Time to Play and Practice

Why learn Music at San Silvestre?

Music is a subject that enriches our students’ lives and education in a multitude of ways:

• Musical training helps develop language and reasoning.
• Music can greatly contribute to our students’ intellectual development.
• Music leads to improved coordination: Students can develop motor skills. 
• Emotional development: through music education our students develop emotionally and have empathy towards other cultures.
• Pattern recognition: our students develop Maths skills through musical education. 
• Fine-tuned auditory skills: Students who practice music have better auditory attention.
• Music builds imagination and intellectual curiosity: Artistic education develops the whole brain and develops our students’ imaginations.
• Learning a musical instrument teaches our students self-discipline
• Development in creative thinking: Music education can help students to solve problems creatively.
• Music develops our students’ spatial intelligence.
• In the world of music education our students learn to work together in harmony.
• Music encourages our students to be responsible risk-takers.
• Music builds our students’ self-confidence.
• Music can be relaxing: our students combat stress by listening to and playing music. 
• Preparation for the creative economy: creative education can help prepare our students for the 21st century workforce. 

The students of San Silvestre develop musicality through singing, learning to play musical instruments and the study of Music in History.

Programmes of Study

The Early Years programme promotes balance, harmony, sensitivity, patience and musical appreciation.

The Primary Programme includes learning to read music, learning to play the recorder, to engage creatively with a range of musical instruments, to learn a rich repertoire of national and international songs. 

The Secondary programme is focused on musical appreciation. Music is offered to IGCSE level to students in Forms III and IV. The main components of the IGCSE course are: music theory, the history of music, the music of other cultures, composition and interpretation.

In Form V we offer a Music Appreciation course that embraces a wide range of musical genres and composers. Research and collaboration creates an environment of independent and creative endeavour.

Choir is on the carousel of Primary “Extension Experiences”. During her time in the Primary Section, every student will have an opportunity to be part of the Extension Experience Choir; in the Secondary Section the "Vocal Group" is open to all students from Grade 6 to Form VI.

In addition, we offer a range of extracurricular instrumental lessons. Girls can elect to  play one of the following: piano, guitar, violin, cello, double bass, transverse flute, clarinet, saxophone, drums or percussion. Our young musicians can become members of different musical groups and they may participate in concerts, the school play, the ADCA Music Festival, among others.

• Piano
• Guitar
• Violin
• Cello
• Drums
• Double Bass
• Traverse Flute
• Clarinet
• Sax
• Percussion

The Orchestra

The school orchestra meets every week and all students who play the violin or a wind instrument in Primary and Secondary are welcome to join. The orchestra provides students with a broader musical experience and it promotes a sense of unity among those students who learn different instruments in isolation; it also helps students to build personal relationships with fellow musicians. Playing in an orchestra makes our students more than learners of a particular instrument; it makes them musicians who work together to create and inspire!