At St. John’s, the intention is that children gain a firm understanding of what music is through listening, singing, playing, evaluating, analysing, and composing across a wide variety of historical periods, styles, traditions, and musical genres. Our objective is to develop a curiosity and love for this subject, as well as an understanding and acceptance of the validity of all types of music. We are committed to ensuring children understand the value and importance of music in the wider community, and are able to use their musical skills, knowledge, and experiences to involve themselves in music, in a variety of different contexts. We also believe it is vital that every child

experiences the learning of an orchestral instrument, taught by a specialist.

Intent

The National Curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Perform, listen to, review and evaluate music

• Are taught to sing, create and compose music

• Understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated.

Implementation

The music curriculum ensures students sing, listen, play, compose, perform and evaluate. This is embedded in the classroom activities as well as the weekly singing assemblies, various concerts, services, performances and in the learning of instruments. The elements of music are taught in the classroom lessons, with the use of the Sing Up site, so that children are able to use some of the language of music to dissect it, and understand how it is made, played, appreciated and analysed. In the classroom students learn how to sing and play percussion instruments. In Year 4 they have an opportunity to learn how to play a tuned instrument and the accompanying notation. In doing so children understand the different principle of each method of creating notes, as well as how to read basic music notation. They also learn how to compose focusing on different dimensions of music, which in turn feeds their understanding when listening, playing, or analysing music. Composition is both instrumental and vocal.

Impact

In addition to the 30 minute class lesson, pupils have the opportunity to join the choir which performs regularly in the local community and town. There are a number of performance opportunities in school, at our linked church and in other educational settings which enables children to gain musical confidence alongside learners from other schools and backgrounds. The Come and Sing annual event at Wellington School allows children to perform in a range of genres and with more than 600 other children. Our choir’s visits to local nursing homes not only provide an opportunity to refine performance skills, but also a valuable opportunity to share our school values of service, compassion and respect.

Music also helps our pupils to develop an understanding of culture and history, both in relation to students individually, as well as ethnicities from across the world. Children are able to enjoy music, in as many ways as they choose- either as listener, creator or performer. They can dissect music and comprehend its parts. They can sing and feel a pulse. They understand how to further develop skills less known to them, should they ever develop their musical skills further in the future.

Music in the Early Years

In EYFS, children will begin to learn musical skills through the Early Learning Goals of ‘Communication and Language’, ‘Physical Development’ and ‘Expressive Arts and Design’.

The children will:

Listen carefully to rhymes and songs, paying attention to how they sound.

Learn rhymes, poems and songs.

Combine different movements with ease and fluency.

Explore, use and refine a variety of artistic effects to express their ideas and feelings.

Return to and build on their previous learning, refining ideas and developing their ability to represent them.

Create collaboratively, sharing ideas, resources and skills.

Listen attentively, move to and talk about music, expressing their feelings and responses.

Sing in a group or on their own, increasingly matching the pitch and following the melody.

Explore and engage in music making and dance, performing solo or in groups.