St John Fisher Catholic Primary School

Music: Curriculum Statement

Intent:

The National Curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils:
• Be taught to sing, create and compose music
• Perform, listen to, review and evaluate music from rich cultural backgrounds
• Understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated.

At St John Fisher Catholic Primary School, the intention is that all children develop a growth mindset towards music and what it is, and how it affects us, through joyful singing, creative composing, improvising, heartfelt performing and appreciative listening. We also encourage active curiosity to find out about music from a wide variety of historical periods, styles, traditions, and musical genres.

Our objective at St John Fisher is to develop the children to become musically literate, with a deep appreciation for the subject, as well as an understanding and acceptance of the validity of all types of music though different eras and genres. We are committed to ensuring children understand the value and importance of music in the wider community, and we also encourage children to develop, use and master core musical skills and that they engage in rich experiences to fully immerse themselves in the joy of music.

Using music as a tool, it is our aim for children to become better equipped to manage their mental and emotional well-being whilst at St John Fisher School.  It is also our intent that by exposing the children to rich musical experiences and opportunities, they become culturally competent, creative, articulate, and collaborative pupils.

Implementation:

The music curriculum ensures that children listen to music, sing, play, perform and evaluate. This is embedded in the classroom activities as well as during weekly songs of praise assemblies, various concerts and performances, and the learning of musical instruments. The elements of music are taught in classroom lessons so that children are able to use the language of music to dissect and describe it, and understand how it is made and played. Our children learn how to practise and play an instrument from the main instrument groups of wind, strings, percussion, brass and keyboards. In doing so, they understand the different principle of each method of creating notes, as well as how to read and write basic music notation. They also learn how to compose by focussing on the different dimensions of music, which in turn feeds their understanding when listening, playing, or analysing music. To develop the understanding of musical elements, without the added complexity of an instrument, composing, improvising, performing using body percussion and vocal sounds, children also have the opportunity to use i-pads, Purple Mash, Garage and other musical software and programs. Through our teaching style and planning we provide opportunities for musical knowledge be embedded, remembered and recalled. At St John Fisher we work with Sing Education who deliver weekly music lessons to all children from Reception - Year 6.

Impact:

Whilst at St John Fisher, children have access to rich musical experiences and a varied music programme, which allow students to discover areas of strength, as well as areas they might like to improve upon. The integral nature of music and the learner creates a rich palette from which children may access fundamental abilities such as: achievement, self-confidence, interaction with and awareness of others, resilience, perseverance, discipline and self-reflection. Music also develops their cultural competence, giving a broader understanding of culture and history, both in relation to children individually, as well as ethnicities from across the world. Children are able to enjoy and appreciate music, in as many ways as they choose:  either as a listener, creator or performer. They can dissect music and comprehend its parts, and understand that music has a profound effect on us, as it has the ability to change our moods. Children are given every opportunity to develop a growth mindset towards learning music. Whilst they master core skills, children become inspired to develop further and they also have a clear understanding of how to improve their musical skills.

Our Operational Music Director is Sorina Purice.

Music Curriculum and school choir is led by Sing Education

Orchestra is led by Harrow Music Service