Curriculum & Assessment
Music
Music at Stillness
Intent
Music takes centre stage at Stillness Junior School! We are proud to be members of Music Mark, a prestigious educational organisation for schools that is acknowledged for placing music high on their list of priorities. We have a specialist music teacher who teaches all classes once a week in our purpose built music room.
Our intention is that children gain an understanding of what music is through listening, singing, playing, evaluating, analysing and composing across a wide variety of historical periods, and around the world studying different musical styles, traditions and genres.
We encourage use of musical skills in the wider community and allow the children to express themselves through music.
Implementation
The music curriculum ensures that students sing, listen, play, perform and evaluate. These components are embedded in classroom activities. The elements of music are taught during class lessons so that children are able to think in musical terms and to express music eloquently. The key knowledge and skills for each year enable progression for the students during their time at Stillness, building their knowledge from one year to the next. The children learn standard music notation through their class music lessons, and this is enhanced if they learn an instrument, which many of our students do. They learn to compose in groups and in classes, incorporating body percussion, untuned and tuned percussion and other instruments that the children learn either in school or outside of school.
Peripatetic music teaching is available in the following instruments: clarinet, flute, keyboard, violin, drum kit and guitar. These lessons are open to any child and are taught by teachers from the Lewisham Music Hub. We currently have 40% of our students learning an instrument in school; this does not include the children learning instruments outside of school. In addition to this, our music specialist teaches ukulele to all children in Y3 on a weekly basis for the whole academic year in addition to their weekly class music lesson.
Our school Choir is open to any child from Y5 and Y6. We do not run auditions; we select our members according to interest and commitment. We meet on a Wednesday after school. The choir sings at school functions and concerts, we visit Alexander Care Home every term, and we have sung at the Royal Festival Hall, Blackheath Concert Halls and the Broadway Theatre Catford.
We run weekly Music Assemblies on Zoom so that parents of the children who are performing can join us. The assemblies are an opportunity for children to play the instruments they are learning and to share with us the hard work they have put in to be able to perform at very high levels within their age groups. We dedicate some assemblies to vocal performances. We present a Musical Star of the Week certificate at assemblies to a child who has shown exceptional ability or effort during the week.
We designate a Composer of the Month and children are encouraged to find music and songs by these composers.
We have introduced Music Monitors, two from each class, who are given tasks to support the teaching and learning of music.
We regularly enjoy workshop days that include; Dance Through The Ages, Music From Around The World, Chinese New Year Dragon Dancing and Circus Skills which supplement our music curriculum and are accessible for all children. We had a particularly fruitful Song writing Workshop day, which resulted in two school songs, one for Y3/4/5, and one for Y6 that were performed to parents and the local community.
Impact
During school time children have access to a varied programme of music which allows them to discover strengths as well as areas they might like to improve upon. A musical education, as part of the curriculum, taps into areas of a child’s life that provide grounding for the years ahead. These areas include achievement, self-confidence, interaction with and awareness of others, self-reflection. A good grounding in music can be taken through life and can help with self-development in any areas that a child might find of interest in later years.
Most importantly, we believe at Stillness that every child has musical potential. This is encouraged and nurtured in their time at the school, contributing to the development of the child as an individual with a strong sense of self. Opportunities for performance and creativity are central to how we approach music at Stillness Juniors, offering a learning experience that the children can take with them through life.
