VISIT US 
CONTACT US 
SUPPORT US
APPLY NOW
Making Music at Channing Junior School: A Year of Doing
At the heart of our Junior School Music Department sits a simple but powerful belief: you learn music by doing music. Listening carefully, staying focused and noticing details. These are musical skills, but they are also life skills, and we build them every day, across every year group, through hands-on, active music-making.
This year has been one of our most vibrant yet.
Reception children have found their voices! Through exploring how sound can tell a story, they have begun to discover the instruments of the orchestra, learning not just their names but their characters. Year 1 have moved, played and created: a toys-themed unit brought music and movement together, while their ‘Musical Bouquet’ composition project gave each child a chance to arrange their own piece from scratch.
Year 2 have embarked on an exciting new chapter with the launch of our wind and brass training programme. Year 3 threw themselves into folk and ceilidh culture, singing, playing and dancing their way through a unit that had the classroom feeling like a village hall on a Friday night. Year 4 brought the house down at our Spring Showcase with their djembe playing. Year 5 took their samba outside, filling the MUGA with rhythm and energy during their samba parade. It was one of the more joyful afternoons of the school year, and the sun came out to cheer them on!
Across Key Stage 2, composition has gone from strength to strength. Children are increasingly confident using digital tools to realise their musical ideas, and the quality and ambition of their work have been genuinely impressive this year.
In February, a group of our pupils joined thousands of children from across the country at Young Voices in Wembley Arena. To sing at that scale, with that energy, is something children carry with them long after the coach journey home. Our ABRSM exam results were stellar, reflecting both the hard work of individual pupils and the dedication and expertise of our visiting instrumental staff.
The Folk Band made their public debut at the Fair in the Square Highgate festival. They were excellent. The crowd agreed!
Performing Arts Leaders
Our Performing Arts Leaders continue to go from strength to strength, compering performances, contributing to the planning of workshop lessons and championing active listening throughout the school. They are genuine ambassadors for music and a brilliant example to younger pupils of what real engagement with the arts looks like.
Extra-Curricular
Beyond the classroom, the programme remains as busy as ever. Two string orchestras, three choirs, a chamber music programme, and folk, brass and mariachi bands mean that pupils at every stage have an ensemble to belong to and a musical community to call their own.
It has been a wonderful year. We cannot wait to see what the next one brings.