Music
Extra curricular music at Rockmount:
On this page you will find choir songs (to practise at home), Musician of the Month and other music related news and events happening in school and locally.
You may also want to explore curriculum music at Rockmount, find out how to start learning a musical instrument in school, or see and hear some of our amazing Rockmount Musicians LIVE.
Musician of the Month
In November 2023 we introduced a new whole school musical focus with the ‘Musician of the Month’. The idea is to introduce children to a wide selection of music and musicians that they might not have heard of before. Each month we explore a different musician and listen to music being played by that musician in class, assemblies or in the lunch hall. Children are also encouraged to do their own research and listening at home and share their findings and opinions by adding ‘post-it notes’ to our display board.
Our musicians so far have been David Bowie, Elton John, Florence Price, Nina Simone, Mozart, Joni Mitchell, Fisherman's Friends, Aretha Franklin, Gurinder Kaur Kainth, Bob Marley, Tracy Chapman, Bjork, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Freddie Mercury, Kraftwerk and this month we have Gamelan gong kebyar (so not actually a person or band this month - Gamelan is a set of instruments consisting mainly of gongs, metallophones and drums. Gamelan Gong Kebyar is a vibrant and energetic style of Balinese gamelan music).
Have a listen to a YouTube playlist of all the musicians we've learnt about so far.
You can find out who the current musician of the month is, along with a playlist QR code on the home information sheet below:
Gamelan (MAY Musician of the Month) - HOME INFO
The Busk Stop
In September 2024 we decided to move one of our pianos out into the hallway so children can perform (busk) as their classmates return to class after lunch or at the end of the day. The 'Busk Stop' has been a huge hit, with many students (and even staff) eager to perform.
Music Mark School
Rockmount is proud to be a MUSIC MARK SCHOOL. Awarded by Croydon Music and Arts in recognition of a commitment to providing a high-quality music education for all children and young people.
The UK Association for Music Education - Music Mark www.musicmark.org.uk
This is an Arts and Culture School
This is Croydon, London Borough of Culture 2023 celebrates Croydon’s unique culture and communities through a year-long programme of culture from April 2023. We recognise the positive power of the arts for our children and young people and plan to take part in as many 'This is Croydon' events as we can. For more information and to see upcoming events you can take part in see: This is Croydon
Rockmount Choirs:
Choir letters:
Y5&6 Choir FAIRFIELD HALLS letter
Songs to learn:
PLEASE NOTE: I am unable to upload audio since the website updated. I will share songs via Google classroom until this is fixed.
This is where you will find the lyrics and backing tracks for the songs so you can practise at home.
Tips:
- Open the lyric sheet in a separate tab so you can play the backing track as you read the lyrics.
- Slow the backing track down to help learn the song by clicking on the three dots and selecting 'playback speed'.
Year 4 Choir
Year 5 & 6 Choir
DREAM IT POSSIBLE - lyrics.pdf
DREAM IT POSSIBLE - with lead voice.mp3
DREAM IT POSSIBLE-backing.mp3
Have a listen to the choir performing:
Here is a sample of some of our favourite choir performances. To hear more, go to our Rockmount Musicians LIVE page.
Y4-6 Choirs 'In Harmony'.mp3
Y4-6 Choirs 'Something Inside so Strong'.mp3
CHOIR 'Lean on Me' feat Kalina.mp4
CHOIR 'Chosen Family' feat Kyrah Ella.mp4
CHOIR 'Count on Me' feat. Isobel and Kristina.mp4
Three Little Birds.mp4
Our Y5 Choir singing with the CSMA Junior Choir at Fairfield Halls (we are on the left on the upper level).
Izzy's solo with CSMA Junior Choir a Fairfield Halls.mp3
Y4, 5 & 6 - Believe..mov
Y4, 5 & 6 Choirs - 'Sing' feat. Lena and Daisy..mov
Y4, 5 & 6 Choirs - 'Human'..mov
Y6 Choir - 'Riptide'..mov
London medley.mp4
The Year 6 choir performing with the CSMA Junior Choir at Fairfield Halls (June 21st 2022) - we're in the front in mainly white tops!
The Upper Junior Choir at the LMP Christmas Concert 2019.mp3
The Upper Junior Choir performing 'Only You' with London Mozart Players (our local professional orchestra) at their Christmas Concert 2019.
Musical News and Events:
There's a great article in Music Mark about the CSMA Festival concerts - an event we have proudly supported for over 10 years! You can read the article here: 850+ children. Two unforgettable nights. One incredible Festival of Music!
Congratulations to the Year 5 and 6 Choirs for performing in the CSMA Junior Concert at Fairfield Halls! The choir joined forces with several other Croydon schools to form the mass CSMA Junior Choir. For most of the choir, this was their first experience performing on stage with a live band and at such a large venue in front of an audience that had paid to see them.
Eva Smith auditioned and was selected to be one of the soloists in the song "One Little Voice." It was a magical performance, beginning with all the choirs looking down in silence so that only "one little voice" began the song. Then a second singer joined in, followed by others, until all eight singers on stage were performing together at the front. Eventually, all the children’s voices united in song.
The choir sounded amazing, and we all had a fantastic night! Well done to the choir who demonstrated an incredible amount of enthusiasm, effort, and commitment.
Year 6 Choir performs at the O2 Arena! On 22nd January, 2025 the whole of Year 6 had the incredible opportunity to take part in the Young Voices concert at the O2 Arena. Joining a mass choir of over 8,500 children, they spent the afternoon rehearsing before delivering a spectacular evening performance to a packed audience. The energy in the arena was amazing, making it a truly special event.
The event featured an exciting line up of special guests, including viral sensation MC Grammar (Jacob Mitchell), a multi-award-winning teacher-turned-rapper; Tommy Blaize, the powerhouse lead singer of the BBC Strictly Come Dancing band; and 14-year-old Souparnika Nair, who wowed audiences on Britain’s Got Talent in 2020 at just 10 years old. The children didn’t just watch the stars—they performed alongside them! In addition, they enjoyed watching spectacular performances from Urban Strides throughout the night, joining in with their high-energy dance routines, making the experience even more exciting.
A particularly moving moment of the night was when the choir performed Little Blue by Jacob Collier, a Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. The children not only sang the song but also performed it using British Sign Language (BSL), adding an extra layer of meaning and emotion to the performance. It was a truly beautiful and memorable experience for everyone involved.
Singing and dancing in such a prestigious venue, alongside professional musicians and performers, was an unforgettable experience for both the children and staff. The day was long and demanding, but the thrill of performing in such an incredible setting made every moment worthwhile.
Well done to all our amazing Rockmount Musicians for making Rockmount Proms 2024 another huge success. Photos below - to see and hear some performances from the concerts please see our Rockmount Musicians LIVE page.
Congratulations to the Year 5 and 6 Choirs for performing in the CSMA Junior Concert at Fairfield Halls. For a lot of the children this was their first glimpse inside Fairfield Halls, let alone performing on the stage with a live band! The choir joined forces with several other Croydon schools to form the mass CSMA Junior Choir. The choir sounded amazing and we all (including staff!) had a fantastic night! Maximilian Dargoi auditioned and was selected to sing the solo in Nina Simone’s ‘I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free’. Max sang amazingly well and received lots of well-deserved compliments. All the children were fantastic and demonstrated a huge amount of enthusiasm, effort and commitment.
Year 5 Choir performs at Fairfield Hall! Well done to the Year 5 Choir for performing in the CSMA Junior Concert at Fairfield Halls. For a lot of the children this was their first glimpse inside Fairfield Halls, let alone performing on the stage! The choir joined forces with several other Croydon schools to form the massive CSMA Junior Choir. The choir sounded amazing and we all (including staff!) had a fantastic night! Isobel Freeman auditioned and was selected to sing the solo in ‘Streets of London’ in the epic Singing Songbook Medley. Isobel sang amazingly well and received lots of well-deserved compliments. All the children were fantastic and demonstrated a huge amount of enthusiasm, effort and commitment.
Year 6 Choir performs at the O2 Arena! On Monday 16th January the Year 6 Choir joined together with over 9000 children to form the Young Voices Choir at the O2 Arena. We spent the afternoon rehearsing at the O2 before performing in the evening to a packed audience. The concert sounded and looked amazing!
The Young Voices Choir were joined by The Beatbox Collective and Urban strides as well as award winning singer, Heather Small! The Young Voices Choir even got to sing with Heather Small on her hit song, ‘Proud’. The performance of ‘Proud’ was recorded live on the night and is soon to be released to raise money for the charity Place2Be.
To perform at such a large venue in a choir of over 9000 children, alongside professional singers, instrumentalists, beatboxers and street dancers was a truly unforgettable experience for both the children and staff that took part. It was a lot of work and a very long and exhausting day, but totally worth it!
One of our piano teachers (Jonny Davies) organised for the orchestra he plays in (Kensington Chamber Orchestra) to use our school hall for their concert and workshop. Here are a few photos and a short film of the Queen of the Night Aria being performed - it looked like a lot of fun!
Queen of the Night aria from Mozart's the Magic Flute
School choir not enough? An out of school choir you might like...
(NB. these organisations are not associated with Rockmount)
JUNIOR CHOIR ON THE HILL is a new choir starting in Crystal Palace for children ages 6-18. To find out more and register your child for a free tasters session see: https://www.sflcommunity.org.uk/junior-coth
Something for the grown ups too! JUNIOR CHOIR ON THE HILL is an offshoot from CHOIR ON THE HILL which is a women's community choir led by professional singer Frazer Scott and overseen by Christopher Braime, head of Studio Falkland Lodge Community Music Services. It is for anyone who would like to enjoy singing with others - to explore music, talk about singing technique and how to be better singers. To find out more and register for a free taster session see: https://www.sflcommunity.org.uk/coth
LMP in Concert: 'Peter & the Wolf' and 'Carnival of the Animals' at Fairfield Halls on Saturday 11th June at 4pm
Lions! Elephants! A cheeky duck! London Mozart Players (LMP) bring the musical animals in Peter & The Wolf and Carnival of the Animals to life at Fairfield Halls in a concert for all the family.
Bring the family to Fairfield Halls to see Croydon’s resident orchestra animate these fictional furry friends.
The LMP will be joined by illustrator James Mayhew painting along live to the music, animating the roaring lions and braying donkeys. Narrating the accompanying poems will be none other than children’s TV presenter and national treasure, Floella Benjamin.
Concert details:
The concert will be at Fairfield Halls at 4pm on 11th June 2022. Ticket prices: £8 (under 18s) and £15 (standard).
Booking link: https://www.londonmozartplayers.com/whatson-event/peter-the-wolf-and-carnival-of-the-animals/?venue=20893
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Guildhall Centre for Young Artists Centre for Young Musicians London (CYM) provides high-quality progressive music training, with a range of performance opportunities for more than four-hundred 5 – 18-year-olds. With a minimum of one year learning an instrument recommended to join and no costs required to audition, CYM London is a great place for young musicians at the start of their musical journey, in addition to more accomplished musicians wanting to further their training. Based at Morley College in London Waterloo, young musicians can develop their creativity and access high-quality training with top practitioners and industry professionals, across a variety of styles and genres.
Past events the school orchestra or choir have been involved with...
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Music Camp Some of our Year 6 students discovered and LOVED this music camp last summer. Here's a link so you can find out more:
Rockmount orchestra and Upper Junior Choir will be performing with the LMP orchestra at their Christmas Concert on Friday 13th December 2019. Further info and tickets available on PDF flyer below:
Members of Rockmount and Cypress School Orchestras have been invited to play alongside the London Mozart Players (LMP) at their forth coming concert ‘Carnival of the Animals & Peter and the Wolf’ on Sunday 17th March at 4pm in St John’s. This will be a lovely family concert and a great way to introduce younger children to classical music. Do go along if you can. See the flyer attached below or the LMP website for more details: http://londonmozartplayers.com/concert/carnival-of-the-animals/
Rockmount orchestra and both our choirs are very excited to be taking part in the London Mozart Players Christmas Concert, 'Deck the Halls!' on Friday 14th December 2018, 7pm at St John's in Crystal Palace. We will be performing alongside the LMP and are very excited and honoured to be taking part for the second year running. We hope to see you there! Tickets and further details are available on the LMP website: http://londonmozartplayers.com/
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Rockmount Orchestra Concert with LMP at Crystal Palace Festival Rockmount, Cypress and Croydon Music & Arts orchestras will be playing alongside the London Mozart Players on Saturday 16th June at St John's as part of their concert, 'A Midsummer Serenade'