Music

Our vision for Music at St Paul's is to inspire all children to develop a life-long love of music, where they can learn to respect and appreciate the music of all traditions and communities and provide opportunities for self-expression. Through an engaging and stimulating music curriculum, children will develop confidence, thinking and creative skills and improve emotional well-being. 

Here you will find information about some of the exciting music projects and learning experiences which the children participate in at St Paul's. 

“Music education can help spark a child's imagination or ignite a lifetime of passion. When you provide a child with new worlds to explore and challenges to tackle, the possibilities are endless. Music education should not be a privilege for a lucky few, it should be a part of every child's world of possibility.”  Hillary Clinton

Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.”  Plato

Curriculum Intent

The National Curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils:
• Perform, listen to, review and evaluate music
• Be taught to sing, create and compose music
• Understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated.

At St Paul’s our intention is that children gain a firm understanding of what music is through listening, singing, playing, evaluating, analysing, and composing across a wide variety of historical periods, styles, traditions, and musical genres. Our objective at St Paul’s is to develop a curiosity for the subject and an understanding of the value and importance of all types of music to their own and other people’s lives and well-being. We are committed to ensuring children understand the value and importance of music in the wider community, and are able to use their musical skills, knowledge, and experiences to involve themselves in music, in a variety of different contexts, thereby developing a life-long love of music.

Curriculum Implementation
As a school, we use Kapow's Primary Music scheme to support our teaching and learning of music. Units of lessons develop pupils’ knowledge and skills across the areas of listening, composing, performing and the interrelated dimensions of music (pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, textures and structure). The scheme uses a spiral curriculum, where previously taught skills and knowledge are built upon as the child progresses through the school. 

The music curriculum ensures students sing, listen, play, perform and evaluate. This is embedded in the classroom teaching as well as the weekly singing assemblies, various concerts and performances, the learning of instruments, musician visitors and the option to join our extra-curricular musical activities. 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 learn to understand the different principles of creating notes, as well as how to read basic music notation. They also learn how to compose focussing on different dimensions of music, which in turn feeds their understanding when listening, playing, or analysing music.  

Foundation Stage

In Nursery music is taught through Jolly Music in Nursery and in Reception through Kapow. Music is also taught through links to the half termly themes, all of which cover the skills in the EYFS Development Matters. There is a focus on exploring and responding to sound and music with a large selection of musical instruments and the use of body percussion, as well as reciting Nursery Rhymes and singing songs.

Key Stage 1

In KS1 children are taught music through carefully planned lessons involving singing, body percussion and the use of tuned and untuned percussion instruments, encompassing all musical elements. Lessons use a mixture of Kapow and teacher’s own lesson plans covering requirements in the National Curriculum and which introduce children to a variety of important/famous musicians and pieces of music across a wide variety of historical periods, styles, traditions, and musical genres.  

Key Stage 2

Key Stage 2 builds on this and each class is taught by specialist music teachers from Herts Music Service alongside teaching their own lessons and using Kapow.

In Years 3 to 6 children are taught by the specialist music teacher for one half of each term. Year 5 has ukulele lessons with a specialist teacher for the other half of each term. Years 3, 4 and 6 also have one half term each of ukulele lessons and then the class teacher teaches their own lessons over the other half terms, including the use of Kapow.

Alongside this, children from Year 3 upwards have the option to learn either the cornet, drums, violin, ukulele, flute or guitar through individual lessons provided by Herts Music Service. Children from year 3 can also join an after school choir which meets weekly and learns songs that are performed in school concerts, performances and events; in the local community; and at country wide concerts and events such as Young Voices.

External interests and talents are also encouraged and showcased in class and assembly, ensuring that everyone is challenged regardless of previous musical experience.

Curriculum Impact
Through a child’s journey at St Paul’s, their musical skills and understanding are built year on year. From singing simple songs from memory and performing simple rhythm patterns in KS1, to more advanced techniques skills, and understanding in lower KS2. This develops further in upper KS2 where the children are able to play an instrument confidently, and have the ability to read and follow a simple musical score. Throughout their time at St Paul's, the child’s enjoyment of music is a key element, running alongside the ‘taught’ musical skills and objectives.

Children develop an enormously rich musical palette as well as self-confidence; interactions with and awareness of others; the ability to share their own thoughts, opinions and ideas; and self-reflection.

Through music they develop an understanding of culture and history, both in relation to students individually, as well as ethnicities from across the world.

Children are able to enjoy music, in as many ways as they choose - either as listener, creator or performer. Children learn to foster their instrumental flare and use this as a form of expression. They take the skills they have learned and use them, should they ever develop an interest in music in their future lives.

Check out some of the websites and resources below for music.