Music

Welcome to the Music page                                           

Music Statement of Intent

(How we teach the music curriculum at St Joseph the Worker)

At St Joseph the Worker RCPS it is our aim that music is taught in a fun and exciting way, where children have access to a wide range of musical instruments and the opportunity to play a tuned or percussion instrument in every lesson where possible.  Children are also given opportunities to use their voices during music lessons, as this is also considered to be an instrument. 

Singing songs and making music through whatever means available is of great importance where pupils learn to engage with music.

Music lessons are designed in a way where children are given opportunities to:

1. Listen

2. Play 

3. Practice and Play

4. Perform

In every year group these four stages are essential aspects of a music lesson enabling children to experience music freely and creatively, whilst increasing their knowledge and understanding of music in general. 

At St Joseph the Worker RCPS music is constructed in the following way:

Listening	Theory	Practical
Listening should be a purposeful exercise to engage children with a range of musical genres. It should be followed by questions such as: What is the mood of the piece? What instruments/vocals can you identify?  What are the inter-related dimensions of the piece of music? (e.g. dynamics/pitch/tempo) How does the piece of music compare to another piece of music? How is the piece of music structured?	In preparation for the practical element of the lesson, musical terms should be taught through engaging, active and practical methods, utilising instruments, the voice, digital technology and/or the body.    Teachers should refer to the KS1 or KS2 list of musical terminology, and consider how these can link to The Music Year. The Music Express Scheme of work will assist teachers with terminology.	Following The Music Year, and through digital technologies, vocals, tuned and untuned instruments; children are given the opportunity to:   Explore Compose Improvise   Compositions should be recorded through notation, music apps, video and live performances. Compositions should receive teacher and peer feedback which assess fluency, accuracy, control, expression and structure.   By the end of KS2, all children will have accessed some specific instrumental tuition and had opportunities to perform.    Certain year groups (usually at year 3 or year 4 will have whole class tuition to learn an instrument – this is usually the recorder).

Through learning music pupils will also develop many other important skills such as, teamwork, social and creative skills, resilience, dedication and discipline (especially if pupils are learning a specific instrument).  Being given opportunities to create and learn music also enables pupils to develop in many other curriculum subjects such as English, Mathematics, History and Geography to name but a few.

Music and Religious Education

The spiritual aspect of music is embedded in our religious education curriculum where pupils learn to sing religious songs and hymns as part of RE lessons, class worship and whole school assemblies. 

Every week, the EYFS, KS1 and KS2 learn to sing with a singing and music specialist - Mr. Glynn-Whitehead, where they meet in the hall to learn hymns and songs of a religious nature. 

The Music Scheme of Work

The school follows the 'Music Express' scheme of work which is reflected in our Music Subject Long Term Plan.  The EYFS through to year 6 use the scheme along with other resources such as, Sing Up, Out of the Ark Music and BBC Ten Pieces to support the children's learning of music.

Instrumental Lessons

As well as giving children the opportunity to take part in active music making in music lessons, there are also opportunities for children to learn instruments in more detail.  Every year a KS2 class will have an opportunity to learn to play the recorder as a whole class.  Children learn to read music symbols and notation at the same time as becoming accomplished musicians of this woodwind instrument.  

In addition to this, there are times in the school year where instrumental music clubs take place such as, keyboards, guitar and trombone (P Bone).  Trombone Club runs throughout the year, every Friday, and we are grateful to Cadishead Public Brass Band who loan the school with P-Bones free of charge.  

Performances

Once every year, a KS1 or KS2 class will have the opportunity to experience a concert by the Halle Orchestra as part of their yearly school concerts or the wider opportunities concerts.  This gives children a wonderful opportunity to see a live orchestra in an impressive state of the art concert hall whilst learning about all the different instruments and the role of the conductor.   

Singing Opportunities

Once every week, on a Monday evening after school, the school choir "Jozekidz!" meets (3pm - 4pm).  Here, the children are given extra opportunities to sing and perform, learning a range of songs such as pop, musicals, rhythm and blues and many more!  Once every year the children perform at 'The Big Sing Day', which is arranged by MAPAS, and culminates in an evening performance at 'The Lighthouse Church' in Salford.  The children also take part in 'The Liverpool Peace Proms' which is held every January at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, which involves the children performing at a large arena performance with 3,000 school children from across the North West Region.   

Music Awards 

At St.Joseph the Worker 'Music' plays an important part in the life of the school. In 2019 we were awarded "The Music Mark" in reocgnition of the school's work in music. We achieved this award as we are committed to improving the musical experiences of all the children in our school and because we also, 'recognise the value of music as part of the curriculum and are actively engaged in improving music education provision within [our] school community.' (Music Mark, 2020).