At St George’s, we believe that music plays a vital role in children’s development. We aim to provide all pupils with a wide range of opportunities to play, listen to and critically evaluate music. Our overall goal is to ensure that all pupils gain confidence in expressing themselves through music whilst understanding its importance and influence around the world. We aim for our children to develop a love of music which will stay with them beyond primary school. The curriculum is designed to enable children to know more and remember more as well as enjoy and achieve within every lesson.
To encourage our children to achieve these aims we plan to develop the following skills:
- To listen carefully to a wide range of music and to make appropriate comments.
- To compose short pieces of music from different starting points.
- To perform with confidence.
- To play a range of tuned and un-tuned instruments.
- To sing with increasing control.
- To communicate using appropriate musical vocabulary relating to the seven elements of music, such as pitch, tempo and dynamics.
- To critically evaluate their own and others’ performances, identifying ways to improve.
- To discuss, compare and evaluate music from a range of composers, using appropriate musical terminology.
The 7 elements of music, which are a basis for every lesson in our music curriculum, are:
- Tempo
- Texture
- Dynamics
- Duration
- Pitch
- Rhythm
- Timbre
Music is taught weekly across the school. In Foundation Stage, pupils learn to sing in groups and on their own, trying their best to match pitch and follow a melody. Pupils explore and engage in music-making using a variety of instruments (including homemade instruments). Pupils are also encouraged to listen to and dance to a variety of different genres of music.
Composition, listening, performance and evaluation are intertwined within the curriculum.
In Key Stage 1, pupils will use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes. They will start to play tuned and untuned instruments musically; begin to listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high-quality live and recorded music. They will experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the inter-related dimensions of music.
In Key Stage 2, pupils will play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using their voices and playing musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression. They will improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the inter-related dimensions of music. They listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory. They use and understand staff and other musical notations; appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians and develop an understanding of the history of music.
Children are given many additional opportunities to be involved with music. These include choirs in both key stages, singing groups, instrument tuition (provided by Telford and Wrekin Music Service) performances in church, performances in the local community, performances with local secondary schools and theatrical performances. We also join in with any other opportunities such as local competitions, international events (G7 Summit) and national concerts (Young Voices). Parents/Guardians and members of the community are welcomed to support and attend events, bringing everyone together.
Pupils are able, upon request, to undertake musical lessons (including but not limited to keyboard, drums and guitar). If you have any questions about these, please speak to your child’s class teacher.
All children have access to music lessons at St. George’s at a level that is appropriate to their individual needs. Some children are given additional support, either individually or in small groups, where necessary. Learning activities are always carefully planned to meet the needs within a class. Children of all abilities actively participate in musical discussion, composition, performance and evaluation. Lessons are differentiated by expectation of outcome, support, resource and lesson input. More and most able children are given opportunities to extend their learning through extended expectations, tasks and exploration.
Teachers use the documents below to ensure that children are acquiring key skills, building on previous knowledge and developing their music vocabulary.
Nursery and Reception Years 1 and 2 Years 3 & 4 Years 5 & 6
Music Overview
Each half term the whole school focusses on a different classical composer :
-Beethoven
-Mozart
-Tchaikovsky
-Bach A
-Vivaldi
-Holst
Useful Websites:
KS2 Music – BBC Bitesize
Key Stage 2 Music – Topmarks Search
Home Learning Resources | Music Mark
Music instrumental lessons are also available and delivered by Telford & Wrekin Music Service during the school day. If you are interested in applying, please visit the website below.
Telford & Wrekin Music (telfordandwrekinmusic.co.uk)
Children can also join one of our school bands run by Rocksteady Music School and take part in our termly concerts. There are opportunities to play the drums, bass guitar, electric guitar, keyboard as well as sing. To register your child, please visit: www.rocksteadymusicschool.com
What the Children Think About Music:
“I like learning new things and playing instruments.” Oscar (Y5)
“I love music. It’s one of my goals to be a musician when I’m older.” Abigail (Y6)
“I love music because I enjoy singing and it’s my favourite thing to do!” Madelyn (Y2)
Subject Teachers’ Names
Mrs Branford
Miss Mogg
Mrs McEvoy
Music Policy: Music Policy
Music Plan :St George’s Music Development Plan