St. George's School

Junior School Music (back)

Music is just as important in our Junior School as it is for the older pupils (see Senior School Music). We have both a Junior School Choir and Orchestra. Click here to hear short MP3s of the Junior Choir and the Junior Orchestra. There is audio of the seniors on their page.

Overview

  1. Aims and objectives
  2. Teaching and learning style
  3. Additional music teaching and activities
  4. Music curriculum planning
  5. Foundation Stage
  6. The contribution of music to teaching in other curriculum areas
  7. Teaching music to children with special needs
  8. Assessment and recording
  9. Resources
  10. Musical clubs and events
  11. Monitoring and review
  12. The Junior Strings Programme

 

Overview (top)

We make music an enjoyable learning experience. We encourage children to participate in a variety of musical experiences through which we aim to build up the confidence of all children. Singing lies at the heart of good music teaching. Our teaching aims to develop the children’s ability to sing in tune and with other people. Through singing songs, children learn about the structure and organisation of music. We teach them to listen and to appreciate different forms of music. As children get older, we expect them to maintain their concentration for longer and to listen and comment constructively on more extended pieces of music. Children develop descriptive skills in music lessons when learning about how music can represent feelings and emotions. We teach them the disciplined skills of recognising pulse and pitch. Music teaches children how to work with others to make music and how individuals can combine together to make sounds. In upper KS2 we also teach musical notation and how to compose music.

Children are also offered the opportunity to study a musical instrument with peripatetic teachers. Peripatetic music teaching is organised through the school and we currently offer private lessons on pianoforte, violin, viola, cello, flute, recorder, clarinet, saxophone, drums, guitar and singing. Parents who want their children to participate in the scheme must purchase or hire the instrument and pay the additional music lesson fees in 15 or 30 lesson instalments. These lessons are normally taught on a one to one basis and are in addition to the normal music teaching of the school. Lessons take place during the course of the school day and children are withdrawn from normal lessons for the duration of the instrumental lesson.

From time to time individual instrumental tutors organise small informal concerts given by pupils for their family and friends. These ‘saggi’ normally happen on the school premises and are organised by the tutor concerned. St. George’s is an official centre for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music examinations and as such when appropriate, students may be recommended by their individual instrumental tutor for such an examination.

We believe that music enriches the lives of people, and so we wish to involve as many children as possible in musical activities. We have a school choir and recorder club which are open for any child in KS2 to join. The choir meets on a weekly basis and, although its primary aim is to enable children to enjoy singing together, it also performs in public on a number of occasions throughout the year, currently the St. Cecilia’s day concert, Christmas carol concert and Easter concert. The recorder club also meets once a week at lunchtime and aims to develop an enthusiasm for group performance outside the formal classroom setting. When they reach the appropriate level, the recorder group will be invited to perform in assemblies/public concerts.

When a child has reached an appropriate standard on his / her chosen instrument they may then be invited to join the St. George’s Junior School Orchestra. The orchestra draws its members from KS2 and meets once a week for a 45-minute rehearsal. As rehearsals take place during class time, parental consent is required to allow the member to be absent from half a class per week. Public performances are the highlight of every orchestra’s calendar and for St. George’s Junior Orchestra this is also the case. Currently the orchestra performs at the St. Cecilia’s day concert, Christmas Carol Concert and Easter concert. Furthermore, when possible the orchestra undertake a series of concert performances which may include a stay away from home. These concerts normally takes place during ‘Creative Activties’ week in May.

At the end of the autumn term, the Music department in collaboration with class teachers and staff from other subject areas come together to produce a Christmas play. Currently KS1 and KS2 work on separate productions with the same aim of performing to family and friends during the last week of term. There are normally two performances of each production. There may also be public productions in June in either / both KS1 and KS2.

1 Aims and objectives (top)

1.1 Music is a unique way of communicating that can inspire and motivate children. It is a vehicle for personal expression and it can play an important part in the personal development of people. Music reflects the culture and society we live in, and so the teaching and learning of music enables children to better understand the world they live in. Besides being a creative and enjoyable activity, music can also be a highly academic and demanding subject. It also plays an important part in helping children feel part of a community. We aim to provide opportunities for all children to create, play, perform and enjoy music, to develop the skills to appreciate a wide variety of musical forms, and to begin to make judgements about the quality of music.

1.2 The aims of music teaching are to enable children to:
• know and understand how sounds are made and then organised into musical structures;
• know how music is made through a variety of instruments;
• know how music is composed and written down;
• know how music is influenced by the time, place and purpose for which it was written;
• develop the interrelated skills of performing, composing and appreciating music, including constructive listening.


2 Teaching and learning style (top)

2.1 In St. George’s Junior School we make music an enjoyable learning experience. We encourage children to participate in a variety of musical experiences through which we aim to build up the confidence of all children. Singing lies at the heart of good music teaching. Our teaching aims to develop the children’s ability to sing in tune and with other people. Through singing songs, children learn about the structure and organisation of music. We teach them to listen and to appreciate different forms of music. As children get older, we expect them to maintain their concentration for longer and to listen and comment constructively on more extended pieces of music. Children develop descriptive skills in music lessons when learning about how music can represent feelings and emotions. We teach them the disciplined skills of recognising pulse and pitch. Music teaches children how to work with others to make music and how individuals can combine together to make sounds. In upper KS2 we also teach musical notation and how to compose music.

2.2 We recognise that there are children of widely different musical abilities in all classes, so we provide suitable learning opportunities for all children by matching the challenge of the task to the ability of the child. We achieve this in a variety of ways by:
• setting common tasks which are open-ended and can have a variety of responses and / or results.
• setting tasks of increasing difficulty (not all children complete all tasks).
• grouping children by ability in the room and setting different tasks to each ability group.
• providing resources of different complexity depending on the ability of the child.
• encouraging peer learning especially where language is a potential difficulty.


3 Additional music teaching and activities (top)

3.1 Children are offered the opportunity to study a musical instrument with peripatetic teachers. Peripatetic music teaching is organised through the school and we currently offer private lessons on pianoforte, violin, viola, cello, flute, recorder, clarinet, guitar and singing. Parents who want their children to participate in the scheme must purchase or hire the instrument and pay the additional music lesson fees in 15 or 30 lesson instalments. These lessons are normally taught on a one to one basis and are in addition to the normal music teaching of the school. Lessons take place during the course of the school day and children are withdrawn from normal lessons for the duration of the instrumental lesson.
St. George’s is an official centre for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music examinations and as such when appropriate, students may be recommended by their individual instrumental tutor for such an examination.


4 Music curriculum planning (top)

4.1 Our school uses the national scheme of work for music as the basis for its curriculum planning. We have adapted the national scheme so that the topics that the children study in music build upon prior learning. While there are opportunities for children of all abilities to develop their skills and knowledge in each teaching unit, the planned progression built into the scheme of work means that the children are increasingly challenged as they move through the school.

4.2 We carry out the curriculum planning in music in two phases (long-term and short-term). The long-term plan maps the music topics studied in each term during the key stage. The music subject leader works this out in conjunction with teaching colleagues in each year group. When it is relevant, the children study music topics in conjunction with other subjects. In this manner music helps to reinforce skills learnt in other areas of the curriculum. Through this programme of study we teach the knowledge, skills and understanding set out in the National Curriculum.

4.3 The short-term plans, which we have adopted from the national scheme, give details of each unit of work for the term. The music subject leader is responsible for keeping and reviewing these plans. We aim to ensure that children have complete coverage of the National Curriculum but do not have to repeat topics.

4.4 The music subject leader often meets with the class teachers on an informal basis to discuss current topics and planning.

Our music planning is geared to three aspects of progress:
• increasing breadth and range of musical experiences;
• increasing challenge and difficulty in musical activities;
• increasing confidence, sensitivity and creativity in the children’s music making.


5 Foundation Stage (top)

5.1 We teach music in reception classes as an integral part of the topic work covered during the year. As the reception class is part of the Foundation Stage of the National Curriculum, we relate the musical aspects of the children’s work to the objectives set out in the Early Learning Goals (ELGs) which underpin the curriculum planning for children aged three to five. Music contributes to a child’s personal and social development. For example counting songs foster a child’s mathematical ability and songs from different cultures increase a child’s knowledge and understanding of the world.


6 The contribution of music to teaching in other curriculum areas (top)

6.1 English
Music contributes significantly to the teaching of English in our school by actively promoting the skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening. Children develop their language skills through singing songs, with attention to diction, meaning, rhythm and rhyme. They use reference books and develop research skills when finding out about the history of music and musicians. Music is also used to stimulate discussion or creative writing. Through working with others in a musical setting, children develop their ability to communicate ideas effectively.

6.2 Mathematics
Music contributes to the teaching of mathematics in that children who study the structure of music are observing patterns and processes. Talent in music is often linked with talent in mathematics, as the rhythm and structure of music is mathematically based.

6.3 Information and communication technology (ICT)
ICT is used in music where appropriate. Children may use computer programmes to compose music. They also use ICT in music to enhance their research skills through the Internet and CD ROMs. Children may improve the presentation of their work through the use of ICT.

6.4 Personal, social and health education (PSHE) and citizenship
Music contributes significantly to the teaching of personal, social, citizenship and health education. Through the common goal of making music, children learn to work effectively with other people and build up good relationships. Music is the basis of many social activities and has an important role to play in the personal development of many young people. It has a vital role to play in building self-confidence. Participation in successful public musical performances is sometimes one of the most memorable things young people do at school.

6.5 Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
Listening, creating or performing music can sometimes be a moving and even spiritual experience. We encourage children to reflect on the important effect that music has on people’s moods, senses and quality of life. It is especially important that children at St. George’s Junior School have the opportunity to encounter music from many cultures and, through their growing knowledge and understanding of the music, they develop more positive attitudes towards the other cultures and societies surrounding them.


7 Teaching music to children with special needs (top)

7.1 We teach music to all children, whatever their ability, in accordance with the school curriculum policy of providing a broad and balanced education to all children. Teachers provide learning opportunities matched to the needs of children with learning difficulties.


8 Assessment and recording (top)

8.1 Teachers assess children’s work in music by making informal judgements as they observe them during lessons. On completion of a piece of work, the teacher marks the work and comments as necessary. At the end of a unit of work, the teacher makes a summary judgement about the work of each pupil in relation to the National Curriculum level of attainment and records these grades in their mark book. We use this as the basis for assessing the progress of the child and we pass this information on to the next teacher at the end of the year.

8.2 The music subject leader keeps samples of children’s work in a portfolio, which s/he uses to demonstrate the expected level of achievement in music for each age group in the school.


9 Resources (top)

9.1 There are sufficient resources for all music teaching units in the school. We keep resources in the Junior Music Room. The library contains a good supply of topic books to support children’s individual research.


10 Musical clubs and events (top)

10.1 We believe that music enriches the lives of people, and so we wish to involve as many children as possible in musical activities. We have a school choir and recorder club which are open for any child in KS2 to join. The choir meets on a weekly basis and, although its primary aim is to enable children to enjoy singing together, it also performs in public on a number of occasions throughout the year, currently the St. Cecilia’s day concert, Christmas carol concert and Easter concert.

10.2 The recorder club also meets once a week at lunchtime and aims to develop an enthusiasm for group performance outside the formal classroom setting. When they reach the appropriate level, the recorder group will be invited to perform in assemblies/public concerts.

10.3 When a child has reached an appropriate standard on his / her chosen instrument they may then be invited to join the St. George’s Junior School Orchestra. The orchestra draws its members from KS2 and meets once a week for a 45-minute rehearsal. As rehearsals take place during class time, parental consent is required to allow the member to be absent from half a class per week.

Public performances are the highlight of every orchestra’s calendar and for St. George’s Junior Orchestra this is also the case. Currently the orchestra performs at the St. Cecilia’s day concert, Christmas Carol Concert and Easter concert. Furthermore, when possible the orchestra undertake a series of concert performances which may include a stay away from home. These concerts normally takes place during ‘Creative Activties’ week in May.

10.4 At the end of the autumn term, the Music department in collaboration with class teachers and staff from other subject areas come together to produce a Christmas play. Currently KS1 and KS2 work on separate productions with the same aim of performing to family and friends during the last week of term. There are normally two performances of each production.

There may also be public productions in June in either / both KS1 and KS2.

10.5 From time to time individual instrumental tutors organise small informal concerts given by pupils for their family and friends. These ‘saggi’ normally happen on the school premises and are organised by the tutor concerned.


11 Monitoring and review (top)

11.1 The music subject leader is responsible for the standard of children’s work and for the quality of teaching in music. The work of the subject leader also involves supporting colleagues in the teaching of music, being informed about current developments in the subject and providing a strategic lead and direction for the subject in the school. The music subject leader is responsible for reporting to the Headteacher the strengths and weaknesses in the subject and indicates areas for further improvement.

12 The Junior Strings Programme

The Strings Programme was started to give pupils in Years 1 to 3 the opportunity of trying out the violin and often acts as a springboard into private instrumental lessons. This in turn allows students to take part in the various musical ensembles further up the school. This system has been very successful over the years and there have been many pupils who have decided to take private lessons after taking part in the programme. Violin lessons are offered to Years 1 to 3 and violoncello lessons to Year 3 only.

or email secretary@stgeorge.school.it

Click on a photo

 

Or listen to music

 

BBC "Sunday Worship" featuring our choir

Junior School Choir

Junior School Orchestra