Drama productions, concerts and choirs form an integral part of the St Margaret’s experience and whilst we didn’t get the opportunity to put on a whole-school production due to the pandemic, our music department ensured that we all managed to enjoy and witness the talents of our pupils. “We had to be pretty creative since in ‘normal’ times, music lessons rely on people being able to make music together, whether that is by singing or playing instruments. It is very difficult for everyone to sing or play together online due to the latency created by everyone’s different connection speeds” explained Ms Bird.

Music lessons had to be adapted which meant that pupils were asked to “search through their homes” to create different “musical instruments”, or they were asked to go outside every lesson to record the sounds of their natural environment, in the form of a weekly diary. The pupils are now turning these recordings into creative musical projects which reflect their experience of the lockdown.

Music teachers looked for ways in which they could use technology creatively. Using online software which the pupils could use not only to record and compose music, but which also allowed them to collaborate on projects even though they were many miles away from each other. “I still can’t quite believe that I managed to create an online choir performance with even our youngest pupils in Reception, Year 1 and 2! Or, that I had Year 8 pupils in London collaborating on composing projects in real time with pupils in China.”

Schemes of Work had to be adjusted to make the most of the technology available, whilst still developing the pupils’ musical knowledge and understanding.

“For co-curricular, I drew heavily upon my previous experience of teaching music technology to set up online choirs and orchestras. I created backing tracks which the pupils (and also some teachers!) then used to record themselves singing or playing; I then mixed these to create the finished recordings of ensemble pieces. I had to quickly learn some video editing as well as I had never done that before!"

Ms Bird, along with her team, managed to release many concerts and recordings over the past year. “We even created a virtual carol service by recording a small, socially-distanced choir in the chapel with the organ and then adding in various other voices and instruments to the audio recordings; we filmed some readings and had a virtual address from one of our governors. We put this all together with some organ music played by Mr Hammond and a virtual orchestra piece, so that we could have at least something of the magic of Christmas.”

She has been touched by the love, support and warmth received from the St Margaret’s community, adding “I have been so impressed with everyone’s resilience, creativity and determination. I know that it has been a difficult time for many people, but I have also seen some of the pupils really flourish during this time.”

Being denied access to live performances for the last 12 months has been a real reminder of the importance of the creative arts to our whole community, and no one feels this more than Ms Bird, “I cannot wait until we can make music together again, without any restrictions. So many of our ensembles involve pupils from across different year groups; the bubble system has been designed to keep everyone safe, but we have all really missed making music together!”