Music

Music Intent

 

At Christ Church, we aim to develop curiosity, enthusiasm and passion for music.  Every child is provided with the opportunity to develop an appreciation and understanding of music which they can continue throughout their lives.

 

Children will gain a firm understanding of what music is. Our children become critical listeners by responding to a wide range of different genres and periods of music, resulting in a deeper understanding.  By performing, they develop their vocal and instrumental skills and strive for musical excellence. Furthermore, an understanding of musical elements allows children to explore the ‘building blocks’ of music such as dynamic and musical notation.  Children learn independently through improvising and composing their own music.

 

We want to ensure that all children understand the importance of music in the wider community and are able to transfer their acquired musical skills as they progress throughout their education and beyond.

Spring Term 2022

 

In EYFS this term they have been listening to a wide range of music and discussing what they like and dislike about it. In Key stage 1 they have been listening to a range of live and recorded music and begun to identify the instruments that they can hear. 

 

In Key stage 2 they have been mind mapping the artists and music they have listened to, they looked at the difference between the music and how it made them feel when listening to it. 

  Year 5 they have been playing percussion instruments as part of an ensemble, they have also been using boomwhackers to play well know tunes. 

 

 

After Year 6 had learnt about river features, they listened to  ‘Mussorgsky Dawn’ composed on the Moskva-River which tells the journey of a river. 

The children’s composition:

Upper course – fast tempo/one dimension – springs and rapids.

Middle course – slower tempo/several dimensions – meanders.

Lower course – dynamic – wide area leading to the sea.

 

 

Autumn Term 2021 

 

There has been a lot of music going on this term at Christ Church.

 

EYFS & Key Stage 1 have been showcasing their music skills in their Christmas performance. It was lovely for all the children to have the opportunity to perform to both parents and pupils of the school.

 

Year 3 have been comparing music from different countries in Europe, they looked at the countries that they had been studying in Geography and learnt about the famous composers. They then discussed how these pieces of music were the different and any similarities that they had.

Year 4 have been looking at how different instruments are used in a range of musical styles. They listened to blues, jazz, country, rock, soul & hip-hop, and identified the different instruments they could hear. They then categorised each style of music based on what era it came from.

Year 5 have been learning about how developments in technology have changed and how music is performed and experienced. They focused on the Victorian era, taking into consideration that during this time technology was relatively new, and that the industrial revolution was making developing musical instruments cheaper and more popular. They also learnt that during this time changed the way music was performed – people started going to town halls to watch performances, it wasn’t just the aristocracy who could enjoy music.

Year 6 have been looking at music from other cultures. They looked at the samba and discussed the purpose of this music and how it made them feel. They listened to the music and identified that different rhythms build and layer to create a samba beat. They then recreated a samba beat using percussion instruments.

 

Autumn Term 2020

 

Reception children explore and practise their skills in imaginative ways. 

They have been junk modelling - here is the making stage of a guitar and the guitar being used in a singing performance!

    

They were also busy learning actions and songs for their Christmas performance.

 

In Year 1 they were getting ready to perform their Christmas performance virtually and the children learnt songs with actions. York class sang beautifully to 'It was on a starry night' and 'Rat a tat tat'. Hereford sang and performed to 'Away in a manger' and 'Little Donkey'. Winchester sang along to 'Silent night' and 'Come and join the celebration'. They also had to remember the actions to the four other songs. 

 

Year 2 were not able to perform the full Nativity that they would usually do at Christmas but they were still able to put together a wonderful performance and the details can be found here:  https://www.christchurch.bexley.sch.uk/year-2-christmas-performance/

 

In KS2 there was a range of music activities taking place, such as listening to and appreciating music from a range of composers, learning about the history of music, virtually exploring the sounds of different musical instruments and also making comparisons between music from different cultures.