Supporting Sheffield Schools through the Power of Music

Bradfield School Sheffield

We are delighted to offer a grant to Bradfield school to enable them to put on Music Workshops for vulnerable and Pupil Premium students during school holiday.

To run the workshop in February Half Term 2024, they require a number of specialists to help to develop a scripted performance that enables students to have access to every theatre element. The students will be asked to pick from one of the following over the three- or four-day workshop to focus on: 1- Performing - including singing workshops 2-Performing - acting, Script writing and directing 3-Dancing - dancing workshops for performance Composition and 4- instrument performance - learning how to compose on music software Designing elements of theatre - costume, set and lighting. They will be putting together a document to explain the costing as well as benefits and successful outcomes of the project in due course, so check out their web page.

Mossbrook Special Primary Needs School

Mossbrook Special Primary Needs school in Norton provides specialist education for 134 children aged between 4 and 11 years old. Much time is devoted to ensuring that barriers to learning are reduced for pupils as far as possible, focusing on sensory processing activities. Music is a big part of life at Mossbrook School, with all children having music lessons each week. The school was awarded a grant to buy a new keyboard for the school. 

 "Music is an integral part of our children's experience and learning. Many children recall language from songs, and we use music to support transition throughout school, for example, lunchtime songs, singing the timetable/register and home time songs. This allows the children to understand what is happening now and next as the songs used are repeated throughout the week. 

 To keep children across the school safe, during 2020, we began to have music lessons within classrooms and the shared music space. Our old, large keyboard with broken wheels was tough to move around the school, and so we requested a grant to pay for a portable keyboard to support our music lessons and whole school performances.”

Lowfield Primary School

Lowfield Primary School is a school in the heart of the Sheffield community that celebrates its bright and diverse team of staff and pupils.

The school was awarded a grant to provide music lessons in order to give the most vulnerable children at the school the opportunity to learn to play an instrument. The aim of the music lessons are to increase the wellbeing of the children at the school, go above and beyond the national curriculum level of music and improve communication skills.

St John Fisher PTFA

St John Fisher is a small Catholic School in Sheffield, The PTFA helps with fundraising to help the school provide extra resources for the pupils. They run social events for parents/carers and children, providing an opportunity for people to meet and get to know each other and have fun. They also provide support for school trips and outings and other special events.

As many of the children at the school are not able to access opportunities to learn a musical instrument we supported them through a grant to provide musical instruments for the school. The school has begun singing lessons after school, and it’s been exciting  to introduce a range of musical instruments to support these lessons.  

Sheffield Music School 

Sheffield Music School is a charity that runs on a Saturday morning and in school holidays. They have a number of classes that cater for various genres including jazz, classical, pop, rock and rap. They are dedicated to providing free provisions for those who have a passion for music and would otherwise be unable to attend. 

We recently awarded a second grant to the music school to continue to build confidence and help a group of female students use their ideas and talents to form bands and write songs as a team. The students were committed and talented and needed financial support to continue to work on their technical knowledge and grow as musicians. 

 “Being able to work with our young women to help excel their musical talents is so exciting. From watching their singing lessons with Gina Walters to working on production and creating beats, the classes are so creative and important. Without funds like this, many young people are left behind in an expensive and elitist industry which requires huge amounts of money to access one to one training. Our mentors and mentees are telling honest stories through their music and we are so excited for what the future brings.”

Norfolk Community Primary School

Norfolk  Community Primary School is a busy and friendly school, working hard to provide the very best for all. Their school motto is "Working together to be the best we can be." Their aim is to provide all children with a good level of education. To nurture children’s wellbeing and aim to meet all of their needs to ensure they are ready for classroom learning.

The primary school has been developing a sensory space for their Key Stage 2 students, whereby they wanted to improve the space by purchasing speakers and musical instruments for music therapy sessions. We supported the school with a grant to help them achieve their aim of a fun and engaging sensory space. 

Hallam Primary School PTFA

Hallam Primary School is a large, inclusive and welcoming school providing education from 4 to 11 for over 600 pupils. The objective of the PTFA is to raise funds to support the school. They also support the school where we can with their fundraising and other activities. 

The grant enabled the PTFA to give two students at the school the chance to learn guitar for the whole year. This is part of the Pupil Premium which is additional to main school funding and is used by this school to address any underlying inequalities between children eligible by ensuring that funding reaches the pupils who need it most. The grant will further address these inequalities and give two students the opportunity to develop their music skills.  Here is a quote from the boys guitar teacher:

 This past term I have given the boys guitar lessons and have been very pleased with their progress and enthusiasm within their lessons! The discovery of playing music on an instrument has had a positive impact on the boys and has been a pleasure to watch from my perspective. One of them even performed in the summer concert series this year and the both wish to perform next year as well. Getting to know the children and start them on their musical and creative journey has been an absolute privilege of mine.

The boys say:  We have loved learning songs on guitar, especially ‘The eye of the tiger’, performing at the summer concert was amazing and we are so glad that we are going to be able to keep learning the guitar next year.

 If you are a school or organisation in Sheffield looking for support to run musical activities in Sheffield, find out more or get in touch today.