An Inspiring Week of Live Music across Norfolk and North Suffolk

This month, our skilled Visiting Music Teachers (VMTs) went on a grand tour of Inspiration Trust schools for the third year running, showing their musical abilities across more than 24 performances to over 1000 students in celebration of Live Music Week.  

Performances included orchestral pieces by Grieg and Brahms, and favourite soundtracks such as the Dr Who theme tune and Hedwig’s Theme from Harry Potter, on a myriad of instruments including violin, bassoon, flute, trombone, piano, guitar and drums, as well as providing some fascinating information regarding their instruments to pupils along the way! 

This year, a rock band consisting of some of the visiting musicians led by Mr Baker, had their own tour, for a second year running – playing instruments such as guitar, bass, and drums. This smaller band also paid a visit to our family of schools, playing nineties and noughties classics such as Green Day’s American Idiot, Gorillaz’s Clint Eastwood and Oasis’ Wonderwall. Songs were broken up by titbits about how to conduct yourself as a musician, ready for the upcoming Battle of the Bands competition that brings rock and pop bands to the stage every year. 

Inspiration Trust is proud to be able to give all its students the opportunity to experience live music events in all of our schools and believes that every child should have the chance to learn different instruments and participate in performances and events. Pupils took the opportunity to get involved with Live Music Week, singing along in a rousing rendition of Queen's 'We Are the Champions' and Abba's 'Mamma Mia'. 

Inspiration Trust values music in the life of schools and pupils and evidences this commitment by heavily subsidising music tuition for students, hiring its own in-house team of Visiting Music Teachers, and providing free instruments to pupils who may not have had the opportunity to take up the extra-curricular activity otherwise. 

John Stephens, Director of Music at Inspiration Trust said: 

"We are incredibly grateful to our Visiting Music Teachers for bringing live music into our schools, and I’m very pleased that we’ve found ways to release them from their regular teaching to facilitate this – it's yet another benefit of having our own team of VMTs employed ‘in-house’. Their performances have ignited a sense of excitement in our students to explore the world of music, and hopefully take up learning an instrument in the future."

Photographed: Norwich Primary Academy and Hewett Academy