Music

Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. At St. Joseph’s we intend to deliver an exciting, innovative, high-quality Music curriculum. This will engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and increase self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. This high-quality music education will also provide all pupils with the opportunity to sing and to learn a musical instrument. Pupils will leave school with an appreciation of how music is composed and performed, allowing them to listen with discrimination and judgement.

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In music lessons, pupils use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes. Assemblies also provide an opportunity to practice singing. There is an opportunity for KS2 children to join the choir and be involved in a number of performances throughout the school year, in and around the local area. All children across the school have opportunities throughout the year to develop their performance skills.

Throughout KS1 and KS2, pupils are taught to play a variety of instruments musically and encouraged to play together in class ensemble groups. We encourage listening to a wide range of music with concentration and understanding. At times, music lessons are linked to Topic work and music is used in a variety of lessons and activities to create, mood, atmosphere and to help thinking. The Charanga schemes of work, linked to the National Curriculum, also support our teaching of music across the school.

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, pitch, tempo and dynamics. Children are taught how to work with others to make music and how individuals combine together to make sounds. We also teach how to read basic music notation and how to compose music. 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.

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All children at St. Joseph’s receive a broad and balanced curriculum, recently updated for 2022. Every child, regardless of year group or ability, accesses all subjects on offer and Music is developed throughout the curriculum.

Children work both independently and as part of a group, ensuring skills of resilience and teamwork are promoted in Music. Children are enthused and engaged in the wide variety of musical activities and stimuli they are exposed to in Music.

Class trips, visitors and links within our local environment ensure our children understand the significance within the wider world; we ensure that these experiences excite and inspire children’s thirst for knowledge.

We have been awarded Artsmark Silver Award!

We are delighted to inform you that St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School has been awarded an Artsmark Silver Award. Congratulations!

Your Statement of Commitment and Statement of Impact have been assessed and we’re pleased to share this feedback from our assessors with you:

'St Joseph’s first Artsmark journey has taken placed against the backdrop of the pandemic and in the face of significant changes of staffing, leadership and adjustment to joining a new Trust. Despite these challenges, you have developed your creative curriculum, weaving the arts into your provision. You have supported staff with internal CPD in Art and Dance and have engaged specialist support for training in Music, which is a strength. Your Body Percussion project, the Ten Pieces project, the composition of a school song and the choir’s involvement in the Mouth of the Tyne festival have all engaged the children strongly in their learning. You have seen tangible benefits of using the arts to support other learning and you have also seen how your arts clubs have benefited pupil wellbeing. Your YouTube channel increased your showcasing of the children’s talents and the profiling of the arts to parents. You have created an Arts Council and it would be good now to build on your involvement of children in the planning and delivery of authentic arts experiences and performances. The development of further opportunities for Dance and Drama might be modelled on your successes in Music. You can explore further links with arts organisations and creative practitioners to develop your curriculum offer, support staff progression and further enrich your children’s experiences. Perhaps you might involve your children in reviewing how their arts experiences and learning reflect and celebrate the diversity of society? The further development of the use of the arts to support the wellbeing of your more vulnerable pupils will be of real benefit. You have a strong understanding of what the arts can bring to your children’s learning and their personal development. We look forward greatly to reading of the impact that this has as your journey continues.'

Congratulations on your Artsmark Silver Award!

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