Georgian Gardens Primary School: Rustington school launches newly-renovated music studio with performances by pupils

Performances by pupils helped launch the newly-renovated music studio at Georgian Gardens Primary School in Rustington.
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Children from years three to six showcased their musical talents in a concert featuring ensembles and soloists.

The studio was completely gutted over the summer holiday to allow for new soundproofing, lighting, carpets, purpose-built storage, keyboard desks and a staged area, making the room a more vibrant, dedicated space for music.

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James Underwood, chief executive of West Sussex Music, cut the ribbon to officially open the music studio and the concert was performed in front of a small audience.

James Underwood, chief executive of West Sussex Music, cut the ribbon to officially open the music studio and the concert was performed in front of a small audienceJames Underwood, chief executive of West Sussex Music, cut the ribbon to officially open the music studio and the concert was performed in front of a small audience
James Underwood, chief executive of West Sussex Music, cut the ribbon to officially open the music studio and the concert was performed in front of a small audience

Mr Underwood said he enjoyed the varied performances and pointed out this was the first school performance he had been able to attend since March 2020.

Afterwards, he wrote to the school, saying: “Please pass on my congratulations to all the performers. As well as the quality of the playing, it was great to see how much everyone enjoyed performing and how supportive they were of each other. They did themselves, and you, proud. What lucky children to be at such a musical school.”

The concert included original compositions and works by Beethoven, Stormzy and Adele, with the children performing on cello, violin, guitar, keyboard, drums, piano and djembe drums.

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Some of the children have lessons with music tutor Christopher Britt and many attend his lunchtime band club, which gives children in years five and six access to free musical coaching.

James Underwood, chief executive of West Sussex Music, cut the ribbon to officially open the music studio and the concert was performed in front of a small audienceJames Underwood, chief executive of West Sussex Music, cut the ribbon to officially open the music studio and the concert was performed in front of a small audience
James Underwood, chief executive of West Sussex Music, cut the ribbon to officially open the music studio and the concert was performed in front of a small audience

It was their first opportunity to perform since before Covid-19 and staff said it was wonderful to see what had been achieved in a relatively short space of time, with the children fully engaged and inspired.

Grants from Blue Spark Foundation and Universal Music UK Sound Foundation have enabled the school to buy instruments and around 100 pupils, almost a quarter of the school, receive music lessons privately.

Mrs Fran King, music lead, said: “As a school, we aspire towards every child having the opportunity to learn a musical instrument and are constantly looking for different opportunities to make this a reality.

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“Thanks to West Sussex Music, we have been lucky to gain access to a class set of djembe drums, and these are frequently used within Mr Britt’s music lessons.

“Music has always been at the heart of Georgian Gardens and we hope that very soon we are able to showcase our different ensembles to a larger audience.”

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