Music
Music Intent: Our vision for Music
At St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School, we aim to instill a lifelong love and appreciation for music. Music provides a universal language that unites people, creating a range of emotions for performers and the audience. We value the importance of a music education for our children and so provide a broad and balanced curriculum. The arts are a positive force in society. The arts also create a culture of citizenship, tolerance and empathy. The arts make us happier, healthier and equip us with essential strengths. Music, theatre, dance, literature, visual art and film, act as anchors for our existence, an affirmation of our humanity and thus, we believe, they can make a powerful contribution to a child’s health and well-being. Music boosts confidence and self-esteem and helps mould children into leaders of the future. Children learn to express themselves in a completely different way through Music. This allows the opportunity for talents and gifts to be identified and nurtured. |
Implementation: How we teach Music
At St. Teresa’s we use an award-winning scheme called Charanga. Charanga is an excellent resource that enables the high-quality, teaching of music as required by the National Curriculum. Charanga gives teachers access to a growing library of songs, topics, instrument courses and creative apps. Charanga’s Musical Scheme provides teachers with week-by-week differentiated lessons for each year group in the school, from ages 5–11. There are half termly themes which includes, technical, constructive and expressive opportunities, across each Key Stage.
At St Teresa’s we follow a topic based curriculum. This means that each term a year group has a new topic to immerse themselves in. We use Curriculum Maestro (Cornerstones) as a curriculum planning and tracking tool. Within each topic there are strong cross curricular links with music. Topic based music lessons will be taught along-side and in addition to the Charanga music programme. We believe this will give children broad musical learning experiences and ensure progression of skills and knowledge.
Singing is a central part of life at St. Teresa’s. Children enjoy singing at our weekly KS1 and KS2 singing assemblies as well as at the Church during Mass. Children in Year 3, 4 and 5 are taught for a half term by a music specialist. In year 3 the children learn to play percussion instruments, year 4 the Ukulele and finally, in year 5 the children learn how to play African drums.
At St Teresa’s we see skills progression as an ever increasing spiral of musical learning, as children build on and develop their knowledge and understanding of pulse, rhythm, pitch, dynamics, tempo, timbre, structure, texture and notation.
Impact:
Children leave St Teresa’s with a firm foundation and understanding of Music. They know musical terminology; can sing a wide range of songs; have explored songs from a broad range of musical backgrounds and genres including different cultures and time eras; appreciate music and can play instruments. The vast majority of children throughout the school at St. Teresa’s love singing, this is evident in the passion and enthusiasm shown during assemblies, choir performances and masses. Many members of the public often comment on the children’s zeal and feel that they were moved by listening to them. This includes members of our local parish.
By the end of their schooling, year 6’s create a concert where they show case their singing, dancing and acting skills. Staff and parents are always so impressed with the confidence and skills they have developed. These are life-long skills and experiences that prepare them for their future.
By using Charanga effectively across the Key stages, teachers are able to challenge and differentiate music, using the Bronze, Silver and Gold challenge feature. This ensures all children are successful and challenged in their music lessons.
Curriculum strengths:
- Harrow Music Service- Children are taught tuned and untuned instruments through their time here by specialist teachers in Year 3, 4 and 5, for a term each.
- High Quality Teaching using Charanga- This award winning scheme provides teachers with week-by-week lessons for each year group in their school. They include the Original Scheme, which supports all the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum for Music in England in full.
- Cross Curricular links- Music is used at St Teresa’s to enhance different areas of learning. For example, Music is used in most Collective worship sessions and is often chosen by the children.
- Memorable experiences- Our children visit, the theatre and pantomime, experiences some of our children had never had before!
Our community & families:
Music can be a tool to bring people together. That is exactly what we do here at St Teresa’s. Not only do we have a fully functioning KS2 Choir, who are invited to sing in the community, we use Music in assemblies and during events at school. Our annual St Patrick Day Fair always showcases our choir and the musicians in our community. This year children from St Teresa’s were invited by the Mayor to sing at her thanksgiving mass, for Archbishop Vincent Nichols, as well as at a London Irish Rugby game, just before kick off! Music creates life experiences for our children and families.
Diversity:
The Charanga scheme prides itself on IDEA: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access which is central to their offer and future plans.
Throughout their time at St Teresa’s, the children listen to and appraise music from all over the world and all through the ages. They are exposed to different styles of music. For example, in Year 5, we learn about Ghanaian (African) drumming. Whereas, Year 4 rock out to the Swedish ABBA anthems!
