Music
The Music Lead is Charlotte Haylett
At St John Evangelist Primary School our music teaching helps to develop creativity, confidence, imagination, listening skills and collaboration whilst giving children the opportunity and ability to express themselves artistically and personally.
Our music curriculum encompasses all learning outcomes outlined in the Charanga Musical School scheme. Children explore voice work, rhyme, singing, listening and appreciation, improvising, composing, instrumental playing, and ensemble and solo performance. They also explore the interrelated dimensions of music, diverse musical genres and establish a foundational understanding of notation. Children work with a broad range of instruments, including percussion instruments, drums, glockenspiels and keyboards.
We work with external music teachers to offer children piano lessons in school.
Children have the opportunity to join the school choir who carry out performances throughout the year (including at the Christmas Eve vigil at St John’s!) As well as daily class singing and weekly hymn practice together in phases.
A high-quality music education should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and foster their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence and creativity, benefitting them in all they pursue. As pupils progress, we help the children to develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen knowledgeably to a broad repertoire of music from the Western Classical tradition, the best popular music and music from around the world. The listening and appraising strand of music runs continuously from Nursery to the end of Year 6.
Curriculum Impact
Our music curriculum has an impact in many ways. Children enjoy the opportunities to express themselves musically on both a personal and social level. They are presented with a wide- ranging musical offer which helps the children to:
- Build on and embed musical skills, ensuring a lifetime of musical enjoyment and expression.
- Our music curriculum ensures thorough musical enculturation, nurtures musicianship, and serves the wellbeing of every child in our school.
- We focus on progression of knowledge and skills in the different musical components, inspiring peaked engagement, excitement and sense of achievement.
- Teaching and developing music vocabulary forms part of all units of work.
- Music develops an understanding of genre, culture and history, both in relation to children individually, as well as ethnicities from across the world. Children enjoy music as a listener, creator and performer. Children are encouraged to share the music they enjoy in their homes with their peers.
- Children are able to express and appraise musical preference enthusiastically.
- Music provides a platform to harness group dynamic, working as a team to achieve the best results possible.
- Our music lessons celebrate resilient thinking and growth mindset in a supportive and encouraging setting. Children learnt to offer constructive and positive feedback nurturing peer learning and collaborative skills.
We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:
- Use of the assessment tools provided within the Charanga scheme
- Ongoing formative assessment in each session