Sankey Valley St James CE Primary School

In all year groups, Music will be taught through a variety or strategies:

At Sankey Valley St James’ CE Primary School 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. Singing lies at the heart of good music teaching. Our teaching focuses on developing the children’s ability to sing in tune and with other people. Through singing songs, children learn about the structure and organisation of music. We teach them to listen and to appreciate different forms of music. As children get older, we expect them to maintain their concentration for longer and to listen to more extended pieces of music. Children develop descriptive skills in music lessons when learning about how music can represent feelings and emotions.

We teach them the skills of recognising pulse and pitch. We also teach children how to work with others to make music and how individuals combine together to make sounds. Through the use of the Charanga Music Scheme we teach children how to recognise and use musical notation and how to compose music. This is done through various games and activities to introduce it in a fun and exciting way.

We believe that Music is important because it can play a significant part in personal development, promoting citizenship alongside spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

We believe Music encourages the development of:

·       Social and personal values;

·       Intellectual and cognitive skills;

·       Creative use of imagination;

·       Fine motor skills, co-ordination and control

·       An awareness and appreciation of a wider range of cultural traditions.

As well as weekly music lessons the children are provided with lots of opportunities to perform and share composition in class and in assemblies.  In addition children receive specialist music teaching, such as samba drumming, and often perform for parents/carers and the wider school community. Children also take part in larger scale performance with Christmas performances and end of year shows.  We are part of the PAN network and this gives the children an exciting opportunity to perform at a large venue such as the Parr Hall. There are opportunities to take part in afterschool clubs such as choir. We also enjoy welcoming musicians to our school to perform for the children and give children the opportunity to take part in workshops.

How can I support my child at home?

Encourage early development of musical concepts by exploring body percussion, such as snaps, claps, taps, and stomps. Sing and dance; it doesn't matter how well you sing or dance personally, just doing it together is a fun way for you and your child to spend time together whilst developing an awareness of beat and rhythm.  Have music playing in your home or car. Try a variety of styles: classical, jazz, pop, musicals, reggae the choice is endless.  Play your favourite music, and encourage your child to select and listen to their favourite music too.  Actively listen to the music and discuss it.  Ask lots of questions:  Do you like the music?  Why?  How does it make your feel?  Why do you think that is?  Talking about the music really develops an awareness of it.  If you or a family member or friend play an instrument, play it for your child and enable early experiences of music making together. 

Our vision in music is to engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement

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.

We want our children to ask questions and be inspired, motivated and engage in the joy of discovery.

Assessment of pupils' attainment in Music is a continuous process and is integral to the teaching and learning cycle. 

Alongside regular informal assessments, where teachers note children who are doing exceptionally well or requiring support to grasp learning objectives, teachers record pupils’ progress termly against year group specific Music targets at the end of a unit of work.

In the Early Years on-going assessment is used; children's progress is clearly marked and tracked through observations and in children’s individual trackers.