Music

Teaching the music curriculum

At Boughton-under-Blean and Dunkirk Methodist Primary School, we believe that music should be enjoyable for pupils and teachers and should enable all children to engage in a range of musical experiences, not limited to classroom teaching alone. As such, we aim for the profile of music to be felt across the school in so many aspects of what we do. Our core aim is that our pupils are introduced to the key areas of musical learning, igniting a love of music that will encourage them to build on their musical experiences now and in the future.

As the requirements for music in the National Curriculum are broad, we have developed a planning document that breaks down wider objectives into clear ‘Children can’ statements for every year group. These statements are separated into different strands of music and show the progression of skills being taught from Early Years to upper Key Stage Two. In Key Stage One, we cover listening, performing and composing, and in Key Stage Two, these strands are listening, performing, composing, musical notation and knowledge of music. Music in the Early Years is taught through expressive arts and design, communication and language, and physical development.

 

Music in collective worship

As a Methodist school, collective worship is an important part of our daily routine, part of which is worshipping through song. We have a long list of hymns that the children learn and practise once a week and we are always adding more to our repertoire. Singing is part of most collective worships and we are very proud of how well the children sing at Boughton.

Wider opportunities for music

1:1 music lessons

Many of the children in our school choose to take up individual music lessons, which are fitted within the school day. We offer many instruments, including piano, guitar, ukulele, drums, violin and a range of brass instruments. We have children as young as five years old learning these instruments, and we are always keen to celebrate these talents, such as through performances to the school and parents three times a year. If children are assessed to be graded, their successes are always celebrated, and certificates awarded within celebration assemblies with the whole school.

 

Young Voices

Every year, Key Stage Two children are offered the opportunity to join ‘Young Voices’. Young Voices is a huge event that runs across the country, whereby thousands of schools learn a selection of songs, chosen by the Young Voices charity organisation, to produce the largest school choir concerts in the world! The children sign up to our Young Voices club from September to January, during which time they learn the songs and dance routines, and when this ends, we go to the O2 arena to perform with thousands of other children as part of a real concert, where the school children form the choir. This is an amazing experience for the children, with some previous members describing the experience as “completely magical” and “the best day of (their) life!”

Find out more about Young Voices here: https://youngvoices.co.uk/

 

School Choir

We have a very talented school choir made up of children from Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 who participate in various events throughout the school year. These events include the village Lantern Parade; the Faversham Christmas lights switch-on; local Christmas carol concerts; singing for the elderly; and the Faversham Schools Choir Festival. While we are only a small choir, we are always very proud of the sound our children can produce!