Music
Music at Bickershaw Church of England Primary School
In our school we believe that 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 enable children to understand better the world that they live in. It can also play an important part in helping children to feel part of a community.
Our Music curriculum will be underpinned by the drivers of possibility, initiative and mindfulness.
Possibility
e.g. By learning about famous composers and musicians, the children will understand the value of music and its place in peoples’ lives.
Initiative
e.g. Develop the skills to be able to ‘unpick’ the technical aspects of music and use this to compose their own music.
Heritage
e.g. Asking the children to spend quiet time listening to music, contemplating their environment and surroundings.
All children will be given opportunities 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.
Areas of Learning
More detailed information, regarding what is specifically taught in each year group, can be found in our Progression documents at https://www.bickershaw.wigan.sch.uk/virtual-office/school-curriculum-information
See and hear the wonderful music taking place at our school...
- Year 5/6 practicing the Glokenspiel
- Learning the notes on a Glockenspiel
- Year 1 performing in front of Year 3/4
- Composition
Music in the Early Years
In Early Years, the children listen to the sounds around them and mark make to reflect what they can hear. They also enjoy expressing themselves musically when learning about festivals such as Chinese New Year and Diwali. Below you can find examples of the children learning about culture through musical experiences.
Music in KS1
The infant classes explore the inter- related dimensions of music; pitch, tempo, duration, timbre, texture and dymnamics.
They create and perform compositions by thinking about the duration of a note. The children in Year 1 use symbols for natation and in Year 2 they are introduced to musical notation to represent length of a sound. Children also begin to learn about tuned and untuned instruments and their names. They become more confident at performing in front of an audience. Children also take part in singing lessons where they develop their understanding of rhythm and time keeping.
Year 1
Year 2
Year 1 have really enjoyed creating meditation music in support of Mental Health Week in school...
Music in KS2
In our junior classes the children become more familiar with musical notations and begin to compose their own music using graphic score. They learn to read sheet music and are able to identify the length of a note on the stave.
World Music Day 2021
The whole school enjoyed taking part in World Music Day this year. The children in Year 1 made their own sound effects to reflect what happens in a fairy tale. See if you can retell each fairy tale just by listening to the sound effects made by the children.
