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Music

Music is at the heart of our creative curriculum, and all pupils enjoy the recognised benefits of a musical education.  Every pupil participates in Singing Assemblies, and all KS1 and KS2 pupils have weekly, hour long, classes with a specialist teacher in our well-resourced Music Room, where they actively and creatively participate in developing a range of musical skills and learning. Our EYFS and Reception children experience ongoing and integrated musical learning, alongside their other classroom activities.

How Music is taught at Telferscot

Progression through Infant and Junior classes is built around familiarising pupils with the key musical elements: rhythm, pulse, melody, harmony, pitch, dynamics, structure and tempo. These elements are explored through a bespoke curriculum and wide range of activities (singing, dancing, playing instruments, games, listening), mediums (notation, composition, rote learning and improvisation) and themes, including cross curricular topics which reflect the school curriculum, and celebrate the diverse cultures of Telferscot families, and the world around us, past and present.  

 

As well as weekly class lessons, Telferscot pupils can take part in extra-curricular musical activities, including Infant Choir, Junior Choir, Strings Club and Samba Band.  KS2 pupils, who express an interest in learning an instrument, are also able to receive weekly guitar, violin and ‘cello lessons, taught by our three peripatetic teachers.

What our children learn about Music

MUSIC 23-24

Autumn 1

 

Autumn 2

 

Spring 1

Spring 2

Summer 1

Summer2

EVENTS

BHM

WINTER SHOW – KS1 & KS2

STRINGS CLUB CONCERT

GUITAR CONCERT

RCM GAMELAN TRIP

ORCHESTRAL CONCERT TRIP

SC CONCERT 2

SUMMER SHOWCASE

CURRIC

MUSIC/storytelling

DT/RE

HISTORY/WRITING,

DRAMA

GEOGRAPHY/SCIENCE

 

 

 

YEAR 1

Musical Foundations:

Watching, listening, stopping, starting skills through circle games, movement, song, and handheld percussion instruments

+

Creepy Castle story

piece (DYNAMICS & INSTRUMENTATION) using voices and instruments as sound effects.

Winter Performance:

Songs & Readings

+

Can you feel the beat? Marching, dancing, playing instruments and circle games to understand and feel pulse/beat and its role in music.

+

DT & Music: tittorea/rhythm sticks from New Zealand – explore beat and introduce rhythm element using own instruments.

Playground Games from the Past

(Victorian History)

Develop confidence in beat, rhythm and co-ordination by learning clapping and playground games/ rhymes in pairs, and as a class ensemble.

+

Learn about the history of games and how children played in the past.

Travelling Around The World: Sea Shanties and Train Travel

Explore international folk songs - including use of melody and rhythm when working - about life at sea and on the railroads.

+

Write and perform own versions of a popular shanty.

+

Explore use of symbols and sounds to help to notate rhythms

 

 

 

Caribbean Odyssey: music, song and dance from Jamaica - focus on Bob Marley, Koffee, Miss Lou and reggae – in continued exploration of beat, rhythm, melody, dynamics, instrumentation and genre.

 

 

Trinidad, Tobago, Carnival, Calypso: music, songs and dancefocus on Harry Belafonte, Calypso Rose, steel pan bands, carnival, and calypso/soca - in continued exploration of beat, rhythm, duration, melody, dynamics, instrumentation. and genre.

 

 

 

 

 

YEAR 2

Musical Foundations

RHYTHM focus – looking at music from Cuba (final Caribbean Island in unit) with clave rhythm focus

+

Traditional Tale set to music – children decide which sounds where: Bossy Gallito (Cuba)/Jack and Beanstalk/Anansi

 

 

 

 

Winter Performance:

Songs & Readings

+

Introduction to the ukulele: understanding how sound is made in string instruments; how to look after/hold/identify the different parts of the ukulele and strum first chords.

+

DT: box zithers/guitars/sitars/ghuzeng from Spain, China, Germany, Pakistan

 

The Great Fire of London singing and playing (tuned percussion and Boomwhackers) 2 and 4-part rounds and class ensemble pieces.

+

Write new lyrics and perform own versions of well-known rounds.

Music For Special Occasions:

Including Happy Birthday from around the world, sung and played on instruments; listening to and writing fanfares; Indian wedding music and dance; djembe pieces for a range of occasions.

Treble Clef Notation – Introduction to the treble clef, pitch, and stave.

 

Children will learn how to recognize and draw different symbols on the stave, using the giant floor stave to assist learning and listen to and discuss different voices, instrumental families amd musica; genres.

 

 

Treble Clef Notation –cont’d

Write, read and play first compositions on Boom whackers and tuned percussion using suggested notes and structure.

 

YEAR 3

PULSE/BEAT consolidating pulse/beat keeping skills acknowledging different time signatures and combining body percussion and popular songs including:

We Will Rock You

Hambone

On Top Of The World

 

RHYTHM NOTATION

reminder of treble clef notation & development of rhythm notation, using crotchets, quavers, minims and rests.

+

Class instrument: children will start learning how to play the ocarina and learn how wind instruments make sounds

+

DT: Pan Pipes

+

Winter Concert songs

 

 

Here Come The Vikings!

Using prior and current learning about the Vikings, including their musical lives, children will write, notate and perform a class longboat chant.

+

 learn about the Viking sagas through song:  BBC Song Sagas

Class Instrument: Ocarina

continued learning of ocarina and treble clef notation and reading

 

 

 

 

Egyptian Music

Synthesis of historic exploration and writing songs using scales.

 

Create, notate rhythm and notes of an Egyptian piece, based on what we know about their instruments and musical lives.

 

Listen to a range of Egypt inspired songs and Egyptian music.

 

Class instrument: ukulele: revisit ukulele from Y2 introduction, learning chord symbols and new chords, F, Am

+

start accompanying and singing together:  Bruno Mars ‘When I See Your Face’

 

 

 

 

YEAR 4

Class instrument: ocarina (cont’d)

+

The Orchestra + Peter & The Wolf: recognizing orchestral instruments and sounds and appreciating musical characterization using the Suzie Templeton animation

 

READING TREBLE CLEF AND RHYTHM NOTATION: consolidation of notation writing, reading and playing skills.

+

Create, notate and perform new Peter and the Wolf character themes, using selected instruments, notes and rhythms and according to the characters personalities and movements.

+

DT: clay animal guiros

+

Winter Concert songs

 

Were the Roman’s Musical?

Investigate what we know (and how) about Romans musical lives, then create a layered ‘scratch’ class composition in the style of Roman music

+

Learn and perform Just Like A Roman song

ROTE MUSIC: RHYTHM

Learning a Capella songs (including Cup Song and West African songs) and body percussion through listening/watching, and exploring other genres (jazz, hip hop, blues, gospel) which use rote learning and improvisation.

+

Class instrument: djembe rote learning, improvisation and drum notation

Tudor Music using treble clef notation write ocarina fanfares and perform original Tudor dances for different purposes and different people.

 

 

Class Instrument: ukulele

Extend chord repertoire (G7, Dm, Em) and introduce some strumming patterns to accompany new songs.

 

 

YEAR 5

Class Ukuleles cont’d

New chords + exploration of country/hip hop crossover and other music genres through pupil choice of songs

Oldtown Road

Cupid Shuffle

Shakespeare & Music

(Midsummer Night’s Dream + Tempest): music from Shakespeare’s time and the role of music in his plays + Shakespeare and hio hop, sonnet raps, four-part rounds & Romeo & Juliet influenced music, including Taylor Swift ‘Love Story’ on ukuleles

+

DT: shekere (West Africa)

+

Winter Concert Songs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Music from China

Learn about the pentatonic scale, traditional Chinese instruments, and song Mo Li Hua

+

Start writing own ‘Mo Li Hua’ influenced pentatonic pieces for tuned percussion

 

 

 

 

 

Music From China

Compositions continued in pairs.  Performed using own notation and recorded.

Music from Oceania: ukuleles, song and body percussion.

 

Travelling around the Pacific region (New Zealand; Torres Strait; Samoa; Hawaii) to learn chants, songs, rhythm stick routines and ukulele pieces, including

Lava; Haka, Papa Wairi, Taba Naba, Tongo and songs from Moana

 

Music from Oceania cont’d

 

YEAR 6

Notation and scales/chords on ukuleles

+

12 Bar Blues: history, structure, influence, blues artists, and songs.

+

Winter Concert songs

 

12 bar blues cont’d - write own blues songs and look at wide ranging influence of the genre including R&B, rock and roll and funk

+

Chuck Berry focus: Johnny B Goode + Run, Run Rudolph

+

DT: tubular bells (plastic)

+

Winter Concert songs

 

WW1 & 2 Songs & Protest Songs in various genres

Look at song structure, context, lyrical content, dynamics tempo and performers.

Sing and play ukuleles.

Indonesian Music: explore angklung and gamelan music (structure; tonality, instrumentation etc.) on whole class tuned percussion and use to accompany Wayang shadow puppetry tales.

Visit RCM gamelan workshop.

 

Music Theatre and end of year  production: tbc

Production: tbc

How we enhance our children's experience of Music at Telferscot

Sharing developing musical skills in an encouraging and inspiring environment is a vital part of our provision, and is supported by internal and external performance opportunities, as well as trips to concerts and shows, and visits by professional musicians. Typically, these include the annual Summer Showcase, featuring our larger ensembles including Junior Choir, Strings Club and Samba Band, as well as termly instrumental concerts for parents and families, and annual concerts with Lambeth Music Service.  

In previous years, musical opportunities have included Year 5 pupils taking part in a Samba percussion workshop, the Junior Choir returning to the 02 Arena to perform at the Young Voices 25th Anniversary concert, Year 3 pupils going to see the London Philharmonic Orchestra perform at the Royal Festival Hall, Year 6 pupils attending the West End performance of the Lion King, and the Infant and Junior Choirs performing at Lambeth Assembly Rooms, Brixton.

Click here to read a parent's guide for our Music provision
Click here to read our School Music Development Plan Summary 2024 - 2025