Music

Welcome to our unique and award-winning Music Department!

Widely regarded as one of England’s leading and trailblazing primary school music departments and prominent on the international stage, what is it that makes The Premier Academy recognised as having the ‘Best School Music Department’ in the country including secondary schools (as awarded in the Music Teacher Awards For Excellence 2018)?

Over The Years…

2015 – Named UK representatives in the Global Science Opera project

2016 – Achieved the Quality Music Mark Award for Primary School Music Education

2017 – Shortlisted for ‘International Award’ in the TES Schools’ Awards 2017

Awarded the Sing Up Gold Award for our commitment to singing across the Academy

2018 – Winner of the ‘Best School Music Department’ category in the UK Music Teacher Awards for Excellence

2019 – Granted a ‘Certificate of Recognition’ from Music Mark for commitment to high quality music education

2020 – Awarded the ‘Artsmark Gold Award’ by Arts Council England

2021 – Became Senior Leader Advocate in Artswork’s Champion Schools programme leading CPD courses in arts education across south-east England

2021 – Granted a Youth Music Award to develop and support Early Years’ Music Education in TPA, Eaton Mill Nursery and across the local area

2022 – Became a Partner School for the Royal Opera House

2023 – Became a Trinity College Arts Award Champion School

2024 – Awarded ‘Artsmark Platinum Award’ by Arts Council England

Ongoing – TPA children feature in Global Science Opera every year and we are proud to represent the UK in this international project. Working with schools and universities across the world, the children learn about other cultures, communicate with children from other countries (in 2023, for example, we made Zoom calls to children in Australia and India), and collaboratively create scenes for a televised opera that is shown across the world in November each year.

In 2022, all our Year 5 children worked with children in Spain and Greece to create a music and drama scene on the functions of the brain that was viewed around the world online. In addition, they filmed songs for a musical on astrophysics that was shown in late-2023 in Chile and New York, USA. In 2023, our Year 5s created a scene for that year’s opera Unfold the Universe which was broadcast live from TPA.

Useful things to know about music at TPA:

Every child in the Academy receives a weekly music lesson with our specialist music teacher (one hour per week for Years 1 to 6; 45 minutes per week for Reception). Whole school singing takes place in our weekly assemblies.

Every child performs on stage at least once a year. Parents and families are invited to watch their child’s class assembly (from Reception to Year 5), and end-of-year production (Year 6), which involve singing, acting and dancing.

Every child learns a musical instrument in their class music lessons including recorders, percussion, keyboard, guitar and African drums. Lots of other activities are involved including, for our Year 5s and 6s, participation in the Royal Opera House Create & Sing programmes.

Every child has the opportunity to sign up for additional instrumental lessons with our specialist instrumental teachers (keyboard, guitar, violin, flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, trumpet, French horn). There is a cost, kept to a minimum, attached to these lessons which are offered from Year 2 upwards.

Extra-curricular activities, such as choirs and instrumental groups, are on offer to every child where appropriate.

A Musical Year At TPA

September – music instrument lessons commence.

Currently over 140 children at TPA receive specialist instrumental lessons!

October – Young Voices choir rehearsals begin.

Over 70 children are in our choir each year preparing to perform at the O2 Arena, London in January!

November – Global Science Opera performance with TPA representing the UK.

This year our Year 5s will be broadcasting live from TPA!

December – Choirs, music groups or classes go out to sing in the local community at festive events.

From 80 Year 2s performing in Bletchley town centre, to a minibus of singers going to entertain at a care home, TPA tries to do our bit to support the local community!

January – Young Voices Choir perform at the O2 arena, London, with parents and families attending to cheer them on.

Performing alongside professional singers, dancers and beatboxers our choir of over 70 children experience one of the greatest nights of their life!

February – Class assemblies are ongoing throughout the year.

See your child starring on stage through singing, acting and dancing. You will be amazed!

March – Every child learning an instrument gets the opportunity to perform to their class or in small performances in school.

A great opportunity for the children to impress others with the skills they have acquired learning an instrument. An experience they love!

April – Visit to watch a performance in the local area.

For example, in 2023 some of our Year 3s visited The Open University to watch an orchestral performance!

May – Instrumental children awarded achievement certificates.

Some children go on to take music exams on their instrument but the achievement of every child learning an instrument is recognised and celebrated at TPA!

June – Instrumental visit to the Milton Keynes Instrumental Celebration Festival.

Children learning orchestral instruments prepare to perform in groups at this festival. A chance to perform in their group in front of 100s of people!

July – End of Year Production for our Year 6 leavers.

The whole year group put on the greatest show of their lives in front of a packed audience of proud parents and families. A night every TPA family will never forget!

Outstanding Events Featuring TPA Children

2015 – Our first live broadcast from TPA, with the help of BBC engineers and The Open University, for Skylight Opera, the first Global Science Opera. This was broadcast live on Norwegian TV as well as being shown online. We have performed in every annual Global Science Opera since.

2016 – TPA Premier Choir visit a professional recording studio to make a recording of a song they had helped create so children around the world can learn a song for Global Science Opera. Their recording was heard by children on every continent (well, except Antarctica!).

2017 – TPA Year 6s sang live on BBC Three Counties Radio.

2018 – BBC visit TPA to film our Year 6s as part of the BBC Ten Pieces programme.

2018 – TPA’s Year 6 Premier Choir took part in Britain’s Got Talent auditions at the ExCel Centre in London.

2019 – BBC Look East visited TPA to film a report on our international music projects. This was broadcast on their flagship 6.30pm news report on BBC One.

2019 – A group of Year 2s travelled very early in the morning to London to sing live on the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show with Zoe Ball, launching the BBC’s Bring The Noise music project.

2019 – Our Premier Choir was selected to perform at the Barnardo’s Young Supporters Concert in Westminster Hall, London. Two of our Year 6s were soloists in the concert.

2020 – A group of Year 6s visited The University of Oxford for a tour of their music department and a nearby college as part of an outreach programme encouraging children to aim for university education.

2020 – Some of our Year 3s appeared as ‘special reporters’ on the BBC Ten Pieces Special Report.

2021 – Despite lockdown, our Year 6s managed to film a dance outside as their contribution to the year’s Global Science Opera. A scene they worked on together with children from Australia and Spain.

2022 – Artwork by our Year 6 children, which they had created collaboratively with children from schools in India and Palestine, was made into a flag that was flown outside Buckingham Palace as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant. It is on display in our Year 6 area.

2023 – 70 children from Years 4, 5 and 6 visited the Royal Opera House in London for a backstage tour and storytelling workshop.

2023 – Arts Award success – 90 Year 5 children attained Discover Arts Award, and 91 Year 6 children attained Explore Arts Award. TPA becomes the first school in Milton Keynes to have two full year groups attaining these nationally recognised qualifications.