Intent

Music is an important contribution to the life of our school and should be celebrated, promoted and encouraged. Music is a unique way of communicating and is a vehicle for personal expression, and it can play an important part in one’s personal development.

Implementation

A high quality music curriculum is provided throughout the school.

Teaching and Learning

Our school follows the programmes of study as set out in the National Curriculum which aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Learn through the three golden threads of: composing and improvising, performance and singing, listening and appraising.
• 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.
• There is an expectation that music is timetabled and taught to each class (Y1-Y6) on a weekly basis.
• For children Y1-Y6, there will be a 10 minute singing assembly each week.
• There is an expectiation that each year group will learn a musical instrument for a term or half a term in their class music lessons.

Y1/2 – boom whackers

Y3 – glockenspiels

Y4 – recorders

Y5 – drums 

Y6 – ukulele

• Performance is an integral part of music. As well as the Christmas/Harvest/class assembly performances, we encourage performances to peer groups, buddy classes, the school community, etc.

The Early Years Foundation Stage

A great deal of research has been carried out with regards to musical activity and the brain and it is now evident that music-making, singing and dancing aids the general development and well-being of young children. Regular musical activity both child-led and adult-led can help support children’s acquisition of language and communication. It can aid their personal and social development, their physical agility, well-being, imagination and creativity. Musical activities may also help towards an understanding of maths, allowing us to make sense of our world and possibly aid literacy skills.

Extra Curricular Music
We believe that music enriches the lives of people, and so we wish to involve as many children as possible in musical activities.  The KS1 choir and Musical Theatre club are established. All children in KS1 and KS2 are entitled to join extra-curricular music lessons. Currently, we have peripatetic teachers teaching woodwind, strings, keyboard and guitar. Lessons and vacancies are shared on the school newsletter along with information for PP children and how children can borrow instruments free of charge.

Impact

The children at Stratton Primary School will experience a broad variety of musical performances from different cultures, opportunities to learn a variety of instruments and develop their knowledge and skills of reading and understanding musical pieces.

Over their time at Stratton Primary School, our pupils will be given the skills, opportunities and knowledge to understand the impact that music can have on all our lives and all cultures, including the Cornish culture, and how it can play an integral role in our emotional wellbeing. We aim to give children high aspirations which will enable them to foster a lifelong love for music and the confidence to continue to play and enjoy music into their adult lives and forever.