EKC Canterbury College Music students inspire the next generation 

Music students have been inspiring young musicians while developing their own skills, on a recording project with The Churchill School this term. 

Level 3 Music Production students, Sophia and Liv, took the lead in a series of workshops aimed at introducing pupils to music, performance, and recording. The workshops gave children the chance to explore their creativity while providing Sophia and Liv with valuable teaching and music therapy experience. 

The school approached the Music department for support in delivering music activities for their Year 6 pupils. Sophia and Liv stepped up to the challenge, leading singing lessons, music therapy activities, and recording sessions. The workshops allowed pupils to experiment with sound and performance, while also giving our students a deeper insight into the skills required for a career in music education. 

Sophia said: “Working with The Churchill School began as I was inspired by how Performing Arts worked with the children. On their first visit, we ran a workshop where Liv sang and I taught them singing, and we had a band play for them while they worked with cameras in the TV Room.  

“Then, for my Final Major Project, I wanted to do a sort of music workshop involving music therapy. I set up the room with turtle drums, a sound beam, and other equipment to encourage the pupils to explore music in a fun and creative way. 

“It was a great experience, and I didn’t realise how much I enjoyed working with children until we did these sessions. Seeing how much they got out of it made it all worthwhile. It has opened my eyes to the possibility of a teaching career, something I hadn’t considered before.” 

Liv, who is going to University after her course to study Primary Education, credits this experience with helping her choose what to focus on: 

“I always knew I wanted to be a primary school teacher, but now I want to specialise in music. 

“I taught a singing lesson, and Sophia led a music therapy session before we moved into recording. The pupils who didn’t want to sing had the opportunity to listen to performances instead. 

“I’m going back to the school soon, as they even offered me a placement after seeing the work we did. The Assistant Headteacher was the one who offered it to me, which felt fantastic. I must have made a good impression, so I just tried my best. 

“By the end of the sessions, the children knew us all by name and were so engaged. It was a brilliant experience.” 

There were other students from the department involved too. Level 3 Music Production students Madison and Jamie-Lee supported the recording process, working in the production studio to capture and mix the pupils’ performances.  

Madison, who hopes to go into film music production, found the experience valuable, saying: 

“Setting up the equipment and learning how to build sound into tracks from simple recordings has been really useful.” 

Jamie-Lee added: “I want to go into live sound, so working with recording software, managing sound levels, and communicating with artists has been a great experience.” 

The workshops have strengthened links between the College and The Churchill School, with Sophia and Liv both receiving flowers and a thank you card from the children.  

Sophia said of the overall experience: “It was all around quite a fun time—stressful, but fun. Receiving the thank you card and flowers from them at the end – that was so sweet; it made it all worth our effort. I think it would be great to do something similar with the school in the future, it’s just really fun to do. We get a lot out of it, and so do they.” 

There are now plans for future collaborations between the department and the school, with Music Programme Director Aaron saying of the results: 

“The school has already invited us back to perform, which we are keen to do. We met their brief in supporting them with musical education, and they were delighted. 

“All of us here in the department have been in bands, rehearsed in music, used the studios and equipment and I think it’s easy to forget that when you’re seven or eight, that’s not commonplace.  

“So, for the children to have musicians go in and play to them, it’s been wonderful to see. 

“Sophia and Liv did a fantastic job, and it was a really positive experience for everyone involved.” 

Opportunities like these throughout the year provide students with the chance to develop skills in teaching, leadership, and production, preparing them for their next steps in the music industry. 

 Whether they are interested in performance, education, or sound engineering, they’ll gain confidence and experience in real musical environments. 

If you’re passionate about music and want to turn it into a career, explore our Music courses.