Mrs Pye is the Music Coordinator.
Music is all around us and is recognised world-wide as a way of promoting self-esteem, enjoyment and a sense of emotional well-being. At Redscope Primary School, we are keen to develop creativity and self-expression through music and our children have a rich range of opportunities through which they can experience music.
Commencing the academic year 2021, each class from Foundation to Year 6 learn music through using a scheme called Charanga which is a high quality, structured music scheme for the new curriculum that develops children’s musical skills. This scheme is taught on a weekly basis by the class teacher for approximately 45-60 minutes a week. The scheme includes opportunities for children to listen to music, answer questions, practice new musical vocabulary, compose and appraise. These lessons also develop their skills of listening, memorising, taking turns, performing and evaluating which enhance success and self-confidence regardless of academic ability. Children gain experience of working both as an individual, group member and as a class.
In the Early Years and Key Stage 1 this scheme provides children with the opportunity to listen and respond to different styles of music, learn to sing or sing along with nursery rhymes and action songs, understand the basics of pulse, rhythm and pitch, improvise and play classroom percussion instruments and also share and perform music.
The scheme for Key Stage 2 enables children to listen to and appraise well known songs, play musical games to develop a deeper understanding of music and musical notations, sing songs and melodies with greater musical understanding, learn to play classroom tuned instruments, improvise and make up own rhythmic patterns that lead to melodies, compose own tunes and melodies, record own compositions, practise, rehearse and perform in front of an audience.
At Redscope Primary School, we provide additional specialist teaching to children. This year Year 4 and Year 6 are learning how to play the ukulele in the Autumn term. In the Spring Term Year 3 and 5 will be learning to play the ukulele.
Children also have many opportunities to sing. They often learn songs in class linked to their topic and to support learning new facts, times tables and SPAG.
Through their Redscope school life, children have the opportunity to work with visiting musicians, such as an African drummer, learn some scientific aspects of music, listen to professional musicians in both school and outside venues. They also listen to a wide range of recorded music from different eras and cultures within assemblies and some of this is used to enhance other lessons such as P.E., as well as beginning to learn about some of history’s most famous composers.
Overall, our music curriculum intends to engage and inspire all children to reach their full potential in order to increase self-confidence, promote well-being, creativity and a sense of achievement.
