MUSIC INTENT

Our main intention at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is for children to participate in a varied music curriculum and furthermore develop an increased self-confidence and therefore a strong sense of well-being. 

A firm understanding of music is gained through practical and creative sessions. We endeavour to enhance listening skills and singing, as well as playing and composing with tuned and untuned musical instruments. We are committed to ensuring that music is accessible to all children of all abilities, as well as providing a Catholic Ethos: "To sing, is to pray twice" Saint Augustine

Music tuition is provided to children from Year 1 - Year 6 by Rock-It Music Projects, assisted by their class teachers. Children in the Early Years take part in regular music sessions led by their own teaching staff. Children work to achieve independence, as well as working as a team, ensuring resilience, perseverance and motivation. 

"Music is a therapy. It is a communication far more powerful than words, far more immediate, far more efficient." Yehudi Menuhin  

IMPLEMENTATION

The National Curriculum and Focus Education are at the core of our curriculum and they provide a clear and precise list of elements needed to succeed. Music is taught through Rock-It music (Years 1-6) which covers the majority of National Curriculum requirements - other elements are covered within class lessons / assemblies. All music lessons across the school are engaging, consistently high quality and develop skills across both key stages. 

We are aware that some children will only ever encounter music through school, therefore we strive to make their experience plentiful and diverse. We enrich our children by providing further opportunities to enhance their joy of music through choir and individual instrumental lessons. 

Our music curriculum ensures pupils sing, listen, play, perform and evaluate. We believe a love and enjoyment of these musical necessities creates a better well-being and positive attitude. 

IMPACT

Teaching staff and Rock-It music are committed and work collaboratively to create a varied program of musical study, which allows pupils to discover new instruments, their areas of strength and possible areas to develop. Children understand the relevance of music in their lives and enjoy what Rock-It music offers. Music at our school creates huge achievement, curiosity, resilience, self-confidence, communication and reflection; all of which increase their wellbeing. Children at our school are able to enjoy music in as many ways as they choose - listener, composer or performer.   

July 2023

We are absolutely delighted that all of our year 6 pupil passed their music exams at the end of last term with a distinction! We are only the second school to ever get a 100% pass at level 4 with Rockit Music. The examiner commented that he felt like he was listening to a professional concert delivered with such musicality and outstanding presentation. What a fantastic achievement!

COMPOSER OF THE HALF TERM

Our current Composer of the Half Term is ... Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. But was that his real name?

Maseda (Y6), Eve (Y6) and Sophie (Y5) were the fastest to do their research and find out that Mozart's real birth name was Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart!  

Here they are pictured with their winning entries and prize.  

Music lessons at St Joseph's are delivered by specialist music teachers from Rock it Music.

General Overview – Learning Objectives – Positive Outcomes

 Rock It Music Projects Ltd – Wider Opportunities and Whole Class Delivery 2022/23

• Children are taught to play a musical instrument with good technique appropriate to their chosen instrument. Instruments available include keyboards, drum kit, steel drum, glockenspiel and melodica.

• Whole class steel drums and ukuleles are also taught as part of our general delivery.

• FREE WORLD MUSIC WORKSHOP DAYS WILL BE OFFERED BY THE ROCK IT TEAM

• The repertoire taught includes pop and rock music, film themes and instrumental pieces. The history of music is also discovered and discussed, along with social structures that may have given rise to a particular genre, for example, Brit Pop.

• At the end of each school year, a London College of Music Examiner will assess each class in the form of a formal practical music ensemble examination. These qualifications are accredited and appear on the National Qualification Framework. For example, Level 2 equates, in performance terms, to GCSE music Grade B-C.

• Singing and the ability to internalise and reproduce vocal music features prominently with the Rock It Music team co-ordinating their efforts so that the school have a ready-made choir, selected from all Key Stage 2 students.

• Children in all years try their hand at composing, with guidelines and examples given in order to present what can be a daunting task, seem easy and fun. When all of the children’s composed phrases have been collated, their work is played and recorded in a recording studio, by professional musicians and a copy of the ‘School Composition’ is presented to the children on CD

• As a natural consequence of these lessons, children learn music notation, signs, symbols and terms. From repeat marks, to dynamic contrast and timbre, the boys and girls understand musical direction and more importantly, how to reproduce it when playing their instrument.

• Different abilities and speed of learning is always taken into consideration. More able students are challenged, others are perhaps given a less demanding role to play.

• Interactive resources, with full edit facilities, are used to enhance the overall effect and experience.

• Children are encouraged and helped to pursue their individual interest on their chosen instrument. Many young musicians within our schools progress towards their first instrumental, individual, music examination and beyond.

• Performing in public is such an important part of playing music. Children are invited and encouraged to play often in concerts, both in school and at outside events. This raises self esteem generally, as well as heightening musical standards.

• During the course of the school year, world music projects are taught, including steel drums and djembe. Performance opportunities are widened as a result and the school may have a ready-made steel band at its disposal.

• Cross curricular links are encouraged, with tailor made repertoire and resources tying in with a creative curriculum theme within the school. In the last school year, arrangements have been specially written for ‘Roman’, ‘Pirates’, ‘Vikings’ and ‘Ice’ topics and themes.

Music Curriculum Skills Progression

MUSIC IN THE EARLY YEARS

Children in the Early Years listen to and enjoy a wide variety of musics, from a range of time periods and genres. They respond through movement and dance, art work and discussion of what they can hear and their likes / dislikes. Children are introduced to classroom percussion instruments from the beginning of Nursery and quickly become experts in naming and handling them carefully, making different types of sounds with them and following a conductor. During Continuous Provision opportunities, the children become exposed to exploring a range of different instruments and the sounds they make through child led play experiences. They also explore making sounds using parts of their bodies, non traditional sound makers such as pots and pans and instruments they have made themselves. Children enjoy singing Nursery rhymes and other simple songs within the EYFS. We focus on songs with a narrow pitch range so that the youngest children can experience success at singing 'in tune'. In Reception, children become able to sing more complex melodies and take part in a range of performance opportunities such as singing in assemblies and mass. Children are quickly encouraged to make up their own words to simple known songs and to explore sounds and sound patterns freely. This leads to the first steps of children perceiving themselves as being able to create their own music - as composers. 

Children at St Joseph's leave the Early Years with all the enthusiasm, skills and experiences that they need to be ready to tackle Rock-It's Year 1 curriculum.