This sponsored blog post has been brought to you by The British School of Beijing, Shunyi.
Success is most often borne out of opportunity… and practice… lots of practice.
As Malcolm Gladwell said in his book Outliers: The Story of Success – “Practice isn’t the thing you do when you’re good. It’s the thing you do that makes you good.”
Being good at music comes from having the opportunity to learn, to practice and to be around others who share the same passion for it.
Students at The British School of Beijing, Shunyi(BSB) are given the opportunity to develop a love of music from a very early age. Beginning in Early Years Foundation Stage, the music programme offered enables students to explore and discover the joy of music, rhythm and beat.
In Primary school, the Primary Instrumental Programme (PIPs) is offered to all students in Year 1 to 6 as part of the curriculum. The students learn Recorder (Year1 and 2), Violin or Cello (Year 3 and 4) and a variety of wind instruments (Year 5 and 6).
Music is also part of the curriculum in Secondary School and offered as a subject choice in the ICGSEs.
Complementing all of this is the school’s Individual Music Programme (IMPs), whereby a team of private music teachers provide excellent tuition on a weekly one-to-one basis. Lessons include guitar, drums, piano and a variety of wind and string instruments.
And finally, students can follow this up with participation in BSB’s after school and lunchtime activity programme which includes an orchestra, a Wind Band, Ukulele Ensemble and various choirs across the age groups.
BSB Primary school students Maddison (aged 11) and Joseph (aged 11) have taken the opportunity to make the most of the music programme at The British School of Beijing, Shunyi. The two were part of a bigger school team of BSB students that recently went to Malaysia to participate in a combined music and performing arts carnival with other international schools. (FOBISIA)
Maddison, a Year 6 student, has been learning the clarinet for the past two years at The British School of Beijing, Shunyi through both the PIPs and the IMPs programmes. She said to be able to be part of the BSB team at the carnival was a fantastic experience.
“I had a really good time at the school in Malaysia,” Maddison said. “I got to learn dance, practise my clarinet and play in a huge orchestra. We did themes from the movies. My favourite was the James Bond theme. The hardest was Pirates of the Caribbean.
“It was great to hear how it sounded when we all played together.”
Joseph, also in Year 6, participated in the combined choir. He said he enjoyed meeting like-minded students from other international schools who enjoy performing and learning more about music.
“I enjoy doing music at BSB and the opportunities it gives me,” Joseph said.
Enjoyment is the key for The British School of Beijing, Shunyi’s Director of Music Ms Marguerite Chaplin.
“To be successful you have to enjoy what you do,” Ms Chaplin said.
“Research shows there is a clear correlation between the enjoyment of a subject and retention of learning in that subject. So our philosophy is to develop a love of music, a solid understanding of the language of music and to engage as many students as possible in our extensive range of ensembles to nurture that enjoyment. “
For more information about the Music Programme at The British School of Beijing, Shunyi, please contact the Director of Music, Ms Marguerite Chaplin, directly or BSB’s Admissions Team for a tour of the music practice rooms and performance facilities: marguerite.chaplin@britishschool.org.cn or admissions@britishschool.org.cn
This sponsored blog post has been brought to you by
The British School of Beijing, Shunyi.
Photo courtesy of BSB Shunyi.
