Statement
At St Matthew’s, Music makes an important contribution to the life and culture of our school, from singing assemblies to performances throughout the year. The value we place on Music, and the Performing Arts, can be seen through our specialist Music teacher who brings our rich and varied curriculum to life. From Music games in Reception to exploring the instruments of the orchestra in Year 1 and beyond, the children are given a variety of opportunities to sing, play instruments, improvise, compose and discover the History of Music in Key Stage Two. We have created a practical, spiral curriculum that constantly builds upon previous learning to consolidate and develop our pupils’ Musical learning.
On this page, you will find relevant information about the Performing Arts incl. Music Curriculum at St Matthew’s.
View our Music Policy on our Curriculum Policies page
Download: Music – Overview 2024-2025 [PDF]
Download: Music – Vision 2024-2025 [PDF]
Download: Music – Milestones 2024-2025 [PDF]
Intent
At St Matthew’s we believe that Music stimulates creativity and imagination and provides a unique way of understanding and responding to the world. Music reflects the culture and society we live in, whilst also providing children with a historical and cultural understanding of Music. As well as being creative and enjoyable, Music at St Matthew’s is also a highly academic and challenging subject. We provide many opportunities for children to create, play and perform, whilst developing the skills necessary to appreciate a wide variety of Music from a wide-range of periods and genres. The appreciation and enjoyment of the Music enriches all our lives, and through experiencing Music, children develop their creativity, self-esteem and confidence.
Implementation
The music curriculum ensures children sing, listen, play, perform and evaluate. This is embedded in the classroom activities as well as singing assemblies, various concerts and performances and the learning of instruments. Playing various instruments enables children to use a range of methods to create notes, as well as how to read basic music notation. They also learn how to compose, focusing on different dimensions of music, which in turn feeds their understanding when listening, playing, or analysing music. Composing or performing using body percussion and vocal sounds is also part of the curriculum, which develops the understanding of musical elements without the added complexity of an instrument.
Impact
Through Music, we endeavour to;
- develop the whole person
- challenge, create and collaborate
- develop creativity and imagination through a range of complex activities
- improve the children’s ability to control materials, tools, instruments and techniques
- increase their critical awareness of the Arts in different times and cultures
- develop increasing confidence in the Arts
- foster an enjoyment and appreciation of the Arts and a knowledge of artists
- develop a range of subject-specific skills, such as understanding how music is made through a variety of interrelated dimensions and that it can be composed and written down.
Useful Resources
External Link: BBC Ten Pieces – have started their excellent Musical Menu
External Link: LSO Discovery – have video presentations for Key Stage 1 -3
External Link: Rhino Gold – A comprehensive list of what is available