Churchfields, the Village School, recently welcomed in its new term with a music week. The children at the Atworth and Monkton Fairleigh-based schools, enjoyed a variety of creative activities based on Mussorgsky’s piece, Pictures at an Exhibition, responding to the music through music, dance, drama and art.
The children created gnome houses in the Forest School area, printed heraldic designs onto fabric banners, invented dance phrases based on children’s games and experimented with using musical instruments to sound like an unhatched chick amongst other activities.
The highlight of the week was a visit from the Wiltshire Music Centre’s Behn String Quartet, as part of its Stories in Sound project. With the help of narrator, Neil, the whole school created a story based on ideas they heard in the music. One pupil was so inspired by the quartet that she has decided to take up the cello.
Ukulele players serenaded parents on the playground, some children picked up a recorder for the first time in their lunchbreak and everyone sang every day. The aarents’ assembly on Friday was turned into an exhibition as friends and family celebrated the children’s achievements from their busy week.
“It was a fabulous week,” said headteacher Simon Futcher, “which allowed us to emphasise the importance of the creative arts within our curriculum. For many pupils, this was the first time they had heard live classical music, and the experience really inspired them.”