The Peek School of Music
Our Story
Our vision is for music education to be re-centralised as a crucial and necessary element of individual growth and cultural enhancement, ensuring high-quality musical experiences are accessible to all.
Our purpose is to be proponents of, and to deliver, high-quality music education and experiences for all children in Bruton and the surrounding areas.
Our mission is to inspire passion and excellence in music by offering outstanding woodwind and piano tuition that is available to all - alongside delivering personalized music education and curriculum development that fosters confident educators who empower young people through music.
Our strategy is:
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To offer an affordable loan to buy instrumental service to make woodwind tuition accessible;
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To offer woodwind and piano tuition in primary schools at an accessible rate for all pupils;
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To offer high-quality music PPA cover;
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To assist in the writing of a bespoke Music curriculum to run in parallel with individual schools’ topics;
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To offer continued professional development for primary schol staff to facilitate the delivery of personalised, high-quality music lessons;
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To develop a progressive and sustainable curriculum from Y1 - Y11.
*Aiming to serve Bruton (BA10) and surrounding areas
Why 'Peek'?
Our mission was inspired by Melbourne and Brenda Peek (Sam’s Grandparents). Music was always in Brenda’s blood; her own father was blind but would walk for miles in his local community tuning pianos. He met his wife studying music in London and, consequently, music was a central part of Brenda’s life as a pianist herself. Melbourne, on the other hand, was what some might call tone deaf. Nonetheless, he enjoyed listening to Sam’s daily piano practice after school pick up duties. Both were fundamental in the successes that Sam has had as a musician and educator. It is in their memory that we have established a school of music that hopes to facilitate music making for many generations to come.
OUR TEAM
Sam and Olly met at University in 2010 and have since been both studying and teaching music to both primary and secondary school children.
Samantha Higgs
BMus (Hons) PGCE (Primary Education) DipABRSM
Sam studied Music at the University of Surrey. Sam studied flute performance but is also a saxophonist, clarinettist and pianist.
Following her studies, Sam completed a PGCE in Primary Education. She has over 10 years of teaching experience; from KS1 to KS3 to subject leadership roles in Music, Science and Maths, and as an assistant headteacher tasked with reviewing and writing whole-school curriculum. Her experience extends to policy writing, delivering cross-curricular CPD, creating cultures of shared practice and achieving marks of recognition. Whilst being a music subject leader, the number of children that opted for instrumental tuition tripled.
Sam has been heavily involved in ‘Schools without Walls’ projects, completing a five-week residency at The Egg Theatre in 2017. The residency culminated in her class hosting their own event at The Egg Theatre for the opening night of the Bath Festival. Sam continued to work with staff to promote a creative ethos and with further SWW residencies. The children in this cohort made some of the best academic progress in BANES by the end of KS2.
Sam has continued to collaborate with teachers and artists throughout the BANES area and has been involved in the evaluation processes for Schools Without Walls to ensure future quality outcomes for children across BANES. As a result of this, she spoke at an Arts Council England conference at Coventry University to outline the virtues of creative residencies for children. This conference aimed to assist in the development of creative curricula in preparation for Coventry’s ‘City of Culture 2021’.
Sam aspires to widen access to high quality music education for primary aged children in Bruton and the surrounding areas - believing that every child has a right to fulfil their creative potential.
Oliver Higgs
BMus (Hons) PGCE (Secondary Education) ACTL
Oliver is a multi-instrumentalist and Head of Music at Sexey’s School in Bruton. Oliver studied Music at the University of Surrey, specialising in both oboe performance and composition under Stephen Goss. Oliver also continued to develop his passion for Music Technology at University, with brief stints as a producer and even student union DJ! After his studies, Oliver completed a PGCE for Secondary Music before moving to the South-West, taking up a post as Teacher of Music at Gillingham School, followed by posts as Head of Music Technology at King’s Bruton, and finally as Head of Music at Sexey’s School.
Oliver’s passion for developing and delivering Music Technology provision in schools alongside a high-quality ‘traditional’ approach has resulted in an approach which fuses traditional musical understanding with industry-standard skills, ensuring pupils under his tuition are well-placed to access the incredibly competitive music industry. This, alongside the delivery of a wide-ranging extra-curricular programme is a defining aspect of Oliver’s approach to Music education.
As well as an oboist, Oliver is a saxophonist, clarinettist, bass guitarist, and jazz pianist and enjoys playing in pit orchestras for musicals. He has also performed in concerts with the Keynsham and Frome Symphony Orchestras. Having grown up performing with county bands and orchestras, and woodwind ensembles performing at the National Festival of Music for Youth, Oliver is a strong advocate for the necessity of high-quality community music and its impact on young people.
Oliver is a firm believer in the central place Music holds in our society and aspires to re-centralise Music as the heart of all childrens’ education, rather than a peripheral pursuit enjoyed only by the elite.
