Music and Performing Arts

Beech Hyde is a vibrant arts community where pupils are encouraged to try and be involved in as many events as possible. Playing an instrument or performing is great fun and builds both skills and confidence. There is a weekly music lesson, drama club, singing club,  recorder club, Musical Ensemble and after school performing arts club run by St Albans School of Performing Arts (SASA). Street Dance sessions are also run by Christina Marks School of Dancing. SASA and Street Dance are external providers and therefore come at a cost, but are free to children entitled to means tested free school meals.

Pupils can also learn to play a musical instrument with weekly lessons from a teacher from Hertfordshire Music Service or Harpenden Musicale.

• Piano, flute, saxophone, clarinet lessons - Tuesday mornings - delivered by Herts Music Service. Sign up and pay online at Hertfordshire Music Service - sign up. Instrument will need to be provided/hired by the parent/carer. We have 2 clarinets and 1 flute that can be borrowed, whilst the pupil takes lessons and attends Beech Hyde.
• Singing lessons - Wednesday afternoons -  delivered by Harpenden Musical. Sign up at and pay at Harpenden Musicale - Beech Hyde
• Guitar lessons - delivered by Harpenden Musicale. We have 6 guitars that can be borrowed from school whilst the pupil takes lessons and attends Beech Hyde. Please speak to the office if you would like to borrow one. Sign up and pay online at Harpenden Musicale - Beech Hyde
• Brass lessons (Mondays after school) delivered by Harpenden Musicale - instruments will need to be provided/hired by the parent/carer. Sign up and pay at Harpenden Musicale - Beech Hyde

Individual lessons are paid for by parents/carers but if your child is entitled to Free School Meals then James Marshall Foundation may fund 3/4 of the cost. Apply at James Marshall Foundation - Apply for a grant (you must live in Wheathampstead, Harpenden, Kimpton, Redbourn).

Both Herts Music Service and Harpenden Musicale operate instrument hire services.

If you would like your child to access music lessons, but finance for lessons or instrument hire is a barrier, please contact Ms Thomas as we do have some grants available. 

Every term we enjoy a fabulous Musical Sharing Assembly where both classes and individuals delight us with their playing, singing and acting! Nursery delight us every year with their nativity, and Year 1 and 2 take the stage for a Christmas play. At the end of each year it's the turn of Year 5 and 6 to put on a great end of year production. Year 4 enjoy a half term of musical theatre sessions with the help of the music dept at St Albans School, and we have been lucky enough to be part of the St Albans School Games Dance Festival for the last few years. Our choir enjoy participating in the Harpenden and District School Christmas Concert and Spring Festival. In addition, we love supporting our local community by singing as the annual Wheathampstead Lights Up, the Wheathampstead Community Group Christmas Sing-a-Long and the at the local Thursday Lunch Club.