Intent

At St Lawrence School, we aim to make musicians out of every child through giving them access to an engaging and exciting music curriculum. It is our intent to provide children with a broad and balanced Music Curriculum which will stimulate their curiosity. The curriculum has been carefully curated to reflect not only the world our children live in now, but also to give them access to music throughout history and from different cultures around the world. Through our broad music curriculum children learn to listen to, appraise, perform and compose music in a range of different styles. They develop a musical vocabulary that they can use confidently.

At St Lawrence School we believe that music is important in being a part of our school community. This includes being part of our whole school choir and having the opportunity to sing in Collective Worships and Key Stage performances. This develops our children’s sense of belonging and their confidence and awareness when performing.

Implementation

Music at St Lawrence is taught in units each with a focus of composition, music appreciation or performance. Over the course of each unit in weekly lessons, children will have the opportunity to explore different styles of music. They will learn how to sing fluently and expressively, using their voice for different effects singing in small and large groups. Children have the opportunity to perform as group and whole school choirs at events throughout the year including our KS1 Nativity, KS2 Cantata and Collective Worships. This includes the opportunity to sing in parts using harmonies and grow their confidence to sing solos.

They will learn how to play tuned and untuned instruments accurately and with confidence, control and accuracy. The elements of music are taught in the classroom lessons so that children are able to use some of the language of music to dissect it, and understand how it is made, played, appreciated and analysed. Children will begin to recognise and name the inter related dimensions of music - pitch, duration, tempo, texture, timbre, structure and dynamics and use these in their improvisations and compositions, using appropriate notations.

Impact

During their time at St Lawrence school children develop a love for and an understanding of music from across the world and through the ages. They grow in confidence as listeners, performers and composers. As listeners, children develop the technical and practical knowledge to evaluate and respond thoughtfully to pieces of music. Our children show an appreciation and respect for a range of music from a variety of genres across a variety of generations. As performers, through a variety of opportunities to perform and make music children become confident and proficient musicians. Children have the freedom to create using a variety of different instruments and musical styles. As composers, children can use the skills that they have developed to improvise, create and compose music, both on their own and with others. They use their technical knowledge to reflect on their own compositions and those of others.