Music at St John's

 In Music we follow the programme of study as outlined in the National Curriculum to ensure that all pupils:

• perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians
• learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next  level of musical excellence
• understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations 
  

This year we have used the new Model Music curriculum to encourage and support the progression of music as they move through the school. 

At St John’s Primary School, we aim to foster an enjoyment and appreciation of music to include the development of an understanding of the elements of music: pitch, dynamics, duration, tempo, timbre, texture and structure. Furthermore, we aim to encourage self-expression through music and to develop an awareness of the music of ours and other cultures including an awareness of a variety of musical styles.
 
We work with the children to develop a range of musical skills including: listening, appraising, composing, interpreting and memorising. As part of their musical understanding, children are encouraged to explore how music can create moods and feelings, and provoke an emotional response. At St John’s, we develop the children’s social skills via group composition and performance.
 
Through our long term planning we link music to topics where relevant. In Year 2, children will begin to understand how to play the Glockenspiel and fine tune these skills further in Year 6. During Year 3, children spend their time learning to play the Drums. In Year 4 and 5, children spend time learning the recorder. Throughout their school lives, St John’s pupils will learn to play different percussion instruments.
 
Children at St. John’s are also provided with the opportunity to join our choir, where they learn songs of different genres and are given the chance to perform these to other members of the school community and at larger events for example, Young Voices.