Music

Music is a vital part of life at Junior King’s. Each day brings many musical experiences from the sound of boarders’ practising in the morning, through assembly singing which helps to set the mood for the day, to the roughly 360 instrumental lessons which take place each week. From one of twenty instrumental groups and choirs, through the sounds of Beethoven, Billy Joel or African drumming which leap out of the classroom during the day, to a concert featuring performers from all age groups.

We cater for musicians of all abilities and interests, and hope to inspire and broaden the minds of every child in the school through immersion in many different musical styles. Whether you are a potential music scholar or someone who just enjoys listening to the latest styles, there will be a place for you in the Junior King’s Music Department.

Choirs & Orchestras

Junior House & Middle School Choirs
All pupils in Years 3-6 sing in their section choir, which rehearses each Friday. They prepare music for the Christmas Carol Service in Canterbury Cathedral, for drama productions and for the Summer Concert.

Chapel Choir
The Chapel Choir is made up of the most accomplished singers from Years 6-8, about thirty-five in all. They sing at regular Sunday services in St Nicholas’ Church as well as at concerts and twice per year in Canterbury Cathedral. Repertoire is very broad, encompassing standard church repertoire, secular music and arrangements of pop and show tunes. We have toured to Belgium, Germany and France in recent years.

Orchestra
The Milner Court Orchestra rehearses each week and features some of our more experienced musicians. We are lucky to have most areas of the orchestra covered, and we play a wide range of music, from version of classic orchestral pieces to arrangements of pop songs and jazz pieces. Recent pieces have included: Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 2, The Dambusters March, Wipe Out, March from ‘Carmen’ and Polka from ‘Schwanda the Bagpiper’.

Instrumental Lessons

Each week about three hundred instrumental lessons are given by our team of twenty-five Visiting Music Staff.

Expert tuition is offered on all instruments and our staff come from near and far to teach. A number of staff work both at The King’s School and at Junior King’s, and we benefit from our close relationship with the senior part of the school.

Some pupils prefer to have their instrumental lessons outside of school but they are still able to play a full and active part in the musical life of the school.

Ensembles

Aside from the orchestra and choirs there are many other ensembles which rehearse each week and which play in regularly in concerts. These are a great way to improve musical skills, learn to work as a team and to extend everything learned during instrumental lessons.

Current groups include:
Flute Ensemble
Clarinet Ensemble
Saxophone Group
Brass Ensemble
Junior Brass Ensemble
Junior Strings
Middle Strings
Senior Strings
Cello Ensemble
Classical Guitar Ensemble
Rock Bands
Samba Band

Concerts

There are usually five or six concerts per term, made up of Informal Concerts, where anyone can sign up to play, Exam-Candidates’ Concerts, designed specifically for those taking exams that term, and larger concerts such as the St Cecilia Concert, which features ensembles and invited soloists.

We also hold a highly successful series of instrumental workshops, to which an expert guest is invited to listen to the performers and to offer helpful advice about performing and playing.