Music
Subject Leader – Mrs Bancroft
At St. Mary’s and St. Benedict’s Primary School, our high-quality Music curriculum aims to fulfil the requirements of the National Curriculum in an exciting and challenging way. We follow the National Curriculum objectives for Music and have adapted the curriculum to suit our needs as a school.
In Music children are encouraged to develop a number of skills which are often transferable across the curriculum.
The national curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils:
Perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians.
Learn to sing and to 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 inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations
We use Charanga Musical School to enhance the teaching of Music from Reception to Year 6. The children explore musical genres each year during discreet music lessons but will also explore their music skills through topic and seasonal times of the year.
Our Music specialist Miss Galea comes into school to teach Ukulele with our Year 4 children and each year, we perform at The Celebration of Music Festival at Preston Guild Hall.
Our Music groups
Miss Galea also delivers a guitar club with our Year 5 children. Each year before Christmas, our guitar club and some members of our school choir usually go to care homes to sing a medley of Christmas songs. This year the children recorded a video of their Christmas songs for the residents to enjoy.
Our school choir meet regularly to practice and perform songs. At Christmas time, they usually go to care homes to perform to the residents. They are involved in a number of events throughout the year, including during our whole school masses and our Christmas Musical Showcase. Every spring, the choir also get to perform at the May Flower Festival at St. Mary's Parish.
Our Christmas Musical Showcase
Each year the children in Key Stage 2 practise a song or an instrumental performance for our Christmas Musical Showcase. The rest of the school love watching the performances, which range from individual piano playing, songs from the school choir, songs accompanied with instruments (ukulele, guitar, recorder, glockenspiel etc) to anti bullying raps.
The Blessing of the Crib and Christmas Nativity
Our Reception class perform ‘The Blessing of the Crib’ each year where children use the crib figures to deliver the Christmas message. The children sing a selection of Nativity songs and some children use instruments too. This year the children were recorded performing 'The Blessing of the Crib'. Well done to all the children in Barlow class for an excellent performance!
Our Key Stage 1 children perform a Christmas Nativity every year which tells us the story of Christmas through the use of acting, songs and dances. This year was slightly different as the children were recorded. Well done to all the children in Key Stage 1 for your fantastic performance!
Music Lessons
Learning to play an instrument requires practice and patience, but it is a very rewarding experience. There are many ways to take lessons and you can learn individually or in a group setting.
You can take music lessons during the school day with a teacher from the Lancashire Music Service. Please follow this link to learn about your options and to apply: https://www.lancashiremusichub.co.uk/site/parents/find-lessons/
If you would prefer to take lessons after school, there are music centres within Lancashire that have individual tuition and beginner ensembles available. This is the link with information about music centres throughout the county and what they offer: https://www.lancashiremusichub.co.uk/site/parents/music-centres-and-groups/
Please stop by Mrs. Bancroft's classroom with any questions you may have about starting music lessons. Alternatively, you can contact Mr. Christopher Cull, Head of the Preston Music Centre from the Lancashire Music Service, to enquire about lessons. His e-mail address is christopher.cull@lancashire.gov.uk
SEND Pupils
For further information on how we cater for the needs of SEND pupils, please visit our SEND page and refer to our SEND policy.