Music

Music at St Chad’s begins in our EYFS. In the early years, children explore music through their daily continuous provision. The children have access to a music area in the classroom with musical instruments available to self-select. Our outdoor setting has it’s very own ‘St Chad’s Theatre’ whereby pupils can sing, dance and create their very own musical performances. Throughout the EYFS curriculum, there are regular opportunities for children take part in singing and learning songs. They listen and learn rhymes, poems and respond to what they hear with relevant questions, comments and actions and are exposed to musical vocabulary. The children leave Reception more than prepared for their musical journey to continue in Y1.

From Y1-6, through our mastery music curriculum using Charanga, children play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts using their voices and play musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression as they progress through the school. The children develop critical engagement through listening and appraising, singing, composing, playing and performing. Charanga lessons are planned in sequences to provide children with the opportunities to review, remember, deepen and apply their understanding.

We use ambitious and subject-specific language and children learn a wide range of musical vocabulary and use this within discussions when appraising or explaining their compositions. This is taught through teacher reference to our Dimensions of Music poster in each lesson. Children use their retrieval practice to embed previous learning and to connect it to their new learning in that session through direct teacher-led discussion, linking to the 6 principles of HQT&L.

Throughout KS1 and KS2 the children explore both tuned and untuned musical instruments and in LKS2 on a 2-year cycle they take part in WCET lessons for ukulele and violin. This enables the children to build on the technical skills of notation reading, experiment and improvise with, create, select and combine sounds using the inter-related dimensions of music.  Children identify and develop their own talents and passions, as well as build upon core character strengths such as self- confidence, self-reflection, and a love of learning. Children develop and share their opinions and preferences and appreciate how these may differ from those of other people. They can identify the dimensions of the music they listen to and comprehend how each of the elements build upon each other to create a cohesive piece of music.

In addition to our music curriculum, to inspire our future musicians we expose them to aspirational and inspirational opportunities such as: watching live bands/performances, performing to live audiences in class assemblies, choir, weekly Songs of Praise assemblies, WCET showcases in LKS2, and additional music lessons. This enables music to be accessed by all children in our fully inclusive, creative school.