At Seven Stars School, we believe passionately that having a vibrant musical environment at Primary school positively impacts on children’s well-being and attainment across all subjects. There is an increasing body of evidence to support this view.
As a result we try to include music across the curriculum as much as possible. This could be through singing songs in maths to learn times tables, number bonds etc, to performing in concerts and extra-curricular activities.
We have run recorder groups, keyboard lessons and choir and are hoping to take a group of children to Young Voices to give them a once in a lifetime experience.
The teaching of music starts in our nursery where children are given the opportunity to explore different sounds and instruments enabling them to be inquisitive and discover more and this then continues throughout school. Music is taught weekly in each class and offers children opportunities to listen to music, give their opinion on what they have heard, create and perform music using both non-tuned and tuned percussion instruments. We cover a wide range of genres and develop children's musical understanding ready for high school.
Music is a unique way of communicating that can inspire and motivate children. It is a tool for personal expression and it can play an important part in the personal development of people. Music reflects the culture and society we live in and so the teaching and learning of music enables children to better understand the world they live in.
At Seven Stars we make music an enjoyable learning experience. We encourage children to participate in a variety of musical experiences through which we aim to build up the confidence of all children.
All children participate in singing a variety of songs from different times, cultures and genres. Singing together and creating "one voice" is a wonderful and meaningful experience for all. As well as choosing songs that reflect our school values, the children also have an opportunity to make requests to sing or listen to songs or pieces of music. This enables them to develop their musical knowledge and experience songs that may evoke different feelings.
Besides being a creative and enjoyable activity, music can also be a highly academic and demanding subject. It also plays an important part in helping people feel part of a community. We provide opportunities for all children to create, play, perform and enjoy music, to develop the skills to appreciate a wide variety of musical forms, and to begin to make judgements about the quality of music.
“Music education can help spark a child's imagination or ignite a lifetime of passion. When you provide a child with new worlds to explore and challenges to tackle, the possibilities are endless. Music education should not be a privilege for a lucky few, it should be a part of every child's world of possibility.”
Hillary Clinton
INTENT
Door 1 (Key Skills)
Develop reading and comprehension skills when reading for information about music and musical figures over the ages
Write reviews of music including descriptions using musical vocabulary and respond to music in writing e.g. in poetry
Write lyrics to accompany melody / soundscapes
Identify patterns in music and how Maths is important for music in scales, metre and patterns
Door 2 (The world)
Encourage respect for all cultures, and traditions through experiencing musical aspects of each culture, tradition, community and group (local, regional, national and global)
Identify places in the world where certain music genres and styles originated from (and how the musical tradition is related to the geography and history of the community)
Identify ways in which music is used to reflect and express response to key historical events (e.g. war requiems, folk protest songs, messages in modern pop music, anti-apartheid and anti-segregation songs etc)
Door 3 (Healthy Lives)
Help our children to build positive relationships with other people from other cultures, faiths and traditions through musical connection (singing together, joining with others to sing, play) and with each other
Music builds confidence and self-esteem impacting mental and emotional well-being in a positive way (e.g. when learning to play an instrument or when participating in a shared singing/musical activity)
Consider ways in which musical knowledge and skill can lead to a future career – look at careers in the music industry
Use musical references / songs to support themes of healthy relationships
Door 4 (Creativity)
Children listen to and respond to a wide range of musical genres from all periods and cultures
Children express themselves musically (moods, ideas, messages, sound-scapes) using their voices and/or instruments
For children to use music in combination with other subjects understanding how music can add to all other creative expressions and add to experiences (e.g. Year 6 ‘piano’ writing)
Door 5 (Communication and Language)
Expand children’s vocabulary when discussing music (genres and compositions) with technical vocabulary linked to musical terms and also using music as a way of helping children describe emotions and expand emotional vocabulary
Develop their ability to listen to others when playing music in a group or when discussing thoughts about music
Develop their ability to speak about music in increasingly knowledgeable and technically versatile ways
Music