Heathrow Primary School
At Heathrow Primary School we believe that all children share the capacity to sing, play and listen to music as well as performing, improvising and composing their own music. We believe that it is important to make sure that children experience a wide range of music and therefore we teach a music curriculum which allows the children potential for creative and personal expression. The main aim of our music curriculum in school is to inspire children to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians.
Intent
Our intent is that children have high quality opportunities to develop their musical skills and understanding through practical lessons. By the time children leave Heathrow Primary School they will have had the opportunity to sing, perform, play, compose and critique music from a variety of genres. Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. Our music education aims to engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement.
Implementation
Music lessons will have opportunities for the children to listen and critique composers, developing knowledge and skills in discussing the key elements of music: genre, tempo, pitch, timbre and dynamics. Key stage 1 music follows the Kapow Primary scheme where children will learn about the key skills of music through songs and creating music. Teachers will support the children in developing their knowledge of the key elements through the use of subject specific vocabulary, group games and the use of percussion instruments. Children have the opportunity to perform to songs, play instruments along with music as well as creating and performing their own music. In key stage 2 music is taught by specialist teachers, children enjoy listening and performing a range of songs each term. Children take part in practical lessons to build on their understanding of the key elements from KS1. Assessment will be ongoing and teachers will use this to inform planning and differentiation so all children are provided for. Symphony sheets are used to formally assess children against age related expectations at the end of each year. Our children, as musicians, will have a variety of experiences and opportunities both in and out of the classroom to listen, perform, compose and critique music that will allow them to develop their understanding and skills, including instrument lessons, a choir and Rock Steady.
Impact
Our children at Heathrow Primary School will be able to confidently talk about the music provision in school and what opportunities they have had to develop their skills and understanding. By the end of Key Stage 2 pupils will have had opportunities to:
Play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using their voices and playing musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression.
Improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the inter-related dimensions of music.
Listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory.
Use and understand staff and other musical notations.
Appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn form different traditions and from great composers and musicians.
Develop an understanding of the history of music.
The Young Voices experience is not simply a children’s choir concert, these are the largest children’s choir concerts in the world. Choirs will perform alongside 5,000-8,000 other children as a single choir to capacity audiences of family and friends. Listen to the Young Voices music for 2024 or practice in the car on the way to school.
Children taking part in YV have the opportunity to perform in some of the world’s greatest arenas alongside incredible artists. To achieve this with all their school friends around them for support, it helps their self-belief, self-motivation, confidence, and ability to communicate as part of a team - which is invaluable! Add to this the numerous health benefits of singing in rehearsals, including breathing exercises to focus the mind - it’s no wonder that Young Voices is over-subscribed year after year!
The concert is the culmination of a lot of hard work from your teachers and children.
Please see the provided online resources so that children can practise at home to support the rehearsals they are doing in school. Our songs are selected from a wide range of music styles to give the children the widest learning experience possible.