Music

Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. At Riverside we provide a  high-quality music education which engages and inspires pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As pupils progress, they develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon.

Music is an essential part of the curriculum and an integral part of our culture. We ensure that we match the skills and aptitudes of all our pupils so that they can develop an understanding of melody, harmony and composition within the creative process that is ‘music’.

The national curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils:  

• Perform, listen, review and evaluate music across a range of historic periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians.
• Learn to sing and use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence.
• Understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the interrelated dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notions. 

We cover all of the National Curriculum requirements for music including the teaching of whole class instruments such as ukulele, keyboard and recorder. The focus of the lesson is to ensure participation for all in a fun, hands on, practical music lesson. Singing, Playing, Listening and Composing are the four key target objectives for each music lesson taught. This gives all children the best possible musical experience during their primary school career.

Early Years Foundation Stage

Within Nursery and Reception, the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework is followed. The ‘Music’ aspect of the curriculum is within 'Expressive Arts and Design'. 

Music teaching is taught as discrete units of work and also, where appropriate, links are made to the overall topics or themes of the half-term. Within the EYFS, children learn to:

•  listen attentively to music, rhymes, and songs, paying attention to how they sound and how they make them feel
• express their feelings and responses to music through movement, singing, and talking
• notice and discuss changes in music, such as shifts in tempo, volume, or pitch
• sing in a group or on their own, gradually matching the pitch and following the melody
• explore and engage in music-making, creating their own sounds and rhythms, either individually or in groups.
• experiment with different sounds and ways of changing them, such as through percussion instruments or body percussion.

Key Stage 1 Pupils will be taught to:

• Use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes.
• Play tuned and untuned instruments musically.
• Listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high-quality live and recorded music.
• experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the inter-related dimensions of music

Key Stage 2 Pupils will be taught 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 from different traditions and from great composers and musicians
• develop an understanding of the history of music.