Music
‘As an overpowering art form, music can touch the soul.’
Music is an essential part of life and integral to the development of the whole person. At William Gilbert Endowed Primary School, whilst Christianity is the heartbeat of the school so music is its pulse. Music is used across the curriculum, and unites our school together, through worship and performance. Its inclusivity builds in children an appreciation, a sense of unity and a cultural appreciation that reaches across ages, abilities and background. A high profile approach to the provision of peripatetic music lessons means that a considerable percentage of the pupils learn an instrument, with many reaching a high standard of success.
Music is a deeply creative discipline which is fully embedded throughout school life. Our music curriculum encompasses the aims of the National Curriculum to ensure all pupils :
- perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians.
- learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence.
- understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.
At William Gilbert, music is used to promote pupils’ SMSC development in the following ways:
- we facilitate the use of creativity, enjoyment, wonder and imagination in the children’s learning.
- worship is underpinned by careful choices of hymns and music that broaden the children’s understanding of ideas about moral or ethical issues, and the viewpoints of others.
- we foster a sense of unity and belonging by coming together regularly as a school and key stages to sing and perform, often engaging with the wider community and developing a spirit of co-operation and collaboration.
- music from a range of cultures is experienced and the cultural influences that have shaped it are explored.
We lay the foundations for the use and understanding of music as a source of pleasure, confidence, performance and spiritual wellbeing. The rigor and dedication developed through the standards of musical performance in the school is widely recognised and carries William Gilbert children on into their future lives.
