"He has learned so much at school with the help and support of his teachers"
Parent

Music

Music and Singing

At St Joseph's we make music an enjoyable learning experience where every child is encouraged to participate in a variety of musical experiences. All children have a regular weekly music lesson. All Key Stage 1 children attend a weekly singing assembly where they learn new songs and enter into a time of prayer, praise and worship to God. Music features in all areas of the curriculum, throughout the day. 

As a Catholic school, St Joseph's uses music to enhance its religious celebration and deepen the spiritual lives of our children. By using recorded music and singing we help the children to engage with our Liturgies, Celebrations and Masses. We have an extensive range of Worship Songs and use signing in many of the songs that the children and the staff sing. 

We are very proud to say that St Joseph's has previously been awarded Platinum status with Sing Up. We use singing as a tool to allow children of different ages, nationalities and abilities to develop their creativity and ability in music. Events throughout the year and topics studied in class are enhanced by musical performances. 

Our extensive range of percussion instruments, purchased by the School Community Association (SCA) are used by all the children. We also have a classroom set of djembe drums for pupils to use to play rhythms and accompany songs. 

Please click here for the Curriculum Plan for Music.

 

Intent: 

The knowledge and skills that pupils will gain

at each stage of the curriculum

 

 

It is our intent that all pupils leave our school being able to appreciate music as a powerful form of communication and have the knowledge and skills to perform, listen, appraise and discuss  a range of music, including the works of the great composers and musicians of today.

We have high ambitions for all our pupils. We aim for all children to increase in confidence throughout their musical journey at St Joseph’s. For pupils with SEND, additional support and strategies will be incorporated into lessons to break down barriers and create an inclusive musical classroom. The implementation of this can be found below.

Implementation: 

How the curriculum is taught and assessed

 

We use ‘Charanga Musical School’ scheme as a stimulus for the delivery of music lessons throughout our school.

 

EYFS: Building Good Habits

The children’s musical journey will begin the moment they start St Louis. They will learn to sing a range of well-known nursery rhymes and songs which link to the Early Learning Goal ‘Being imaginative and expressive’. By performing songs and rhymes, the children will begin to try and move in time with the music and will be introduced to the key vocabulary, tempo and beat. 

 

Year One & Year Two: Journey of Discovery

Using EYFS as a stepping stone into KS1, children will now begin to use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes. Throughout KS1, children’s concentration will develop which will enable them to listen to a range of high-quality live and recorded music.

We will play a range of percussion instruments musically, whilst experimenting and creating a variety of sounds to create music.

Throughout all our music lessons, the above aims for music lessons are taught through many differing music activities (including composing music and building on our musical vocabulary) and finally performing. Through repetition of musical activities, children will deepen their understanding of musical concepts and be able to apply these across the musical genres - therefore seeing the relevance of their learning. 

Impact: The outcomes pupils achieve and the opinions they can voice

Children will be able to discuss the musical period and artist/s they have been learning about. They will be able to critically appraise artists and musical periods using appropriate vocabulary such as: tempo and pitch.

 

Whilst following ‘Charanga’, the children will have access to a varied and engaging programme, which allows them to discover areas of strength, as well as areas to improve upon.

 

 

 

Hear the children singing:


Children singing