Schools & Teachers
Having an Arts Week? Need some inspiration for your GCSE group? Or just want to have a day making music with professional musicians?
Bristol Ensemble is THE resource for classical music in education!
Able to work with all abilities across all Key Stages, musicians from the Bristol Ensemble provide an un-missable opportunity to support
and enhance your curriculum, inspire your students and get some great ideas at the same time! All our projects emphasise creative and
participatory music as an essential element of every child's education as well as delivering many National Curriculum requirements.
All our musicians hold Enhanced CRB's and have public liability insurace. All schools in Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire
and Bath & North East Somerset are within easy reach and travelling outside the area is no problem.
Primary Schools
Bristol Ensemble musicians can provide a great source of imagination, fun and creativity for KS1 & KS2.
Often included as part of an Arts Week, Bristol Ensemble musicians can give performances and work with your children to produce
an original piece of music on any topic! Many children will not have had the opportunity to see live musicians 'up close and personal'
and are fascinated by the instruments themselves.
Playing alongside professionals is also a huge boost for children who play instruments and inspires others to take instruments
up or increase their interest in music.
Music as part of story telling is popular at KS1, as is creating a classroom percussion orchestra. KS2 projects can be anything
from a short concert followed by a single creative workshop, to a whole week creative project with a performance at the end.
Our musicians are extremely versatile and can provide a creative workshop to support learning for any topic e.g. Romans, Electricity, Water.
Engaging the children with classical music (and musicians) and making it fun at the same time is our aim!
Any ideas you have, or if you're just a bit stuck on how to bring music into the classroom, please
email Julie and Bristol Ensemble will be able to offer advice on how best to make it happen!
Secondary Schools
Inspiration and motivation are key to KS3, 4 & 5 music… Having live musicians really brings the topic of classical music to life
and Bristol Ensemble musicians are the liveliest around! Combining intimate knowledge of classical music with outstanding abilities
on their instruments and great communication skills, Bristol Ensemble musicians are also incredibly versatile at working across genres
to include pop and rock influences in their projects.
Some projects that have been done at KS3, 4 & 5 are;
- Composition workshop with GCSE groups – looking at orchestral landmarks and creating a group composition based around classical works
- Ensemble in residence – as well as giving a concert performance, musicians can also be used as a recording group for A level
students where they can be used as a composition subject (any size of ensemble) and will advise the students on elements of their compositions
- Creative workshops with KS3 to help understanding of form, structure, harmony, musical terms. All workshops have a large composition element
- Concerts with a small ensemble or even the whole orchestra! Why not follow the concert with a workshop, or do a composition workshop to
be performed at the concert
- Highlight minority instruments and promote lesson take-up
- Transition projects that involve feeder primary schools
- Projects involving Soundbeam and integrating those pupils who can't play an instrument with those that can
Any ideas you have, please feel free to email Julie to discuss them and Bristol Ensemble
will be able to offer advice on how best to make them happen!
Special Schools
Touching a musical instrument whilst it's being played can have a very profound on some children and Bristol Ensemble emphasises a
'hands on' approach at all the special schools it works with. At all times the musicians are sensitive to the needs of each individual
child and can really bring music alive for them.
Bristol Ensemble also has access to Soundbeam equipment and often uses it in conjunction with live instruments.
Projects in special schools can be both creative and performance led - creative projects using the Soundbeam have been extremely
successful and the children have enjoyed making their own music and rising to the challenge of performance. Other projects can be
centered around the musicians' instruments but with lots of interactive playing and listening.
Please email Julie to discuss any ideas you may have for Bristol Ensemble to visit your school.