SIMON LANGTON
GIRLS’ GRAMMAR SCHOOL
SLGGS Music Department Information April 2015
Music has been an important and successful feature of life at Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar
School for many years, and the strength of the arts in general was a major factor in the school
gaining Artsmark Gold in 2002, renewing this award in 2005 and again in 2008. The school
was successful in its application for music specialism at the first attempt and has been
designated a specialist music college since September 2005.
The music department is housed in purpose-built accommodation which is approximately 25
years old. A recent major building programme, as a result of specialist music status, has
resulted in enlarged accommodation, which now comprises three large teaching / rehearsal
rooms, eight practice rooms and a recording studio. Sixteen computer workstations are
installed in two of the main classrooms enabling ICT to be fully embedded in the music
curriculum from KS3 upwards. The building is used to full capacity throughout the school
day and rehearsals take place after school on most days. The school is also the venue for
Kent Music’s Canterbury Music Centre on Friday evenings when it becomes the focus for
instrumental ensembles and choirs of primary and secondary age pupils from the Canterbury
area.
The Music Department consists of the Head of Department/Director of Music Specialism, a
full-time Music teacher and a part-time Music Technology teacher, in addition to the post
being currently advertised. Music is part of the National Curriculum entitlement at KS3
before becoming an option for GCSE and A level. Music Technology is offered at A level,
and there are plans to include music as an option in the popular GCSE Expressive Arts course
in the future.
Many girls in the school play musical instruments and about 200 have individual tuition on
site during the school day. There are 17 visiting instrumental / vocal teachers offering
lessons on a wide range of instruments. There is a full programme of extra-curricular musical
activities including two orchestras, six choirs, a concert band, a jazz orchestra and numerous
smaller groups which rehearse each week. These activities are directed by the full-time staff,
instrumental specialists, and, occasionally, by senior students. There are many opportunities
for performance including regular school concerts, informal lunchtime concerts and evening
recitals. Music students give a lunchtime concert each year as part of the Canterbury Festival
and combine with local schools in an annual choral concert (e.g. Verdi’s Requiem in
Canterbury Cathedral – March 2009). There is a long-standing arrangement with Simon
Langton Boys’ School to join forces and stage a musical every two years (e.g. West Side
Story in 2008). Live music is a feature of the annual Dance Evening and there is a tradition
of students composing and performing original music for this event in recent years.
We are also committed to wider musical development and training through community links
with primary schools, Simon Langton Boys’ School and St Nicholas Special School. Since
September we have been funding and running wider opportunity music projects to develop
performing and general musicianship skills for Year 4 pupils in four partner primary schools.
For the last three years, our partner primaries have come together for a day’s music-making
and a festival performance at SLGGS in July.
In recent years, we have hosted a two-week gamelan residency with a Balinese gamelan and a
specialist tutor from the LSO Discovery programme. In the course of the fortnight over 500
Langton pupils experienced playing the gamelan, in addition to groups of primary pupils and
trainee teachers. We now have firm links with the LSO Discovery programme at KS3, with
workshops and performances of contemporary music in London for our younger students. We
have also enjoyed workshops run by a Taiko drumming group and musicians from the Asian
Music Centre, London. Established links with the Sounds New Festival have resulted in
SLGGS becoming a hub school for its educational programme, hosting workshops and
performances that bring together local schools, practising composers and performers.
The department works closely with Canterbury Christ Church University in providing
facilities and training for students on the secondary music PGCE course. CPD for qualified
teachers is also an important aspect of the music specialism and the department, in
association with the LEA music advisors, has run days for heads of music and training
sessions on ICT in Music for primary teachers in recent years.