At St Cuthbert Mayne we recognise that the appreciation and love of listening to and making music will last them a lifetime.

As the National Curriculum states:

Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. A high-quality music education should 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 should 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 integral part and key component of our school life at St Cuthbert Mayne and daily children sing and listen to music. In particular, singing is one way our school develops the whole school ethos by:

• Developing spirituality and contribution to our Catholic community.
• Building a sense of community, contribution and togetherness children work collaboratively and are joyful together.
• Impacting attitudes through building confidence, supporting others and celebrating success. Children gain a sense of wellbeing and self-esteem through expressing themselves.

We learn and practise songs as a whole school, not only to develop specific music skills but to support the development of the individual and the whole school community. This happens weekly.

Through weekly music lessons, children participate in and are taught how to develop singing, tuned and untuned percussion work, composition, and listening to live and recorded music. When the children are ready, musical notation is taught and children are taught correct musical terminology e.g. rhythm, melody, pitch, dynamics.

We teach the National Curriculum in Key Stages One and Two and as part of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriuclum in EYFS.

At Cuthbert Mayne, children are given opportunities to

• Listen to and discuss a wide range of music
  • this might be recorded, live, performed by professionals or other children in the school
• Respond to music
  • through movement, dance, art and words
• Perform music
  • through singing, chants and raps and instruments
  • to their peers
  • to their parents and the community
  • to wider audiences
• Create music
  • through playing instruments – percussion, tuned, untuned
  • through using their voices and singing
  • through composition
  • through working with others in their class, school or community
• Record music
  • through signs and symbols
  • through conventional notation
  • using digital media

In Year Two and Three, all children learn the recorder which often inspires them for learning other instruments in the future. We currently have a performing arts club and ukulele club that meet each week and children have opportunities to learn orchestral instrument through individual tuition in Key Stage Two.

Music Curriculum Map - find out more about your child's learning in Music throughout their time at St. Cuthbert Mayne.