Engage ALL Secondary music pupils,
whatever their musical experience and skill level.
Our class instrumental sets involve all secondary music pupils right from transition, and progression is built-in. They include everything you need to deliver the curriculum in a fun and inspiring way. The approach can be delivered by supply and cover teachers as well as by music specialists.
Includes ALL pupils
This is an intrinsically inclusive and culturally diverse approach. The styles are intuitive and fun and the instruments are pick-up-and-play, so ALL students are engaged right from the very first lesson.
Progression
Each class set includes enough resources for 5 or 6 terms of learning and by adding new styles you'll have enough for 5 years or more.
Everything you need
Each set includes 30 authentic, high quality instruments, a comprehensive teaching Guide, downloadable lesson plans, plus video and audio resources.
For ANY teacher
The approach enables supply and cover teachers to deliver the curriculum – no music training needed. The collaborative approach upskills and invigorates teachers while they teach!
A high quality/low cost approach
Whether you want to deliver the curriculum, start an ensemble, or provide an extra-curricular activity to improve pupils’ life skills, resilience and well-being, our class sets will give you rapid results and help you meet Ofsted recommendations for music.
High Quality/Low Cost
Class sets start from just £317 and the same set can be used with any number of classes, plus extracurricular clubs. The instruments and teaching resources are top quality, and so are the educational outcomes.
Curriculum
As well as covering the music syllabus, the approach complements Online Providers such as Charanga and with singing initiatives like SingUp.
Life Skills
By developing everyone's social, emotional and life skills, the approach empowers and transforms individuals, teachers and community.
Rapid Results
It takes just a term to get everyone in the class to performance level. The styles are intuitive and fun and the instruments are pick-up-and-play, and so ALL pupils make rapid progress.
It’s easy to put into practice
The benefits are wide-ranging, but implementation is simple. It will slot easily into your existing timetable, and our library of teaching resources will support your teachers every step of the way. Dovetails neatly with singing and online resource providers, and your local Music Hub or Music Service will be able to lend you additional support.
Plan
Careful planning will ensure success. Make this a truly collaborative exercise and involve pupils and teachers right from the start.
How to planPrep Lesson
All the teaching resources you'll need are provided and lesson prep shouldn't take more than 30 minutes for most lessons.
How to prepPerform
After just 10 lessons your class will be ready to perform their first piece. Assembly is great for this, but the class may want to make a bigger splash and perform for parents.
Read moreProgress
The pieces in the teaching guide are progressively more challenging and there's enough material for 5 terms. New musical styles will give you up to 7 years progression.
Read moreThe approach works because . . .
The styles are intuitive and fun
So everyone is engaged right from the start, and looks forward to the sessions – teachers too! The styles are new to everyone so no one has a head start or is left behind, and the collaborative approach means that everyone learns together.
The instruments are easy to play
So it all sounds great from day one, boosting everyone's self-confidence, and ensuring rapid progress. The instruments are specially adapted for the classroom, easy to look after, quick to set up and built to last.
It’s easy to teach
The approach is highly intuitive and teachers are supported every step of the way by resources designed for non-musicians, so no prior music experience is needed. Teaching guides, Schemes of Work, Lesson Plans, Video and Audio clips, Cultural background . . .
It’s affordable
30 player World Percussion class sets start at just £317, West African Drumming from £695 and the same set can be used with every class and year group, as well as with extra-curricular groups, so it really can cost as little £1 per pupil to get started.
It boosts wellbeing and life skills
This is the BIG added bonus – learning these musical styles collaboratively in a group results in a rapid increase in togetherness and wellbeing. At the same time everyone acquires a wide range of social, emotional and physical skills, and it all happens naturally and enjoyably.
Our class sets tick all the boxes
Include and empower EVERY pupil
This is an intrinsically inclusive and accessible approach. It engages children of every ability and background, and it's brilliant at developing social, emotional and life skills.
Seamless Transition
Allows you to get straight into practical music making, whatever your students have done before KS3. And it keeps them engaged and gives you a pool of musically proficient recruits for band, orchestra and GCSE.
For non-specialists as well as music teachers
Our teaching resources are designed to be taught by non-specialists or a mix of specialist and cover teachers. The collaborative approach is intuitive and gets pupils and teacher learning together by playing together.
Meets all requirements
Meets curriculum requirements, brings diversity into the curriculum and impresses OFSTED. And parents will love the show-stopping performances, starting at the end of the first term and continuing year after year.
Making a difference in thousands of Schools
"I'd not only purchased drums from you at my last school, I'd also bought drums for the feeder primary schools to use and share (which worked out really well), so I had no hesitation to use you again when I moved to my new school. Everything went swimmingly and we have just been using the drums as part of our summer school activities."
"The drums are great – the pupils love using them in their music lessons and we have started a djembe club on a Wednesday lunchtime as well. The quality of the drums is better than I had expected and they are excellent value for money."
"Thank you very much for all your help and support. The instruments have arrived and the children are fascinated, Year 6 can't wait for their lesson on Monday! The Gamelan is a great addition to our department and adds greatly to our steps to becoming more culturally aware and diverse."
"We love the instruments and they are already getting a lot of use, the children responding ever so well to the different styles of music. The teaching guides to accompany both are also very helpful. We have been delighted with the service from everyone we have dealt with at Drums for Schools."
"We are very pleased with our Samba kit and it has been used a lot since our purchase in KS3 class music lessons as well as a Samba band parade at our School Sports day."
"I'm making good use of the drums with my Year 5 and 6 children at the moment but the plan is for everyone to use them. Everyone can do it so it's inclusive and engaging. Even my head teacher joined our drumming circle yesterday and loved it!"
Something holding you back?
We don't have the budget
The cost per pupil is tiny compared to other music resources: whole class (30 Player) sets start from £277 and can be used with every class. And we've found that PTAs are often very keen to support music initiatives like this, and there are also grants available from EMI.
We have no space in the timetable
Be creative – these are not just music lessons – they develop wellbeing, social and emotional skills too, so you're not limited to using existing weekly music slots. And they also work really well as lunch time or after school sessions.
We don't have a music teacher and our class teachers dread music lessons
Don't worry! You don't need a music teacher and your class teachers don't need any music experience. The instruments are easy to play, the styles are intuitive, and the collaborative approach, with teacher and class learning together, is great fun and means that class teachers, or any teaching professional, can be just as effective as music specialists. Music lessons may quickly become your class teachers' favourite lessons!
We already have a music teacher/existing provision
Perfect – use the approach to supercharge current provision, extending it to all year groups, and have your music teacher lead the way, mentoring class teachers and championing your arrival as a 'Musical School'.
We're already getting free Music hub support and don't want to complicate things
Great, and you won't. You'll find that hub specialists are brilliant for providing CPD and to assist in sessions. And they'll love that they don't have to lug van loads of instruments around, and that they can get stuck into some real music-making and see rapid results.
The Drums for Schools approach is completely different
Inclusive
Based on accessible world music styles and a learning approach that has evolved naturally over hundreds of thousands of years.
Engaging
The instruments are pick-up-and-play and the styles are intuitive and fun, so ALL pupils (and teachers) are engaged right away.
Collaborative
Unlike classic, one-to-many teaching, teachers and pupils learn together and benefit together. It upskills and invigorates teachers while they teach!
Fast-Acting
It takes just a term to get everyone to performance level (vs several years for classical instruments). And it sounds good from day one.
Progressive
Each class set includes enough resources for 5 or 6 terms of learning and by adding new styles you'll have enough for 7 or more years of teaching!
Transformative
By developing everyone's social, emotional and life skills, the approach empowers and transforms individuals, teachers and community.
Cost-Effective
There really isn't a better educational investment. One class set can be used for all year groups, so it costs just a few £ per pupil. It’s a tiny price for a massive educational return.
Ticks the boxes
As well as covering the music syllabus the approach delivers the engagement and results that OFSTED and parents are looking for.
And it’s all backed by Drums for Schools, a completely different kind of supplier
We’re a small, family firm and our speciality and focus is inclusive group and whole class music making. Our mission is to make the power of music available to everyone.
Ready to take things further?
Browse solutions
Have a look at these ready-to-go music sets for groups and classes of from 5 to 30 players. They all include full teaching support and prices start from just £179.
Read more
Download this pack of insights, articles and reviews to find out more about how you can use the power of music to include, empower and transform pupils, teachers and the whole school.
Talk it through
Book a chat with our founder, Andy Gwatkin. He'll be happy to answer your questions about the practicalities of implementing this approach.
