The music curriculum ensures that children sing, listen, play, perform and evaluate. This is embedded in class lessons, which are a minimum of 30 minutes each week, as well as the weekly singing assemblies, various concerts and performances and the learning of instruments.
The Charanga scheme of work is used from Reception to Year 6 to ensure a wide exposure to different genres of music, with lots of practical opportunities to explore and develop as musicians and singers. The scheme is aligned in terms of listening, notation, skills and year by year progression to the Model Music Curriculum.
In Reception, children have access to a variety of percussion instruments in their music area of provision giving them the freedom to explore composition and learn how to make different instruments work. As children move through school, every child is given the opportunity to play tuned instruments. Teachers are supported in their delivery of Glockenspiel by Charanga in KS1 whilst recorders and ukuleles are taught by a music specialist in KS2.
Co-curricular music
Outside of whole class ensemble teaching, children who wish to develop and explore musical talents are able to sign up with Learn to Rock and Rocksteady. Children may take part in drumming lessons with Learn to Rock to build skills, self-esteem and confidence and with the opportunity to perform to pupils and parents. Rocksteady offers children weekly lessons where they can learn to play keyboard, guitar, drums or sing as part of a band. Each term children in the bands perform to parents and the rest of the school to showcase their skills.
On a Wednesday after school, we have our school choir for KS2 children to attend. Children in the choir will learn a variety of different songs from different genres and have the opportunity to perform at various school events and events in the local community such as carol singing at Christmas. Each year, we take a group of children to Young Voices which brings choirs from primary schools across the UK together to perform in an unforgettable concert. On the run up to this trip, children in the choir will rehearse the songs and actions that they will need to know prior to the event, allowing children to gain confidence and discover their voices.
Musical experiences
At Blakehill children are offered a variety of musical experiences throughout the academic year. We have weekly singing assemblies that children attend where they are exposed to a variety of music and taught various songs. Children in KS2 come together for 15 minutes on a Wednesday afternoon with a specialist music teacher whilst EYFS and KS1 join together for 15 minutes on a Thursday afternoon with the music lead. Children can also sing together and perform to parents and families at Christmas in EYFS, KS1 and KS2 and in the Year 6 Leaver's Performance. Each year children in EYFS and KS1 take part in retelling the Christmas Story through Nativity performances, whilst children in KS2 retell the story through a Christingle service at a local church. It is just as important that children are given the opportunity to experience music as part of an audience. Over the past year, children have enjoyed music assemblies with John Froud, a performance from The Plumber Drummer, a visit from the Pantomime as well as supporting peers in our very own Blakehill’s Got Talent.