At Saint Joseph’s, the Borough, we recognise that music is a very valuable part of our school curriculum and a subject that is greatly enjoyed by many. We want the children to understand that music plays a central role in our celebration of the Liturgical Year and our Catholic way of life. It can also play a vital role in developing the skills and attitudes that can support learning in other subjects such as early reading and early number, particularly in the Foundation Stage. These skills include; listening, the ability to concentrate, creativity, intuition, aesthetic sensitivity, perseverance, the ability to collaborate, self-confidence and sensitivity towards others. We intend to provide a first-rate Music curriculum where pupils are engaged, inspired and curious to develop a love for a range of music and different musical styles from different periods in history and from across the globe. In turn, we intend that this fosters and develops their burgeoning talent as singers and musicians, allowing them to understand the validity and importance of music in society.
During their time at Saint Joseph’s, the Borough, children engage in a high quality Music curriculum using the National Curriculum from entry into Nursery until the end of Key Stage 2. In the Foundation Stage, music is incorporated into daily routines by the class adults and is used to enhance teaching of the core curriculum, particularly phonics and mathematics. This is further developed through the school by a specialist Music teacher working one day a week. This specialist offers discrete music sessions across the school throughout the year, weekly instrumental lessons in recorder to children in Years 5 and 6 and additional weekly after school group tuition in violin. These groups frequently perform with professional musicians at local venues such as St George the Martyr Church. In the discrete Music sessions pupils enjoy opportunities to control sounds through singing, playing, rehearsing and performing with others, normally linked to a theme from the wider curriculum, e.g. Humanities. They develop their own musical ideas through improvising, composing and appraising music by analysing, evaluating and discussing their responses to it. In Key Stage 1 and 2, children learn to recognise musical patterns and traditions across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of renowned composers and musicians from a variety of cultures. They also develop their understanding of musical notation, melody, pitch, rhythm and harmony and how to incorporate these skills into performances. African drumming tuition is offered on an annual basis to Year 5, who work with professional drummers, working toward a performance in the Southbank Centre for the Southwark Percussion Festival. Two nativity performances, Foundation Stage and Key Stage One, allow the younger children to perform in ensemble, while the annual Year 6 musical invariably draws a large audience. Weekly, whole school singing practice, overseen by the music specialist, supports components of our Catholic Life of the school such as our annual Christmas carol concert or Lenten Liturgies. Our Key Stage 2 choir plays a major role in those elements, and has also performed at the Tower of London, Shakespeare’s Globe and The Shard.
The large majority of our pupils will be working at least at age-related expectations for their year group at the end of each school year in Music and a significant proportion will be working beyond these expectations. Individual, group, class and whole school performances, particularly in singing, reflect the children’s sense of pride in their musical output. This is also demonstrated by creative outcomes across the wider curriculum where opportunities are maximised to incorporate musical objectives, namely RE. Saint Joseph’s pupils will be skilled singers who can readily express themselves in song, independently and collaboratively. They will be purposeful, animated musicians, who independently choose to pursue musical tuition outside of school continuing into their secondary experience. They will take full advantage of our close proximity to internationally prominent performance spaces such as the Royal Festival Hall, The Barbican, the Albert Hall and the O2 Arena to access national and international music when the opportunities arise. This in turn will hopefully allow them to begin to acquire the cultural capital and musical literacy they need as they move through their education.
