Intent

At St Mary Immaculate, we believe that music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. As a Catholic primary school, we recognise the importance of nurturing the holistic development of our pupils, and music plays a pivotal role in enriching their educational journey and is deeply rooted in our three pillars for learning: Live Wisely, Think Deeply, Love Generously.

Our intent for the music curriculum is to instill a deep appreciation and understanding of music, enabling pupils to express themselves creatively, think critically, and develop a lifelong love for music. Through carefully crafted lessons, we aim to cultivate a sense of musicality in our pupils, allowing them to explore and engage with various musical genres, styles, and traditions.

Central to our curriculum is the opportunity for pupils to actively participate in making music. Whether through singing, playing instruments, or composing, we encourage every pupil to find their voice and express themselves musically. By providing a supportive and inclusive environment, we empower all pupils to develop confidence in their musical abilities and collaborate with others to create harmonious melodies.

Through studying different musical works and traditions, pupils will gain insights into the historical, social, and cultural contexts of music. This not only broadens their understanding of the world but also promotes empathy and respect for diverse perspectives.

Above all, our aim is for every pupil to become even more musical through their journey with us. By igniting their passion for music and nurturing their talents, we strive to equip them with the skills and knowledge to become lifelong learners and active contributors to the world of music and beyond.

We believe that music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. It holds the power to enrich lives, evoke emotions, and transcend cultural boundaries. 

In alignment with our Catholic ethos, music at St Mary Immaculate serves as a conduit for spiritual growth and reflection. Through the beauty and harmony of music, we seek to inspire pupils to connect with their faith, express their spirituality, and deepen their relationship with God.

In conclusion, our music curriculum is not just about learning notes and rhythms; it is about fostering creativity, building character, and enriching the lives of our pupils. By embracing the universal language of music, we aim to cultivate a community of compassionate, resilient, and culturally enriched individuals who will carry the melody of their experiences with them throughout their lives.

Implementation

Kapow's Primary music scheme allows us to take a holistic approach to music in which the following strands; performing, listening, composing, the history of music and the inter-related dimensions of music are woven together to create engaging and enriching learning experiences.

Each unit of work combines these strands within a cross curricular topic designed to capture pupils' imagination and encourage them to explore music enthusiastically. Children are taught how to sing fluently and expressively, and play tuned and untuned accurately and with control. They will begin to recognise and name the inter related dimensions of music - pitch, duration, tempo and timbre and use these in their improvisations and compositions.

At St Mary Immaculate we follow a spiral curriculum where previous skills and knowledge are returned to and built upon. Children progress by tackling more complex tasks and doing more simple tasks better, as well as developing understanding and knowledge of the history of music, staff and other musical notations as well as the inter-related dimensions of music and more. Lessons incorporate independent tasks, paired and group work as well as improvisation and teacher led performances.

Each lesson can be accessed by all pupils and opportunities to challenge are also built into lessons. Children have access to a selection of untuned and tuned percussion instrument.

Out of the lesson, music also plays an integral part of our school. Each year, at Christmas EYFS and KS1 take part in a Nativity and KS2 do a carol concert. At Easter, lower KS2 take part in an Easter performance and at the end of the year, years 5 and 6 take part in an end of year performance: all of which have music at the heart.

We have a partnership with Warwick a Singing Town and as part of this, each week, all children across the school have lessons led by a Choral Entrepreneur. We also take part in larger events that they run – recently singing for Princess Ann.

All KS2 have the opportunity to take part in Young Voices concert – one of the largest school choir concerts. We also have weekly whole school hymn practice. 

Within the EYFS setting, music is an integral part of children’s learning journey. Children learn a wide range of songs and rhymes and develop skills for performing together. Singing and music making opportunities are used frequently to embed learning, develop musical awareness and to demonstrate how music can be used to express feelings.

In Reception and KS1 children have weekly music lessons and in KS2 the complete a unit of work every other half term.

Impact

The impact of our music curriculum can be constantly monitored through both formative and summative assessment opportunities. Each lesson includes guidance to support teachers in assessing pupils against the learning objectives and at the end of each unit there is often a performance element where teachers can make a summative assessment of pupils’ learning. Knowledge organisers for each unit support pupils by providing a highly visual record of the key learning from the unit, encouraging recall of practical skills, key knowledge and vocabulary.

After the implementation of our music curriculum, pupils should leave St Mary Immaculate School equipped with a range of skills to enable them to succeed in their secondary education and to be able to enjoy and appreciate music throughout their lives.

The expected impact is that children will:

• Be confident performers, composers and listeners and will be able to express themselves musically at and beyond school.
• Show an appreciation and respect for a wide range of musical styles from around the world and will understand how music is influenced by the wider cultural, social, and historical contexts in which it is developed.
• Understand the ways in which music can be written down to support performing and composing activities.
• Demonstrate and articulate an enthusiasm for music and be able to identify their own personal musical preferences.
• Meet the end of key stage expectations outlined in the national curriculum for Music.

Learning a Musical Instrument

The school currently offers paid for music tuition for keyboard.

Please advise the school office if you would like your child to receive music tuition.