St Joseph's Music
At St Joseph’s the 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 Joseph’s is to develop a curiosity for music, as well as an understanding and acceptance of the validity and importance of all types of music and an unbiased respect for the role that music may wish to be expressed in any person’s life.
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. We want music to inspire self-confidence in our children through development of a fun and safe learning environment and encourage a feeling of fellowship through shared creation and appreciation of music.
Our music curriculum ensures children sing, listen, play, perform and evaluate. This is embedded through weekly lessons of Music following the Charanga scheme of work. This is embedded in classroom activities as well as the weekly singing sessions through the Diocese Singing Program. A tutor comes into school every week to provide expert singing tuition to all year groups across school. Every child at St Joseph’s is given the opportunity to perform to each other in class and also to members of the wider community and their families through assemblies, Masses at church and class productions. It is really important that all children at St Joseph’s have access to individual and whole class music tuition. In Years 3, 4 and 5 all children learn a musical instrument. Through partnerships with Calderdale Music, children have access to individual 1:1 music tuition at any age. We have a school choir who have sung at many events including Calderdale Schools choir competition and Voices Together.
The elements of music are taught so that children are able to use some of the language of music to understand how it is made, played, appreciated and analysed. In lessons children learn about the sounds that instruments make, and in doing so, they become familiar with the method 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. 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.
Whilst at St Joseph’s children have the option to access individual instrumental or voice lessons and whole class tuition, which allows them to discover areas of strength, as well as areas they might like to improve upon. This is supported by Calderdale Music and the Diocese of Leeds.
The nature of music creates opportunities so children can 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 enjoy the feeling of togetherness created by singing together as a whole school. They are aware of how music can be an integral part of other school themes, such as mindfulness, growth mind-set and British values, through staff modelling and selection of musical choices integrated across the curriculum.