We would like to share our work and learning from Summer Term 2023

Year 2

In Year 2 we have had great fun rehearsing and performing the ‘Friendship Song’ they have accompanied the song with glockenspiel and recorder and enjoyed performing to a class audience.

Year 3

Year 4

In music, we continued to build our skills of listening and appraising music. We were able to identify different instruments that were played in a composition as well as the genre they belonged to. We looked at the lyrics of songs and used this to identify the themes and messages that the composer was trying to show us. Furthermore, we practiced our singing skills and were able to take turns singing over a backing track.

Year 5

We have been continuing to learn the clarinets in preparation for our performance! Each class have been learning a selection of songs some of which will include some brave soloists! Year 5 have also been practising to rap the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, which has become a clear favourite of all the songs learnt so far! The children have then learned about Motown music, in particular ‘Dancing in the Street’ by Martha and the Vandellas. Year 5 enjoyed being able to take turns being either a lead vocalist or a backing vocalist.

Year 6

Our music lessons have been used to prepare for our leaver’s assembly. We began by listening and appraising Shotgun by George Ezra before evaluating a re-written version with lyrics adapted it to suit our school. After that, we listened to and appraised 7 years by Lukas Graham before exploring a re-written version called Once I Was in Year 1. The final song we have learnt is You’ve Got A Friend in Me by Randy Newman, which we have thoroughly enjoyed singing as a class.

We would like to share our work and learning from Spring Term 2023

Foundation 1

Foundation 1 have been using instruments to create sounds related to feelings. The children have enjoyed remembering and singing entire songs and talking in groups about what they like about music.

Foundation 2

This term Foundation 2 have been learning about musical instruments and how you have to listen carefully if you are to hear a particular instrument in a piece of music.  We have also enjoyed clapping, moving and dancing in time to the beat!

Year 1

During our Spring Term Year 1 have been listening to and appreciating music with a Latin feel, we have been keeping the pulse in our own unique way!

We love to express ourselves to music and we celebrate the freedom music can bring.

Year 2

Year 3

Year 3 have enjoyed learning ‘Three Little Birds’ by Bob Marley. They listened to an appraised this song, saying what they liked about the music. They then learnt to sing the song, which they performed and learnt to play the chorus on a glockenspiel. Next, pupils listened to and learnt a piece of music called ‘The Dragon Song’, which is a folk tale about kindness and friendship.

Year 4

In our spring music topic, we have looked at the styles of rap and grime music. We began by exploring some of the features of these genres before listening to and appraising several songs. The compositions that we looked at all focused on positivity, inclusion and stop bullying. Our main song was a rap called ‘Stop’, and after several weeks of learning this song, we began to write our own lyrics. We had to ensure that our lyrics followed the same rhythm and structure as the original and also had the same message. We then performed our song and made sure that we sung and rapped clearly, confidently and enthusiastically!

Year 5

This term Year 5 enjoyed learning about pop ballads and focused on ‘Make You Feel My Love’ by Adele. We composed some music to accompany the song on Charanga. We really loved deciding which notes fitted the tune the best. We then practised singing the song and performed it as a whole class. We have also been continually learning to play the clarinet. Year 5 have improved massively and are now able to play songs such as ‘Ode to Joy’ in different parts. Some courageous children have also performed solos!

Year 6

In our Spring 1 music topic we have focused on the song ‘A New Year Carol’ by Benjamin Britten. For this unit, Year 6 have been listening to and appraising several songs to understand the message of the song, discuss why the composer composed the song that way and how the song makes us feel. Alongside this, we have been practicing singing the song over the course of Spring 1 and consequently performed it at the end of the unit.

In our Spring 2 music topic we have focused on the song ‘You’ve Got A Friend’ by Carole King. This song is all about friendship so it has been lovely to use this unit to promote class discussions. As well as this, year 6 have been listening to and appraising the song by writing down their thoughts about the song, how it makes them feel and what it reminds them of. Year 6 have also been learning how to play this song on the glockenspiel, leading up to a final performance at the end of term.

We would like to share our work and learning from Autumn Term 2022

Foundation 1

This term Foundation 1 have been enjoying singing nursery rhymes and practising singing in unison. We have added actions to songs and are beginning to use instruments to follow a rhythm. We enjoyed taking part in an African Drumming workshop and making different animal sounds using our hands. We have also been using movement to follow a sequence to dance to familiar songs.

Foundation 2

This term Foundation 2 have been learning about appraisal and how you have to listen carefully if you are to appraise a song or a piece of music. We also reinforce that it’s important to stand when you sing.

Year 1

During our Autumn Term Year 1 have been listening to and appreciating Hip Hop Music. They have learnt to sing the song ‘Hey You!’ and also accompanied the song with a glockenspiel. Year 1 had great fun performing to a class audience.

Year 2

During the Autumn term, Year 2 have enjoyed learning about ‘Hands, Feet, Heart’ and ‘Ho, Ho, Ho.’ We have been using lots of different musical instruments such as a recorder and a xylophone.  They have also enjoyed taking part in an African Drumming workshop.

Year 3

During the Autumn term children have enjoyed learning how to play the ukulele. Children have developed their understanding of cords and putting this into performing a piece of music.

Children we thrilled to take part in an African Drumming session. This involved children learning about the history of the Djembe drum and performing their own rhythms and beats.

Year 4

During Autumn term, Year 4 have learnt the song Mammia Mia. They have improved their skills when singing in unison and identifying the structure of the music. They also used the glockenspiels to complement their performance. This has been developed further as they are learn more complex rhythms when using the glockenspiels to a variety of songs. They have also enjoyed learning about the djembe drum during an African drumming workshop.

Year 5

In Year 5, we have been learning the song ‘Livin On A Prayer’ by Bon Jovi as well as some Jazz songs. The children have listened to and appraised different Rock and Jazz songs. The children have practiced, improvised and performed their songs using their vocals and glockenspiels. The children have begun to learn the clarinet.

Year 6

During the Autumn, Year 6 have been inspired by ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams and Bacharach Anorak by Ian Gray. We learnt to sing ‘Happy’ and learnt to play the main part on the recorder. We also learnt to play Bacharach Anorak as instrumental pieces on the glockenspiel. In addition to performing we have been learning about music theory including the musical alphabet and how to read music notation. 

Here is a selection of our work over the school year 2021/22:

Summer Term

Foundation 2

Music is still in many of our lessons during the final term in Foundation 2. We continue to ensure pupils have plenty of opportunities to sing, explore sounds and dance and play to music. We use this as a method so pupils have the opportunity to learn about other subject areas in the national curriculum in a fun and exciting way, such as science, maths and English.

This term Foundation 2 have been learning about performance and how it’s important to stand when you sing. We have also been learning about rhythm and movement.

Year 1

Year 1 have reflected upon the Music taught throughout the year and revisited songs and activities. They have enjoyed performing using recorders and taking part in musical games, finding the rhythm and pulse.

Year 2

Year 2 have had great fun rehearsing and performing the ‘Friendship Song’ they have accompanied the song with glockenspiel and recorder and enjoyed performing to a class audience.

Year 3

This Unit of Work has consolidated the learning that has occurred during the year. All the learning was focused around revisiting songs and musical activities, an included context around the History of Music and the beginnings of the Language of Music.  The children have enjoyed using performing using the glockenspiels and taking part in rhythm games.

Year 4

We have completed the Reflect and Rewind unit, which has consolidated the learning throughout the year. We revisited songs that we really enjoyed songs and musical activities. The children have enjoyed performing using percussion instruments to keep a steady beat and compose rhythmic patterns.

Year 5

Year 5 have been listening to and appraising ‘Make you feel my love’ They have listened to and appraised a variety of versions of the song including Adele and Bob Dylan. They have also performed the song to a class audience and played the recorder as an accompaniment to the song.

Year 6

Year 6 have been working incredibly hard this term to lean a range of songs for their end of year performance.  They have dedicated time to learn lyrics, focused on projecting their voices and singing in harmony.  They have practiced performing in front of different key stages, building up to their end of year performance to parents.

Spring Term

Foundation 2

During the spring term Foundation 2 have continued to undertake a weekly music lesson supported by the school’s music scheme Charanga. We have been focussing a lot on the appraisal element of the lessons and identifying musical instruments we can hear in the songs. We have been continuing to sing our nursery rhymes (20 selected rhymes to learn over the academic year). We also incorporate singing into as many areas of learning as we can e.g. the morning routine includes singing the days of the week song and the months of the year. A selection  of percussion instruments are accessible to the pupils and building on what they have previously been exposed to in the autumn term, we now ensure pupils are making progress by modelling and encouraging them to count the beats and maintain a steady rhythm using these selected instruments.  We are also continuing to access Go-Noodle during some P.E sessions to practise and develop our rhythm and rhyming skills and we continue to listen to relaxing music during PSHE and calming time.    

Year 1

Year 1 have had lots of fun ‘Getting into the Groove!’

They have been listening to and appreciating a variety of music styles including Blues. The children have enjoyed listening to music from artists such as BB King and they have thoroughly enjoyed performing ‘in the Groove’ to a class audience using a variety of percussion instruments.

Year 2

Year 2 have been working together to perform in a band, playing and performing with a variety of instruments including percussion and glockenspiels. The children have enjoyed listening to classic rock songs such as ‘We will rock you’ by Queen and ‘Smoke on the Water’ by Deep Purple.

Year 3

Year three have been enjoying learning a song about a dragon. This song links to some of our key values; kindness, respect, friendship, acceptance and happiness. At the start of lessons the pupils enjoy listening and appraising pieces of music and playing games where they play different rhythms. They are also starting to develop their composition skills and have enjoyed playing melodies on the glockenspiels.

Year 4

Year 4 have enjoyed the topic ‘Blackbird’ by the Beatles. They studied the history of pop music and the impact locally. They have developed our skills using pulse, rhythm and pitch. Using tuned instruments, they have used the notes ‘C, G and F’ to accompany a song. The children have learnt to follow musical instructions from a leader focussing on reading simple notation. They have proudly shared our performance with our year group audience.

Year 5

In Year 5, we have been comparing different performances of the song ‘Make you feel my love.’ The song was performed by Adele in 2008 but written and performed by Bob Dylan in 1997. The children discussed their preferred performance of the song and accompanied the song with glockenspiels and recorders.

Year 6

Year 6 have looked at the different genres of music and also some of the most common musical instrument families. They have also looked at two versions of the song "You've got a friend in me". One was by Carole King and one was by Randy Newman. The children compared the two different versions and then discussed which one we prefer and why. Then they looked at the lyrics in more detail, and analysed the themes and messages in the song, before trying to sing and clap in time to the beat.

Autumn Term

Foundation Stage 1

FS1 have been exploring instruments and singing using puppets.

Foundation Stage 2

FS2 have been learning nursery rhymes and singing from memory.  They also enjoy their ‘Squiggle while you wiggle” sessions where they let the music guide their pen.

Year 1

Year 1 have been learning to find the pulse and particularly enjoyed learning African dances and body percussion during our Black History and Music week.

Year 2

Year 2 enjoyed learning and performing their Christmas song which they recorded and they liked learning rhythms in percussion using the djembe drums.

Year 3

Year 3 learned how to play the ukulele and celebrated their hard work with a performance to their peers.  They learned about reading standard notation and following a conductor.

Year 4

Year 4 enjoyed their unit learning Mama Mia, where they used glockenspiels and recorders in their performance.  As part of music and well-being year 4 particularly enjoyed interactive music sessions with AmaSing

• Things to Try at Home

There are a number of ways that you can support with your child’s learning at home in music, please click the buttons below to look at the suggestions that Mrs Williams has made for you.