Music to our ears - new additions to the SPCK Assemblies programme

1. What role does music play in school assemblies?

Music is often seen as playing an important part in school assemblies. Music can add life and vigour to an assembly or create an atmosphere of quiet reflection. Likewise singing or playing instruments can add to a sense of involvement and community within a school. Many schools use prayers which have been set to music; many use songs with lively actions and dance moves!

On the assemblies site we encourage a wide variety of music ranging from meditative music for thoughtful reflection to a wide variety of modern artists.

2. SPCK has begun working on music assemblies. Why do you think this is important?

SPCK recently began to publish a children’s list. This has led to the assemblies site working closely with a number of authors. Schools sometimes get in touch to say that they struggle to find appropriate music for use in assemblies. So, when we were offered the opportunity to work on an assembly with Andrew Gant, prior to the publication of his new book Johann Sebastian Bach, we jumped at the chance!

Users of the assemblies often comment that the wide variety of assemblies available is one of the great things about the site! We hope that a music dimension will make it even more popular. Watch this space for more information!

3. What sort of music are schools looking for at the moment?

Schools love variety and like to offer a wide range of styles of music which will appeal to different students. We would recommend variety and careful consideration of lyrics. Songs which are value-based are always popular, encouraging students to think about their lives and the impact that they have on the world and on those around them. There are many modern artists who are writing great music and lyrics which inspire students in their lives and in their faith. We are looking forward to expanding this dimension of our work.