. This acts as therapeutic form of relaxation and has been found to aid their concentration, which is helpful to them after a week full of lessons.

They learn rhythm and pitch, using, for example, ‘boomwhackers’, tuned pieces of plastic that are ‘whacked’, which all children are able to do. This acts as an ‘equalizer’, where all children participate in music, even though they may be making different sounds. The children also prepare for taking part in annual Chanukah concerts, at which parents have the chance to experience their children’s musical achievements.

Music is also integrated into the academic curriculum. In geography, children are learning about music from different countries. In Jewish studies, children learn Hebrew songs. Current Year 6 students are learning to Jive in PE lessons. As such, not only are they enjoying the music (Glenn Miller’s “In the Mood”), their social development is being enhanced by working with partners and they are keeping fit at the same time!

Peripatetic Music Lessons
Our students have the opportunity to learn to play musical instruments taught by teachers from the Redbridge School of Music:

1.	Strings	violin	cello	guitar
2.	Woodwind	flute	clarinet
3.	Brass	trumpet	trombone
4.	Percussion	drum kit

From year 2, Denise Cohen offers children the chance to learn to play the recorder.

All children who learn musical instruments have the opportunity to perform in school concerts.

School Orchestra
When children who are learning musical instruments reach a certain level of ability, they are invited to join the school orchestra. The orchestra rehearse weekly and perform in school concerts.

Singing
Once a week, all children in KS1 and KS2 have a singing session. They sing songs both in Hebrew and English.

School Choir
The school is justifiably proud of the choir, which started out as the ‘Tikva Songbirds’, which performed at the Redbridge Town Show in Valentines Park. Since that time, the choir has gone from strength to strength and has performed locally at Sinclair House and King Solomon High School, as well as further afield, in national events, such as a choral festival in the Festival Hall, accompanying Israeli singer Sol Zim, with other Jewish school choirs, at St Johns Smith Square in Westminster. The school are currently rehearsing to take part in the Redbridge Choral Festival, which will take place at the Albert Hall.

When children reach Year 5, they have the opportunity to audition for the school choir.

Arts Week 2008
This year, each class will be learning to play the ‘boomwhackers’, described above. There will also be visits to the school by street dancers, drama teachers and an artist parent (who also happens to be a successful musician) who will be providing a two day art workshop.