Music
Click here: Music Curriculum Overview
Intent
At Barton St Lawrence Primary School, our music curriculum is designed to inspire joy, confidence, individuality, generosity, kindness, resilience, and integrity in every child. We aim to nurture a love of learning, encourage pupils to become articulate and expressive, and develop a sense of service by sharing their musical gifts with others.
Music is a powerful way to bring our community together. We learn collaboratively, celebrating each child’s unique talents while fostering teamwork and mutual respect. Our approach is rooted in God, recognizing music as a gift that allows us to worship, rejoice, and reflect His creativity. Through singing, playing instruments, and composing, pupils experience the joy of making music that uplifts and inspires.
Implementation
Our curriculum is underpinned by two world-renowned pedagogical approaches:
- Kodály Method: We use singing as the foundation of musical learning, developing inner hearing, pitch accuracy, and rhythmic understanding through games, solfa, and hand signs. This approach ensures progression from simple patterns to complex musical structures, enabling pupils to become confident and articulate musicians.
- Dalcroze Eurhythmics: We integrate movement to deepen musical understanding, connecting rhythm, pulse, and expression to physical experience. This active approach fosters creativity, coordination, and resilience, making music learning joyful and embodied.
Lessons are inclusive, practical, and sequential, ensuring that all pupils develop technical skills, creativity, and cultural awareness. Opportunities for performance—both within school and in the wider community—help pupils build confidence and a sense of service.
Impact
By the end of their primary journey, pupils will:
- Demonstrate confidence and joy in musical expression.
- Show resilience and integrity through practice and performance.
- Understand and apply key musical concepts through Kodály and Dalcroze approaches.
- Contribute to worship and community events, reflecting our Christian ethos.
- Leave with a lifelong love of learning and appreciation for music as a gift from God
SEND
In our Musiclessons, teachers employ the school's 12 principles of Quality First Teaching outlined in our Teaching and Learning Policy to ensure that the needs of all learners are met. These include ensuing that key words and vocabulary are pre-taught and activities are planned to help children to retain them. Opportunities for quality communication and interaction with adults and peers are provided regularly and these could include peer assessment activities or listening exercises. Prior knowledge and understanding is built upon by breaking new learning into small steps that is achievable. Formative assessment and quality feedback ensures that children are able to make purposeful self-evaluations throughout the unit. Reasonable adjustments are made when necessary to support those children who need extra scaffolding. In Music, this could include the use adjusting notes or instruments given, letters written above the stave or repetition through video playback.
ABLE, GIFTED AND TALENTED OPPORTUNITIES
Please see the 'Creative Arts' Policy for more information on how we cater for more able children in the arts. Children who learn a musical instrument outside of school are encouraged to bring this to their lessons so their skills can be incorporated into class music. In addition to this, Mrs Harvey and her music ambassador are currently working to enhance performance opportunities for children who are gifted and talented in music.
ENRICHMENT / EXTRA CURRICULAR
The following opportunites are made available for pupils:
Choir - Every Thursday after school for 1 hour, led by Mrs Harvey - we rehearse a wide range of repertoire, sing on the first Sunday of every month for a children's service in church, once a month in assemblies & at the Annual Christmas Carol Concert! See the videos further down for one of our most recent clips!
SoMi Academy - weekly band sessions held by an external music company. Check out their website here and feel free to contact them or Mrs Harvey for more info: SoMi Academy
Halle for Youth - Every 2 years, all of Key Stage 2 are invited to come on a trip to see the Halle Orchestra perform live in a special 'Halle for Youth' concert. There's no experience quite like seeing and hearing a live orchestra!
EXAMPLES OF OUR WORK... coming soon (watch this space!)
