At Marshgate Primary School children engage in weekly music classes. Children also have an extensive range of wider curricular opportunities on offer.

The Years 5 and 6 choir rehearses on Monday lunch-times with Mrs Valero.  The Years 3 and 4 choir also rehearse on Monday lunch-times with Miss Banks (please see below for further information).

Children at Marshgate can also have private music tuition through the Richmond Music Trust (RMT) during school hours.  The music teachers visit the school weekly to teach a wide range of lessons: recorder, piano, guitar, saxophone, clarinet, flute, cello, violin, as well as drums.  Children in Year 1 can start 'Music Makers' which teaches them rhythm and notation in preparation for learning an instrument.  Please see the list below detailing which year group children can start particular instruments with RMT:

In addition, all children in Year 4 take part in a class based “Wider Opportunities” scheme where they are introduced to woodwind instruments and given the opportunity take up tuition afterwards. 

Please contact the Richmond Music Trust for further information on how to apply tuition for any of the instruments listed above. Their telephone number is 0208 538 3866 and a link to their website is below.

KS2 children can also sign up for a Music Technology club that runs during lunchtimes three days a week - this is part of the school's wider school club timetable offer and does incur a fee. Please see below for further information and on the School Clubs website page.

There is also a Music Bandz and a Rock Bandz club that runs each term. Please see the School Clubs website page for further information. 

Information about how to join the choirs

Applications for places in both the Years 3 & 4 and Years 5 & 6 choirs should be emailed to parents@marshgate.richmond.sch.uk.  Please include ‘Application for Year 3/4 or Year 5/6 Choir’ in the subject bar with your child's full name in the message.  Places will then be allocated on a first come/first served basis.

Richmond Music Trust

Music Technology Club

M:Tech is a unique music and media course for children aged 7 – 11 suited to those of all musical abilities, from children who already play an instrument through to those discovering music for the first time. The course is about composing music and balances a traditional musical learning curve with access to the latest creative technologies. Focusing on key musical concepts such as melody, harmony, rhythm and arrangement, M:Tech ensures that children gain a full understanding of how music is created, note by note.

The children work in pairs and complete a fun and engaging project by creating music to various forms of media. Projects range from making music for TV adverts or movie trailers through to producing radio shows and composing in a range of musical styles.

At the end of term parents will be emailed their children’s song as a digital download to share with family and friends and will also receive graded progress certificates. Please take a moment to watch a short video at www.mtechonline.co.uk so you can see exactly what M:Tech is all about.

How it works…

M:Tech runs as a group instrumental lesson with children making graded progress. Classes are 30 minutes in length and will take place during lunchtimes so will not affect academic lessons. M:Tech invoice parents directly via email at the start of each term once places have been confirmed.

What to do next…

If your child is interested in joining M:Tech sessions please visit www.mtechonline.co.uk and sign up online. There are limited places so please indicate your interest as soon as possible.

New Initiative For 2024

We would like to invite members of our Marshgate community to come into our weekly KS2 music assemblies.  If you, a grandparent or another family member play an instrument then we’d love you to come into school, show the instrument to the children and maybe play a few bars. We also very much welcome sharing some of the different music you may enjoy as families at home. Our music assemblies take place every Wednesday at 9.55 a.m. and alternate between Years 3/4 and Years 5/6. If you are interested in coming into school to share some of the music you enjoy or to demonstrate an instrument you play then please email Mrs Valero at parents@marshgate.richmond.sch.uk. 

Earlier this term Year 4 parent, Mr Ilter, came in to play and talk about the electric guitar. The Year 3 & 4 children listened to inspirational performances by Mr Ilter of Smoke on the Water - Deep Purple and Sweet Child of Mine - Guns N Roses.  Mr Ilter also explained how the electric guitar works and the differences between electric and classical guitars. The children were really interested to hear about his path to learning the guitar and how he went on to play in a band.