Primary Robins: End of year report

At the end of last term, the Primary Robins at Redbridge school gave a concert for their parents, it just so happened that Ofsted were visiting that day. The inspectors came to the concert and Primary Robins gets a mention in their report.

‘Pupils from all backgrounds are offered very rich educational experiences designed to raise their aspirations and broaden their minds. For example, the inspectors saw pupils engage deeply in an operatic performance of very high quality.’

The Robins at Winnall Primary School sang at Winchester Cathedral as part of an event to mark the 100 year anniversary of World War One. Their beautiful renditions of ‘Keep the Home Fires Burning’, ‘Pack Up Your Troubles’ and ‘Tipperary’ raised the roof of this wonderful building.

June 5 is BBC Music Day and 90 Primary Robins, accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra will be singing on the stage at The Grange. The concert will feature music from Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, and Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll. It will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.

2014-2015 was a truly wonderful year for Primary Robins. Twelve hundred children are now involved – an increase of more than eight hundred on the previous year.

We expanded the project in Hampshire and started at primary schools in Durham and Kent.

It was very clear to see that children at the schools who had benefited from the singing sessions for a year were much quicker at picking up tunes and rhythms, standing tall and singing out confidently.

Highlights!

The Robins at Winnall Primary School sang at Winchester Cathedral as part of an event to mark the Centenary of World War One. Their beautiful renditions of ‘Keep the Home Fires Burning’, ‘Pack Up Your Troubles’ and ‘Tipperary’ raised the roof of this wonderful building.

Winnall Primary School had their carol concert in St John’s, the oldest parish church in Winchester. Winnall School started Primary Robins this year, and, after only twelve weeks, the children sang beautifully.

This is from the Deputy Head at Winnall Primary School.

The Primary Robins project has been embraced wholeheartedly by the children at our school. Having had little singing teaching input or teaching, the children began the project reserved and unsure and not always giving there ‘all’. After a term and a half this has changed. The children begin each session ready to enjoy themselves and cannot wait to start. Children who sometimes struggle with their learning feel equal and part of the group because the songs are sometimes familiar and straight forward to learn. They join in with enthusiasm and commitment believing that they can do well. In particular a child who was selective mute during her time in key stage 1 and who is rarely confident enough to share or put her hand up during lessons, sung to the class alongside a small group today. Another child who suffers from childhood depression and who often ‘opts out’ of her learning also sang in front of the class for the first time. She was so proud of herself. In the lead up to our Christmas performance the children worked hard to learn songs for a performance to their parents. Primary Robbins worked with our classes to prepare most of these Christmas songs. The singing from all of the children was beautiful. We held some ‘auditions’ so that any child who wanted to sing a solo or sing alongside a small group. A child in our Year 6 group who has severe learning difficulties, as well as dyspraxia, wanted to be part of this. She worked with Annabel to perfect her solo. It was fantastic and an amazing achievement for her.

Primary Robins get an Ofsted mention!

At the end of the summer term, the Primary Robins at Redbridge School gave a concert for their parents, it just so happened that Ofsted were visiting that day. The inspectors came to the concert and Primary Robins is favourably mentioned in their report;

Primary Robins live on Radio 3!

June 5 2015 was the first BBC Music Day and 90 Primary Robins, accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra sang on the stage at The Grange.

The concert featured music from Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, and Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll. It was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.

The children were wonderful. At the rehearsal in the morning they quietly listened to the conductor and followed his beat perfectly. None of the children had ever sung with an orchestra, so it was a fantastic opportunity for them. The boys were thrilled by the trumpet solo in Penny Lane. Then Bryn Terfel joined the Robins in Sunrise Sunset from Fiddler on the Roof – I will never forget the children’s faces when he started singing. I am sure this will be a day many of them will remember all their lives.

Another concert at The Grange

On July 15 another hundred Robins came to The Grange to perform.

This was from a parent who was in the audience

I just wanted to get in touch to say how amazing the summer concert was at Grange Park, Alresford, last week. My son was lucky enough to be part of the choir from Stanmore Primary School and he loved every minute.

This is such a worthwhile and wonderful way for the children to be introduced to classical, operatic music – and a great opportunity for us parents to get to know more too. I have never heard live opera singers before and it had me spell bound. Another parent told me she had goosebumps from hearing the professionals.

Stanmore has children from a mix of backgrounds and I doubt that any of them would normally get the opportunity to sing in a setting like The Grange, or with such professional support such as your staff.

Thank you so much for all you have done for our children and the other schools you work with. The concert was a real highlight of the year for me.

Some schools have now had Primary Robins lessons for two years and in every class the singing is vastly improved. The children all take part with great enthusiasm and their

concentration and posture are so much better. They now really tell the story of the songs they are singing through colour, dynamics and emotion.

The song “Red Red Robin”, for obvious reasons has become a firm favourite. They sing it so enthusiastically and listening to them would brighten even the greyest of days.

Annabel Larard – Project Leader