Music Intent

Music is a language of the emotions. It develops people’s spiritual, social and cultural dimensions, heightening the intellectual, creative and aesthetic faculties, as well as developing coordination, fine motor and social skills. This development of the practical, the analytical and the creative areas of the brain is fundamental to music making.

The high quality music education at St Peter's engages and inspires pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increases their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As pupils progress they develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to perform, compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon.

Our curriculum is underpinned by quality world music which motivates and engages the children leading to quality music outcomes. The National Curriculum is followed and delivered through meaningful learning activities ensuring that all children:

• Improvise and Compose
• Sing and Play
• Listen and Appraise

Music Implementation

All children at St Peter’s sing every day and play a musical instrument each week. The music curriculum ensures children sing, listen, play, perform and evaluate. This is embedded in the classroom activities as well as the weekly singing assemblies, various concerts and performances, the learning of instruments and singing in choirs. 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. In the classroom children learn how to play an instrument, from all four main instrument groups of wind, strings, percussion and keyboards. In doing so to understand the different principle of each method of creating notes, as well as how to read basic music notation. They also learn how to compose, focusing on different dimensions of music, which in turn feeds their understanding when listening, playing, or analysing music. Composing or performing using body percussion and vocal sounds is also part of the curriculum, which develops the understanding of musical elements without the added complexity of an instrument.

The school takes full advantage of it's music partners:

• The YAA Centre                                             https://yaacentrew9.com/
• The Rhythm Studio Academy of Music     https://www.therhythmstudio.co.uk/
• Paddington Arts                                            https://www.paddingtonarts.org.uk/
• The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra            https://www.classicalroadshow.co.uk/
• The Tower of London                                   https://watercitymusic.com/
• The Triborough Music Hub                         https://www.triboroughmusichub.org/

Music Impact

Whilst in school, children have access to a varied programme, which allows them to discover areas of strength, as well as areas they might like to improve upon. The integral nature of music and the learner creates an enormously rich palette from which a child may access fundamental abilities such as: achievement, self-confidence, interaction with and awareness of others, and self-reflection. Music will also develop an understanding of culture and history, both in relation to children 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. They can dissect music and comprehend its parts. They can sing and feel a pulse. They have an understanding of how to further develop skills less known to them, should they ever develop an interest in their lives.