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Music
Music is the organisation of sound in order to express ourselves.
Vision for Music
At Oatlands Junior School, the high-quality Music Curriculum aims to engage and inspire 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 will develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon.
For children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities to experience success, enjoyment and embrace learning in music, barriers to learning and participation are removed through additional support and / or adapted provision.
Long Term and Music Development Plan
Music Subject Leader - Kate Ritchie
National Curriculum Aims
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 interrelated dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.
How Music is taught and what it looks like at OJS
Music is taught by a specialist music teacher from each year group, using carefully adapted lessons from the new SingUp Music Scheme. Each pupil will have 1 hour of music each week every 2 out of 3 weeks as well as a 20-minute singing assembly.
Each half-term focuses on a new style of music to deliver the key learning specified in the National Curriculum. Children are given opportunities to listen, appraise, compose and perform music in groups as well as on their own using their voices and a broad range of instruments.
Outside of the pupils’ timetabled music lessons each week, we have a wide range of additional opportunities: individual Encore instrumental lessons, music afterschool clubs and whole-class violin lessons in Year 3. The musical talent of our pupils is something we keenly celebrate, encouraging pupils to perform to their class, school and wider community in school assemblies, especially during key celebrations across the year, including the Harvest Festival, Christmas, Easter and end of year celebrations. We also encourage our musicians to take part in wider opportunities in our local area, including Young Voices and the Harrogate Competitive festival for Music.
The design and pedagogical approach to the music curriculum is further captured in the Curriculum Handbook for staff.
What your child will leave OJS knowing, understanding and appreciating in Music
By the end of your child's time here with us at Oatlands Junior School, they will have a real sense of enthusiasm and passion for music and its place in their lives and others, across different settings, times and cultures. They will be able to talk about musicians and pieces of music they have enjoyed listening to and explain why using musical terminology; they will be able to talk confidently about and appreciate the range and families of instruments that exist; they will develop their musical performance skills and have time to rehearse, evaluate and refine solo, group and whole class performances of things that they have composed and most importantly, they will be able to reflect fondly on those memorable moments where they have watched or performed in school-wide celebrations such as Christmas performances, the Harvest festival and our Remembrance services or perhaps even inter-school competitions and concerts!
What pupils at OJS think about Music
'I enjoy learning to play the violin and using the bow.' ~ Year 3 Pupil
'I like singing and learning to play different instruments!' ~ Year 4 Pupil
'You get to discover a new passion for an instrument!' ~ Year 5 Pupil
'I like making songs with my friends.' ~ Year 6 Pupil
