• 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 interrelated dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations

The National Curriculum KS1 and KS2 Music Programme

Music is used to unite our school and children come together daily to sing and explore different styles of music, through celebration and praise in our daily collective worship. Every class has ‘Sticky Learning’ objectives that match the music curriculum so that the teachers know what to teach in each music topic, ensuring a broad coverage of the curriculum. This year we have also introduced the ‘Word Aware Programme’ which provides subject specific vocabulary for each music topic. These are vocabulary cards that secure the children’s previous knowledge, target new vocabulary for the children to learn during the topic and offer further vocabulary to challenge them.

The children are taught music through topic-based learning (generally one or two weeks) in which the children develop their attitudes, skills and knowledge (ASK) linked to the National Curriculum objectives and also develop their ‘sticky learning’ to help them remember the skills they have learnt.

Children develop skills in singing, playing a range of untuned percussion instruments, listening and composing, using the inter-related dimensions of music progressively through their time at school. EYFS children develop their love of music through daily ‘dough disco’, dance and naturally throughout the different areas of the EYFS curriculum.

We have a thriving school choir and the children have many opportunities to perform at our Harvest, Easter and end of year services in church as well as at coffee mornings, cream teas, Lees Christmas Lights switch on (Leesfield FUNdraising events and community projects) as well as entertaining and singing at local care homes.

The children are also given the opportunity to take part in extra-curricular clubs that enhance their musical skills with our partner schools in the Dovestone Learning Partnership (DLP).  So far these have comprise of Opera performances (Carmen) and a Brass Band all made up of keen children from our ten schools.

Through our teaching of music any exceeding child is sign-posted to outside extra-curricular music lessons (usually Oldham Music Centre) and we also offer peripatetic brass lessons during the school day on a weekly basis although parents must pay for this addition.