Music Statement of Intent

Music plays a crucial role at St Simon’s and is deeply embedded within the heart of the school community.  Every child is encouraged to fulfil their potential in the subject with the option to take individual instrumental tuition and join extra-curricular groups. We aim to provide high quality musical opportunities for all children to experience music, in a wide variety of styles through performing, composing and listening, and to enable each child to experience a sense of achievement and enjoyment through music. Music is an inclusive, levelling subject which all children can participate in, regardless of ability.   

Implementation

Music in St Simon’s is taught weekly across all year groups from Year R to Year 6 by a specialist music teacher. We have additional lessons in Ukulele taught to Year 4 by a peripatetic teacher provided by Kent Music School.

We provide a broad and balanced curriculum with continuity and progression throughout the school, focussing on the three key areas of performing, listening and composing with singing at its core.

We provide opportunities for the children to:  

Rehearse and perform in a wide range of settings, as part of a group or by themselves, developing their self-confidence.
Develop their creativity and increase their understanding of music through carefully structured composing activities.
Listen perceptively and sensitively to music, identifying features related to mood or particular elements of music.
Equip themselves with the necessary skills and knowledge to further their achievement in and enjoyment of music.
Develop skills which are also relevant to other areas of learning, such as teamwork and listening skills.
Establish from Reception through to year 6 a code of conduct related to rehearsing, performing, composing and listening activities.
 

Extra-Curricular Music

Pupils in Key Stage 2 are given the opportunity to take part in our school choir. The choir meet weekly and our taught by our music teacher. They participate in a number of activities such as supporting the singing at monthly masses and feast days at the church and other events in the wider community.

Children have the opportunity to take part in additional private instrumental lessons arranged via Kent Music School. We as a school have funded some of this tuition for pupils via our Pupil Premium Funding as we feel there should be no financial barriers to children learning to play an instrument.
 

Impact

Music is in itself an intrinsically valuable and worthwhile subject which benefits children’s learning across the curriculum. Regular engagement in musical activities makes children more sensitive to sound, improves their fine muscle control and improves the communication between the two hemispheres of the brain. Music lessons can improve reading fluency and language development as well as spatial and geometric sense.

Performing with their peers develops self-esteem, confidence, friendship and teamwork.
Music is a loyal, lifelong companion giving context to an individual’s life acting as a wordless, emotionally expressive universal language, defining cultures and historical events and essential for mental wellbeing. 

At Simon’s our aim is to engender in the children a lasting interest and enjoyment of music.