Music Curriculum
Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity.
As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon. Our Music curriculum aims to follow the specifications of the National Curriculum; providing a broad, balanced and differentiated curriculum and ensuring the progressive development of musical concepts, knowledge and skills.
We believe that music plays an integral role in helping children to feel part of a community, therefore we provide opportunities for all children to create, play, perform and enjoy music both in class and to an audience. Through services, festivals, performances and assemblies our children showcase their talent and their understanding of performing with awareness of others. Lessons enable children to develop their skills, appreciate a wide variety of music and begin to appraise a range of musical genres.
The aims of our Music curriculum are to develop pupils who:
Enjoy and have an appreciation for music.
Listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, cultures, styles and traditions.
Can sing and use their voices to create different effects.
Create and compose music, both on their own and with others.
Use a range of musical language.
Make judgements and express personal preferences about the quality and style of music.
Take part in performances with an awareness of audience
We work alongside the Love Music Trust to ensure that all of our Year 3 and Year 4 pupils have the opportunity to learn to play the guitar - with a view of continuing their lessons if they so wish.
We are currently in the process of setting up whole class ukulele lessons for our children as well.
Those pupils who are more serious about playing an instrument can have private piano or the guitar lessons with our fabulous peripatetic teachers - Mr Hudson or Arlen.
In addition to this we also have a lunchtime choir, as well as two after school clubs which both have a musical focus - children can choose from Steel Pan Band or Kett Rock Band.
Our Year 6 Music Ambassador has the job of working alongside the headteacher to select the tracks which the children enter and leave our Collective Worship sessions to. These tracks generate a lot of discussion with the children as we recognise the power of music - we certainly don't have 'background music' in our school as it is too important not to be noticed.
Sometimes, during quiet learning, our pupils request to have music playing in the classroom to support their learning environment and this is hugely encouraged.