Music at St. Matthias
“Music is the tool to express life – and all that makes a difference.” – Herbie Hancock
The role of Music
Music is an integral part of life and develops people in broad and varied ways. Each child should have the opportunity to engage in musical experiences. Learning music develops all aspects of children’s earning, from physical activity, co-ordination, cultural awareness and even mathematical applications as well as the ability to create and express freely. At St. Matthias, children have access to music through weekly classroom lessons and singing assemblies.
Musical skills
Children develop skills in listening, playing, creating and performing throughout the year. Each year group follows a topic or theme based around an artist or musical genre that changes each half term. The music curriculum is based around the Charanga scheme of work, ensuring that a variety of musical skills are experienced during each lesson. The range of artists and styles covered also expose children to a rich mix of cultures as well as teaching the significance of music in a historical context. Music also allows children to develop self-esteem, self-discipline, cooperation, creativity and self-motivation. A key part of lessons is to expose children to a variety of music and musical language and to allow them to develop an understanding and opinion about what they are listening to.
To see our music curriculum and progression between year groups, please click here. It indicates the theme, genre or musician that is the core to the teaching of musical skills. Lessons in the Early Years are based around games and simple songs to begin to teach children the fundamental aspects of music and can be linked to topics being covered in class.
“Music brings a warm glow to my vision, thawing mind and muscle from their endless wintering.” Haruki Murakami