Music

Hello, I'm Miss Wall, the music lead at Bidston Village CE Primary School. I'm passionate about encouraging children to develop a love for music by developing their knowledge of different musical genres and listening to different singers and instrumentalists.  I love teaching the children new songs and hearing them singing in assembly, in class and at events in the community.  Our spiral curriculum ensures that the children's skills are progressive throughout their time at Bidston Village CE Primary School and my ambition is that they leave appreciating, responding and relishing in their musical journey.

At Bidston Village CE Primary School, we believe '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.' (The National Curriculum in England Framework Document (DfE) 2014)

At Bidston Village CE Primary School we allow pupils to show their delight and curiosity in creating their own sounds. The children are encouraged to consider how music makes them feel and how it can move them deeply. Children are encouraged to listen and appraise to various styles of music so they can find the styles that invite them  ‘to explore the mystery that dances within your soul’ (K. Hall)  The music that we teach the children encourages their creativity, delight and curiosity whilst giving them the musical vocabulary and skills to explain their likes and dislikes. It is the aim of this policy that the needs of all children are met so they can reach their full potential musically. Pupils should be empowered to grow in their awareness of music and we offer opportunities for children to explore a wide variety of musical genres. Music is a unique way of communicating which can both inspire and motivate children. At Bidston Village CE Primary School, staff members encourage children to be creative, imaginative and reflective. Music provides the opportunity for personal expression and we believe it plays an integral part in the personal development of an individual.  It plays a part in developing children’s memory skills. Concentration, co-ordination and confidence.

The Charanga scheme we follow at Bidston Village CE Primary School, follows a spiral approach to musical learning, with children revisiting, building and extending their knowledge and skills incrementally. In this manner, their learning is consolidated and augmented, increasing musical confidence and enabling them to go further. Teaching is adapted to respond to the strengths and needs of the children in each class.  The lessons show clear progression, as well as engaging and exciting songs and opportunities for musical composition.  Children will learn to play the glockenspiel and build upon their learning from Year 1 – Year 6. Key Learning and Outcomes with ‘I Can’ statements are used alongside assessments.

Children are given opportunities to listen and appraise music from a wide range of genres of musical styles, including traditional, historical and current popular music.

I love learning new songs in assembly.

We learnt about Tina Turner this half term. Proud Mary is my favourite song.

The glockenspiel is my favourite.  I like playing along with the songs we've learnt.

When we learn new songs in our Charanga music lessons, I always make up actions so I can remember the words.