At Rattlesden Primary School, our aim is for children to develop a lifelong love of music and the ability to understand key concepts of listening, singing, composing and performing. Children experience and enjoy different music traditions from a range of cultures, genres and eras. They are encouraged to evaluate and appraise a variety of music and use this to create their own compositions. This gives children the opportunity and belief in their musical ability, in which they can build on in KS3.
Music links throughout our curriculum, for example The Roman Song is enjoyed in our history topic, and maths and literacy are always fun when taught through music!
We aim to give all of our children, especially the most vulnerable a wide range of musical experiences, where they can achieve well and build confidence that spills over into other subjects and areas of their lives. Our music curriculum is supported by the Kapow music scheme to ensure high quality lesson, resources and curriculum coverage and progression.
Implementation
All classes have music lessons each week. Year 5 have a specialist music teacher for guitar tuition from the Suffolk County Music Service weekly. They are able to ‘play on’ in Year 6, with subsidy for children in receipt of Pupil Premium funding. In Year 6 the children learn the recorder, reading music and performing, plus continuing to learn key concepts.
We attend school events arranged by the Suffolk County Music Service. We also perform regularly during the year, including at services held in the church for the local community.
At Christmas we sing to the elderly community outside the local shop, with hot chocolate and carols.
The school also provides piano lessons for the children during the school day, which is again subsidised for those receiving Pupil Premium. We have a wide and high quality range of musical instruments available to all pupils, including instruments from other cultures and countries. We have weekly singing practice, accompanied by the piano. The children also sing as they enter the hall as part of our Collective worship.
Priorities for Music 2021-2022 Action Plan
1) Review COVID guidelines in relation to singing and whole school performance 2) Ensure that a progressive scheme of work is in place for R – Y6 3) Ensure that there are enough resources to teach the curriculum.
Extra-curricular Experiences
Every year young musicians from 22 primary schools from across Suffolk had the chance to perform at The Apex in Bury St Edmunds.
The Suffolk County Music Service holds two large scale music performance events at the respected Bury St Edmunds venue, beginning each day with morning workshops, followed by a mass rehearsal in the afternoon and then a concert before an audience. All the children have been learning to play an instrument this year as part of the Whole Class Ensemble Teaching programme delivered in schools by the Suffolk County Music Service’s tutors.
After the morning workshops, the children’s afternoon performances are individual school instrumental items and massed song and instrumental pieces in front of audiences of their parents, head teachers and school governors. The schools taking part include Bacton, Chilton, Gt Barton, Guildhall Feoffment, Rattlesden, Risby, Sextons Manor, St Edmunds, Stonham Aspal and The Freeman Abbots Green, Bosmere, Combs Ford, Hardwick, Ickworth park, Combs Ford, Norton, Ringshall, Rougham, Stanton, Glade, Tollgate and Woolpit.
Sometimes in a small school you have to work where you can! Here we are using our beautiful meadow when learning about Ostinato and trying out our own rhythms surrounded by nature!