We're proud to announce that The King's School Canterbury has been shortlisted for an Independent School of the Year award for Outstanding Educational Partnerships.

We believe that instrumental lessons should be available to all children so, in September 2019, we launched Sounding Out, a revolutionary programme to provide lessons in orchestral instruments, without the barrier of cost, to children at all the city primary schools in Canterbury. Supported by King’s and a wide network of benefactors, our goal is simple: to break down the barriers and open up the opportunity of music to the widest catchment possible. Our ambition is to develop a community music base at King’s that will thrive in years to come and bring participants together with King’s pupils. Sounding Out puts instruments in children’s hands for the first time, seeking to reverse the decline in classical tuition amongst young people in the UK. A typical morning will include an instrumental lesson on either the violin or trumpet (with expansion to other instruments in our development plan) and a group musicianship session. Pupils are also loaned their own instrument to take home, and given all resources, including sheet music and a music bag.

The finalists are announced in early September and the winners announced in October.

To learn more or support Sounding Out, click here.