Year 2 Visit the Barbican with the London Symphony Orchestra
6th July 2026
Year 2 children enjoyed a memorable musical adventure in June as they travelled to the Barbican Centre to take part in a special concert and workshop with the London Symphony Orchestra.
The children began the day with an exciting interactive workshop, discovering how composers can transform an orchestra into all sorts of unusual modes of transport through music. They explored the sounds different instruments can create and learnt a participation song written especially for the concert.
They then watched Swans! Planes! Ships! Trains! – a lively performance that followed an imaginery journey from London to New York using a variety of musical modes of transport. The orchestra brought every stage of the adventure to life through music, with different instruments creating the sounds and atmosphere of the journey. A particular favourite was the wonderfully creaky sound of a rusty old train, which caused plenty of smiles!
Ahead of the visit, the children had been learning the song What am I to Do? in school and were delighted to perform it as part of the concert alongside hundreds of other children. They sang beautifully and embraced the opportunity with enthusiasm and confidence.
Experiences such as these are an important part of musical life at St Christopher’s. We are fortunate to have a specialist music teacher, Mrs Colchester, whose expertise inspires a love of music and enables children to enjoy enriching opportunities beyond the classroom. Engaging with live orchestral performances helps children develop their listening and musical skills, grow in confidence through participation and gain inspiration from professional musicians performing at the very highest level.
It was a truly special day, leaving Year 2 full of excitement and with plenty of musical memories to share back at school.
Year 2 children enjoyed a memorable musical adventure in June as they travelled to the Barbican Centre to take part in a special concert and workshop with the London Symphony Orchestra.
The children began the day with an exciting interactive workshop, discovering how composers can transform an orchestra into all sorts of unusual modes of transport through music. They explored the sounds different instruments can create and learnt a participation song written especially for the concert.
They then watched Swans! Planes! Ships! Trains! – a lively performance that followed an imaginery journey from London to New York using a variety of musical modes of transport. The orchestra brought every stage of the adventure to life through music, with different instruments creating the sounds and atmosphere of the journey. A particular favourite was the wonderfully creaky sound of a rusty old train, which caused plenty of smiles!
Ahead of the visit, the children had been learning the song What am I to Do? in school and were delighted to perform it as part of the concert alongside hundreds of other children. They sang beautifully and embraced the opportunity with enthusiasm and confidence.
Experiences such as these are an important part of musical life at St Christopher’s. We are fortunate to have a specialist music teacher, Mrs Colchester, whose expertise inspires a love of music and enables children to enjoy enriching opportunities beyond the classroom. Engaging with live orchestral performances helps children develop their listening and musical skills, grow in confidence through participation and gain inspiration from professional musicians performing at the very highest level.
It was a truly special day, leaving Year 2 full of excitement and with plenty of musical memories to share back at school.