Music
Overview
Here at Frith Manor, we are passionate about music. We have a flourishing music department with many musical instruments available for children to learn.
Weekly music activities include our school orchestra, choir, singing assemblies for key stages one and two, a drumming group and whole class violin tuition offered to year 4.
Our choir and orchestra take part in Music Festivals, and have won prizes and awards at a national level.
Currently, more than 100 students from year 2 upwards have individual or small group instrumental lessons at school. We have several visiting music teachers and offer lessons in:
- Piano
- Violin and Viola
- Percussion/Drums
- Cello
- Guitar
- Woodwind instruments – recorder, flute, clarinet, saxophone
- Brass instruments – trumpet, trombone and tenor horn.
If you have any questions about our music provision, please contact music@frithmanor.barnet.sch.uk
Instrumental Lessons
When you sign your child up for instrumental lessons at Frith Manor you are entering into an agreement with the school as follows
- Lessons must be paid for a term in advance.
- Half a term's notice is required to stop the lessons.
- You will encourage your child to practise effectively and be prepared for their lessons.
- You agree to purchase or rent an instrument following discussion with the teacher.
- If the teacher is absent, they will make up the lesson. If a student misses a lesson, if given at least 48 hours notice, the teacher will do their best to make up the lesson if it is practicable. Lessons missed by the student must be paid for and will not be refunded.
- The teacher agrees to teach for a minimum of 10 lessons for the term. To be punctual and prepared for the lessons and to communicate regularly with the parent regarding the student's progress.
Frith Manor Musicians' Solo Spot
Each week, we are very lucky to be treated to a musical performance at the beginning of Monday's assembly. Each week a different musician from the school puts themselves forward to perform to KS1 and KS2.
Frith Manor's Musical Highlights
MUSIC AT FRITH MANOR – WHAT A SUMMER TERM
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37 violinists, led by Ruth Cohen, opened the evening with an unforgettable group performance of Autumn from The Four Seasons and Canon by Pachelbel.
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Suzu and Ritsu (Year 2 and 1!) wowed the audience with their duet Tico Tico.
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Our Woodwind Ensemble (flutes, clarinets, and saxophones), directed by Bozena Bates, filled the hall with rich harmonies.
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Cello Club returned for another beautiful performance, followed by our rhythmic Drumming Group.
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The Frith Manor Orchestra, with 35 players meeting every Tuesday morning at 8am, dazzled with five exciting pieces, including Palladio by Karl Jenkins.
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Guitar Ensemble and Brass Ensemble followed, both showing amazing group coordination.
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Mei and Bella gave a magical rendition of Pirates of the Caribbean on flute and piano — completely student-led!
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And closing the show was our very own Jazz Group – JAZE (Jenson, Jasmine, Alexa, Zan, Evelyne) grooving to Jimmy Cliff and Herbie Hancock under the expert direction of Zoe Rahman. A sizzling end to an epic night with around 70 students involved!
Our woodwind players shone in their own assembly with group and solo performances. Special mentions to Mei (flute), Sabina (clarinet), and Jenson (saxophone) for their beautiful solos. We’ll miss our talented Year 6 players and wish them musical success in their next schools.
Violin concerts
What a great week it was this week with Music At Frith Manor just before half term.
Lagoon Class completed their 15 week taster violin course and gave a short concert/demonstration of the violin. Together the whole class showed their parents and a captivated Reception how to hold the violin and bow, and performed the Flower Songs, Monkey Song, DDAA at different tempos and Big Note Boogie. They made playing the violin look easy (it isn’t!) and they sounded great, performing with loads of energy and keeping together – developing listening and coordination skills at the same time. Some of the children already learned the violin before the taster, so Noe performed a solo with Stepping Stones, and Amaya and Harriett decided to play Handel’s Menuet as a duet. Catherina blew everyone away with her beautiful rendition of Sicilienne by Paradis and then performed it again this week on Wednesday for Key stage 1 and 2 in “Solo Spot” in Assemblies. The Reception classes were very excited to learn about the violin and to listen to it being played. Cyan class will start their 15 week taster in violin on Monday afternoons after half term.
Music is thriving in the Autumn term
Music at Frith Manor continues to grow and thrive. This Autumn Term we have had more than 100 children learning musical instruments at school, an orchestra of 30 students, a choir, a small ensemble, a drumming group and woodwind, brass and guitar ensembles. All these groups were featured in our Winter Ensembles Concert on 11th December in the evening. Our piano concert for parents took place on 4th December at 4pm when around 30 children who learn piano at Frith Manor got to perform a solo. It was a lovely concert where the students performed confidently on our fabulous Yamaha piano donated to the school by Jamie Cullem. On Wednesday 11th December in the morning, we had our open Singing Assemblies, led by Linda Folan, where both KS1 and KS2 sang all the songs they had learned this term to the parents. It was wonderful to see so many parents attending.
Music is always happening at Frith Manor, and it permeates throughout the school. This week on Tuesday 17th December, the orchestra performed in assemblies for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Reception Classes were invited to the Key Stage 1 Assembly, and also Little Oaks, who got their first chance to attend an assembly, sitting and listening attentively and joining in with beautiful singing when the violins played Jingle Bells. This week also, the choir visited Aarandale Care Home, where they entertained the residents with their singing of Christmas Carols.
From half term we started our “Solo Spots” in KS2 assemblies on Mondays and KS1 and 2 assemblies on Wednesdays, when anyone can put themselves forward to perform a short musical solo just as the assembly begins. There is huge variety in the talent we have at Frith Manor. So far we listened to, amongst others; Emme and Bella together on violin, Matej on drum kit, Naomi, Aria, Bella, Anna and Ayva on piano, Victora and Suzu on cello, and Vyom on flute. We have a whole class instrumental teaching project in year 4 where everyone in year 4 learns to play the violin as a taster in learning to play a musical instrument. This term, Lagoon class have been having fun learning how to play violin music together every Monday afternoon. They are beginning to sound quite good!
Thanks to all our wonderful and talented Music Staff Team: Ruth Cohen, Music Lead, Orchestra, Violin; Linda Folan, Choir and Singing Assemblies; Joe Ospalla, Drums; Naama Kozokaro, Piano; Ben Mason, Brass and Piano; Bozena Bates, Woodwind; Daniel Evans, Guitar; Janet Reed, Cello.
At Frith Manor you can learn these instruments: Piano, Violin, Cello, Guitar, Trumpet, Trombone, Tenor Horn, Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Drums, and we may offer individual singing lessons there is demand. Currently we have waiting lists for most instruments and a few spaces on Piano and Brass instruments. We can offer subsidised lessons to those in need. If you are interested in music lessons for your child, please email Ruth Cohen on music@frithmanor.barnet.sch.uk
Frith Manor at The Barnet Infant Music Festival - November 2024
On Friday 8th November all of Year 1 and Year 2 – Amber, Cinnamon, Honey, and Sunshine classes participated in the 2024 Infant Music Festival. This was run by BEAT – Barnet Education Arts Trust and devised and directed by Ros Savournin. The children in year 1 and 2 had all prepared songs to sing in the festival in advance with their teachers and had also been trained by our singing teacher Linda Folan in their singing assemblies.
On the day we were excited and looking forward to going and singing and performing with other schools. We walked from Frith Manor to Millbrook Park School after lunch, where we joined forces with children from Millbrook Park and Summerside Primary School.
The music festival was based around the picture book “Beegu” by Alexis Deacon. Beegu is not supposed to be on Earth. She is lost and her spaceship has crashed. She is a friendly little creature, but the big Earth People are not very welcoming at all. The little ones are a different matter.
These were the songs that we learned and how they go with the story:
When Beegu’s spaceship appears in the sky:
“What are you” - A song based on Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
When Beegu falls asleep with the puppies:
“Heno, Heno” – a Welsh Lullaby
When Beegu finds the children in the school playground, - 4 Playground Songs:
“Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear“
“Zhao pengyou” - a Chinese partner song about Friendship
“A Sailor Went to Sea” - a traditional English partner clapping and action song.
“Hi Lo Chickalo” - a Clapping Song originating in Africa
The Final Song, when Beegu is taken back home by her mother, was “All The Difference” - a song that celebrates differences and friendships.
We sang all those songs with the other schools all together, but we sang “Wake Up” which we had been learning in singing assembly as our school solo song. The song is fun and lively and Frith Manor sang and did the actions with great energy and enthusiasm.
A huge thank you to the amazing Year 1 and Year 2 teachers who helped the children practise and learn the songs and also did a great job on the day leading the school song and doing all the actions. Also a big thank you to our wonderful singing teacher, Linda Folan, for teaching the songs in the singing assemblies.
Well done!