Music

Be inspired       Be creative      Be dynamic

At St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, we value Music as an integral part of our children’s education and their entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum. Music provides the opportunity to celebrate the children’s creative achievements as well as developing a love of a wide range of music. The social, emotional, moral and cultural development that Music can bring to our lives as a school and wider community is thoroughly embraced in our St Mary’s Vision and Character at St Mary’s, making a major contribution to the development of our pupils.

 Intent

At St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, we aim to provide an enjoyable and challenging music curriculum which gives all pupils the opportunity to sing, play, create and perform, both individually and collaboratively. Music is taught throughout the school by a music specialist supported by class teachers with each class receiving around an hour’s music lesson every week.  Our Intent is that the pupils access high quality and authentic opportunities to learn in music and that through these opportunities the children are able to access creativity, resilience, cultural understanding and communication skills.  Our lessons are inclusive and developmentally appropriate for different age groups and specific needs of the children, while still allowing opportunities for students to stretch and challenge themselves.   Our music curriculum is designed to build a musical foundation and build on skills and knowledge throughout the years. Pupils will become confident in their ability to create, compose, perform and listen. Our music curriculum is designed to build a musical foundation and build on skills and knowledge throughout the years. Pupils will become confident in their ability to create, compose, perform and listen. Pupils will become confident in their ability to create, compose, perform and listen.  We aim to bring communities together through the shared endeavor of whole-school singing, ensemble playing and through the love of listening to friends, fellow pupils and those from outside our school performing.

Implementation 

To ensure our music provision at our school is high standard, our music curriculum lessons are delivered by music specialists from Sing Education. The music curriculum is made up of half-termly units, with step-by-step progression, always building on prior knowledge and skills, giving children the opportunity to consolidate, deepen and progress their rich musical skill set.  Sing Education teachers use the Kodaly method of teaching to ensure subject matter is presented logically and building on the children’s previous experience with music. This helps students to consolidate earlier learning and link new concepts to previous knowledge. 

Children regularly have the opportunity to perform and record a piece of repertoire they have studied at the end of each half term, with the chance to describe and discuss what they have been learning and exploring in music lessons. This allows teachers to assess progression and embed the learning of the half term. Other annual year group performance opportunities give students the exciting experience of performing before an audience.  Teachers create a positive learning environment through positive classroom management, and singing led, child focussed lessons. Children receive access to high quality music resources and instruments to reinforce the ambitions of the curriculum.  Music is made an integral part of school life through a variety of extra curricular activities such as Singing Squad, weekly singing assemblies, Young Voices and performing at a range of music festivals. Many students also attend small group and one-to-one private tuition. Alongside the music curriculum, Sing Education online resources and lessons are used by class teachers and students regularly.

Early Years

In Reception, children begin to experience making music together in their weekly curricular music lessons. Through

singing games, songs, rhymes and listening activities, children learn to recognise and recall songs, pitch match and begin solo and small group singing. Children in Early Years begin learning ensemble skills with glockenspiel and other percussion instruments.

KS1

In KS1, weekly curricular music lessons allow students to learn about pitch, pulse and rhythm. The singing-led curriculum helps children to discover and develop their singing voice and ensemble skills on a range of instruments, through opportunities to create and perform their own compositions to the class. The Year 1 and 2 curriculum exposes children to a diverse variety of music from around the world and encourages them to perform these to a wider audience.

KS2

KS2 music lessons build a strong musical foundation for all students. Children develop their appreciation for music and the key role it plays in shaping cultures all over the world. A good understanding of musical theory and notation are developed through exploring new genres of music (classical, pop, musical theatre, jazz and blues). KS2 Singing Squad and annual shows, gives children opportunities to share their singing skills with the wider school community and beyond.

Impact

Music lessons are monitored by subject and senior leaders and curriculum leads from Sing Education, using a variety of strategies such as lesson observations, staff discussion and regular ‘Pupil Voice’ surveys. Feedback is used to inform improvements in the implementation of music.

Recordings of the children are kept to monitor the progression of skills across the children’s academic career, giving pupils the chance to display their musicianship skills and understanding of the key musical elements through demonstration and discussion. Children are able to talk about what music means to them, culturally and individually. They understand with increasing confidence, the cultural impact of music on the world around them and the role that their own culture has contributed to this.

Children will go on to the next stage of education with detailed and foundational knowledge that will help them to pursue music in the future should they choose to.

Enrichment

• Young Voices Concert
• Ryedale Music Festival
• International Make Music Day
• Peripatetic and Music tuition

• Sing squad
• Malton Christmas Market Carols
• Performances during curriculum events. 
• Performing during liturgy and Masses.
• Musician of the year, chosen by class teacher.