Year 4 discover their individual talents at Music Carousel

From stimulating brain cells to improving coordination, the benefits of learning an instrument from a young age are vast. That’s why, for the past half term, Berkhamsted’s Year 4 prep pupils have been spending their Monday afternoons at the music carousel, a rotating workshop that allows our young musicians to test out a range of instruments before deciding on the right instrument for them (with the help of our specialist visiting music teachers).

Berkhamsted offers pupils a varied choice of musical instruments to pursue throughout their journey through our schools. From trumpets to trombones, flutes to clarinets, pupils enjoy an extensive music offering but deciding which of these instruments they would like to pursue long-term in Prep school can feel like a big decision. Enter the music carousel.

Taking place during the Michaelmas term of Year 4, music carousel sees our young musicians rotate across instrument workshops led by professional visiting music staff. Pupils choose three instruments that interest them to test out throughout the programme. After spending two weeks on each of the three instruments, pupils will decide- with the help of their music teachers’ expert opinions- which instrument they will continue to play.

We headed down to the Prep to listen in on the sessions and were delighted to see the pupils leaving their comfort zones and trying new instruments, all while bonding with classmates and collectively discovering their passion for music!

In the brass workshop at Churchill Hall, pupils played the trumpet or trombone, practised long notes, and even stood to perform a musical number. While this was the pupils’ first attempt at performing the ensemble, you would never have been able to tell as the Year 4s displayed teamwork and perseverance to perform to the best of their ability! The session was filled with laughs as pupils got to compete over who could hold their notes for the longest- which taught pupils the importance of taking deep breaths and opening the oral cavity before performing.

In the singing workshop, Year 4 enjoyed some friendly competition as the boys and girls split up to sing in groups. “Not a cloud in the sky and there are blue skies overhead” was the positive message sung by pupils as they learned how to coordinate their voices and sing collectively.

In the green room, a small group of Year 4s tried their hand at the clarinet. In their first session, it was all about getting to grips with the instrument as pupils learned how to assemble their clarinet. Afterward, pupils learned how to play basic notes before playing musical numbers on the instrument in the next sessions.

Music carousel enlightens our Year 4s to discover the instruments they love while uncovering their individual talent and passion for music. Over the past few weeks, Year 4 have been adventurous and trailed instruments they had never considered before. We cannot watch our pupils’ newfound love for their instrument of choice develop throughout their years at Berkhamsted.