What music education is offered at your child's primary school?

[bigbeautifulmonster]

State schools.

Both my husband and I are musicians and work in private schools so are aware of opportunities available in fee paying schools but not really sure of the state school system.

Our DD will be starting reception in Sept and, without wanting to be pushy, we would ideally love for her local primary (state) school to have some sort of music 'culture'. I'm thinking about volunteering to run a choir at the school and maybe even a group piano/keyboard club but I don't know how welcoming they'll be for such things.
I believe the national curriculum has just been updated for music but I haven't had time to look into this too deeply yet.

Does your child's state school have any music clubs? What opportunities are they given as part of the curriculum?

@bigbeautifulmonster my primary school has nothing like this, we had a fantastic music lead who left and there’s no funding for anything external. My head would be on his knees thanking you if you offered anything like this to us!

In reception mine did weekly group string lessons (violin or cello). In Year 1 they had the option to continue this as small groups. They also did weekly music lessons including singing.

This sounds like a wonderful idea if there is space. A music room for their imaginations to run wild!

Those who said they have instrumental lessons as a class, did the school invest in these instruments and hire them out? Or do parents buy the instruments for their child? Or provided by whoever comes in to teach (county music service?)? Are the lessons provided for just a short time within each year group (eg a term and that's it) or is it continuous and perhaps develops into something like, for example if it were strings, forming a school orchestral string section?

Are the school choirs completely voluntary for everyone who takes part?

Just trying to get my head around certain things so I don't go in with my suggestions only to be received by an eye roll.

If you are prepared to volunteer your time for free then I’d expect them to welcome you with open arms for whatever you want to do.
My Dds school do a lot of singing and there are music lessons available. They have music teachers from the music service come in and do class instrument lessons for the older ones. Terms worth of guitar etc
My experience is that music is fairly strong in primary. But any help you’re willing to give would be amazing!!

The school choir is optional as an after school club but they do do singing as a class/ year group with the music teacher.

The recorder and ukulele are provided by the school for kids to learn with. I think for a term??

Other instrument lessons are done in school hours but sourced from outside and paid privately and kids either own or hire their instruments.

The orchestra is an optional after school club. You need to have leant the instrument for 1 term prior to starting.

Individual lessons can also be available but have to be paid for and instruments provided or hired by the parents.

Violin from year 2 if you pay.
all do guitar in year 4 as a class and learn together.

Children in primary schools are supposed to have 1 hour of taught class music per week. In reality this depends on how much the headteacher values music and how confident the class teachers are at teaching music. I am a specialist music teacher in a primary school (best job in the world!). Sadly we lost a few peri's as a result of covid. After a couple of years of telling children not to sing or play their recorders, it's been a battle to get music running properly. If you volunteered in my school, I would say a huge yes please! I have also taught in music in private schools as well. It makes me so sad that the musically talented children in the state schools, do not have the same opportunities as those in private schools. However hard state schools try, there just isn't the funding in schools.

Ours are really good.
We have a music service that comes in. In year 3 they get a full year of free group lesson once a week with a brass instrument. They can carry on after the first year but you pay, it's reasonable though. Year 4 they learn samba and year 5 djembe drums.
There's also the option to have a private lesson in school at a discounted price for lots of different instruments.
There's also a brass band, guitar group and choir.
We're very lucky!
It's a state school.

*brass instruments are loaned free for the year they do it free, after that you can hire at a small cost or buy your own if your child is carrying on

I work for a music hub. Provision is very patchy in primary schools - there’s some amazing things that go on to not very much. The National Plan for music has just been updated not the National Curriculum but the aim is for every school to have a band and choir. Most schools will bite your arm off to help run their choir/band etc. Also parent power can be very effective at getting instrumental lessons going in a school.

Music lessons were all singing and the rattling/bashing of various percussion instruments. There was a drumming workshop one year.

They owned a couple of glockenspiels, but I don't know how much they get used.

There was a flourishing recorder group

And when touring the school before we joined, I remember being told that there was a guitar group for older pupils, but that must have folded because I was never aware of it happening. I suspect they had a teacher who ran it as an extra, and it closed when they left. I don't know what they did about the actual guitars either.

Instrumental music service. Woodwind taught weekly by a visiting music teacher.

There is the local council run orchestra that operates six months of the year. Providing fantastic opportunities for local children.

Instrumental lessons are free where we are.

I made a VAT free purchase via the local authority for DCs instruments.

It varies hugely. Basically most schools can afford to do one or at most two activities really well and the rest the just pay lip service too due to budget constraints. The have to pick between sport, music, art, drama, and MFL. Find a school who've picked music. Also, I know of parents who have created their schools music programmes so if you have the time that's a great idea.

Nothing at my son's school. They used to have teachers come in but I think covid was used as an excuse to stop them.
They do a play once a year with singing which apparently is enough!! Compared to my own childhood with choirs, band and free musical instrument lessons it's such a shame. But if the teachers are not willing/able to put in the time (and the headteacher is the most uninspirational person going) plus there's no funding, what can you do?!

We have a school music service, who offer instrument lessons to all school children, but at a cost.

In the primary school DD has just left, everyone did recorder in Y1 and they had whole class violin lessons in Y3, for an "optional" donation the school also had 30 violins to lend out).

At the same school, DS went to ukulele club for 18 months or so, which pushed him down classical guitar route. He's working now on Grade 4.

Music lessons are free in Scotland, our service provides instruments for at least one year till they decide they are sticking with it. Choir optional, normal choir in lunch break, Gaelic choir during lesson time. School bought recorders for the club, the aim was to be really inclusive. The whole class experiment, I think the instrumental service provided the violins but a few folk bought them ( second hand small violins are only about £30)

Reading all these responses is making me chomp at the bit to get something started. I don't have much free time to do it but I'll just have to figure out something and discuss with the school. As you've said, if the school isn't keen then something is seriously wrong but if they don't want me I might just start something at my local village hall myself anyway.
If I can change one kid's life then it'll be totally worth it.

@IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads that's great about your son! This is it... how a small club can initiate a potentially lifelong skill and love of music!

We have a school music service, who offer instrument lessons to all school children, but at a cost.

We have the same. We also live somewhere that has a village brass band so most kids get lessons at school but also attend band at the weekends. It very much a part of the culture of the village which helps.

I have been really disappointed in our small
village school regarding music. They do apparently do music but it doesn’t involve any instruments. You can pay for a piano teacher who comes in to do lessons if you can afford it (we do this). The same teacher is starting a before school choir next term - you also have to pay for this so we are sending DD but it saddens me that it is only for people who can accord it.

but in private school you pay for one on one lessons.