At Nord Anglia International School Rotterdam, our music programme gives every student the chance to shine.
At each stage of their musical development, our children Compose, Listen and Perform. Our aim is to develop our students’ musical competence, sensitivity, and understanding, as well as the technical skills they need to play and perform. We also teach our students about the profound impact of music, and encourage them to engage with the art.
Foundation 1 to Year 6
From Foundation 1 to Year 6, our children have two music lessons per week. These lessons consist of:
- Singing songs.
- Playing several musical instruments.
- Moving with increased physical coordination.
- Listening to a broad repertoire of influential pieces.
- Reading and writing basic musical notation.
- Improvising and composing.
Our students also learn songs and dances associated with major festivals, and perform some of these at our winter and class concerts.
In Years 2, 3 and 4, students learn percussive and melodic instruments, including the xylophone. From Year 2, children start learning to play the recorder. From Year 5, they learn musical notation by playing the recorder.
In Year 6, our students are encouraged to learn a band instrument, such as the trumpet, saxophone, clarinet, or flute. They play with their classmates in our Beginning Band, taking their first steps towards playing in an ensemble, and developing a degree of proficiency in a chosen instrument.
Years 7-9
In Years 7-9, students have the option of taking part in our Middle School Band programme. Your child will need their own instrument and will receive private lessons.
Children who don’t specialise in band will follow our Middle School Music Exploratory Programme. They'll experience music in new, challenging, and practical ways, focusing on skills that appeal to this age group, including Latin percussion, computer composition (garage band), rock studies, and more.
Year 10 and above
Our High School Band programme takes our students’ skills to the next level, as they learn challenging pieces from popular and jazz repertoires. Our bands also perform in school and external concerts. We have a high school orchestra, too.
We introduced our IBDP music programme in 2010. Alongside curriculum-driven activities, our oldest students also take part in productions, performances, and concerts throughout the year.
