Music

Music enriches all of our lives, wherever and whoever we are and it connects us through people and places in our ever-changing world. It benefits us individually and collectively and brings us together, connecting us to our past, our present, our communities and beyond.

Intent

Music can evoke our highest aspirations, elevate our mood, help us work through our feelings and emotions and offer excitement, challenge, peace and relaxation.

Our aspiration is that every child should be able to experience music and to make progress. Through a rich and varied music curriculum, children will foster a love for music and be able to reflect on the benefits music brings to their own well-being and that of others. Our ambition for the children is that they would leave Holy Trinity feeling confident and equipped in discussing, appreciating, performing and creating music.

Our curriculum has been designed around Charanga, a music scheme of work that ensures progress from Reception to Year 6. Lessons have been clearly sequenced with high musical expectations that give all children the opportunity to learn about, enjoy and explore music. It meets all the required standards, skills and knowledge needed for a full, holistic music education and supports the expectation that music is for all. To reinforce our school values of love, aspiration and community, we have adopted a cross-curricular approach to learning, with each half-termly unit exploring one of six different social themes. Taking into account the rich and varied musical backgrounds that the children bring to the classroom, these lessons not only build upon what the children already know, but also create exciting challenges to extend their knowledge and skills even further.

Implementation

In each year group, lessons are planned carefully to ensure that the children develop musicianship across the following key areas:

Listening
Singing
Playing
Improvising
Composing
Performing

Songs are at the heart of every single music lesson and all children learn vocal and instrumental skills with a range of tuned and untuned percussion instruments, such as the glockenspiel, recorder and keyboard. We have a well-resourced music studio and weekly lessons are taught across the school by a specialist music teacher. We have strong links with Richmond Music Trust, who provide us with external tutors to take individual instrumental lessons. We offer a range of extra-curricular opportunities such as non-selective KS1 and KS2 choirs, Mini Maestros, Rock Band and two different Orchestras.

To enable the children to continue with their learning outside of the classroom, the children are provided with their own login to access Yumu, a secure online creative workspace, where they can explore music projects, apps and resources. Singing is integral to the life of the school and children are given the opportunity to perform their musical skills throughout the year in assemblies, church services, music concerts, Infant Nativities, the Junior Carol Concert and the Year 6 production.

We appreciate that role that music has in building community and at Holy Trinity School we seek ways to provide the children with this opportunity. We take part in an annual borough-wide celebration of music at the Rose Theatre in Kingston, a performance at the O2 and a production with Prom Praise 4 Schools at the Royal Albert Hall. All of these opportunities give the children a deeper understanding of community, resilience and dedication.

Impact

Children progress through the school with ever increasing musical skills, knowledge and appreciation. A love of music is shared throughout the school, reinforcing our value of community and providing a sense of collaborative achievement and wellbeing. Our pupils’ successes as musicians are celebrated through purposeful opportunities, which enable them to demonstrate and present their knowledge and skills through performances to their peers and the wider school community. At the end of every half term, each unit of learning ends with the children having the opportunity to perform one of the songs explored throughout the unit. Value is placed on pupil reflection and self assessment and at different assessment checkpoints, pupil progress is tracked according to specific learning outcomes.

Music

Intent

Implementation

Impact

Love learning, Love one another, Love God