Music
Our Music curriculum encourages our pupils enjoy singing, composing, and performing music. It provides a variety of musical experiences that develop our pupils’ ability to sing in tune, understand rhythm and follow a beat. Through singing songs, our pupils learn about the structure and organisation of music. Throughout the curriculum, pupils listen to a wide variety of musical genres such as classical composers such as Mozart and Beethoven, jazz and ragtime pianist Scott Joplin, the film scores of John Williams and English folk songs. Pupils learn to appreciate different forms of music, studying the work of both significant musical figures in history and modern-day musicians. Pupils learn musical vocabulary such as volume, pitch, beat and rhythm and use these to discuss music.
Singing and listening to music and rhyme is an essential part of our early years’ curriculum. Pupils are introduced to pulse and rhythm and begin to recognise this in familiar songs and rhymes. In Key Stage 1, pupils then explore the basic principles of rhythm, pulse and melody. In Key Stage 2, pupils will learn to play the ukulele. Throughout the curriculum, pupils compose pieces of music based on the works of different composers from Tchaikovsky’s waltzes and Handel’s music for the Royal Fireworks to Steve Reich’s Minimalist music and the soundtracks from different films using a range of percussion instruments.
Every Christmas the Nursery and Reception Classes perform songs to tell the story of 'The Nativity' for their parents and carers. Years 1, 2 and 3 perform a medley of traditional and modern Christmas songs; each class with an individual item and also combining as a whole group; Years 4, 5 and 6 also perform in this way too to parents and carers. Pupils in Year 3 have a workshop with the Royal Albert Hall Orchestral Encounters and some of our pupils have been offered music tuition scholarships as a result. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 are able to join the choir. This year the choir performed at the Tri-Borough Christmas Festival at the RBKC Town Hall. Singing is also a key part of each class assembly. Pupils who learn instruments are given opportunities to perform during the year as does our Ensemble Group. This year our Year 6 pupils are looking forward to performing in the school's first ever end of year show.
Tri Borough Christmas Festival
Tri Borough Christmas Festival 'Grey Cuckoo'
Music is taught for an hour each week by a specialist music teacher.
From year 2, pupils can have peripatetic music lessons in piano, guitar and violin.
