At Bolney Primary School we make music an enjoyable learning experience. We encourage children to participate in a variety of musical experiences through which we aim to build up the confidence of all children.
Throughout their primary school experience with us, children gain a firm understanding of what music is through listening, singing, playing, evaluating, analysing, and composing across a wide variety of historical periods, styles, traditions, and musical genres. We promote musical appreciation as this gives children to use musical vocabulary in context as well as being exposed to a wide range of composers from different time periods.
We teach the disciplined skills of recognising pulse and pitch. Also, we teach the children how to work with others to compose music and perform for an audience. From Key Stage 1, we also begin to teach them simple notation before working towards developing the children’s understanding of formal notation on the music staff by the end of Key Stage 2. We also encourage the use of technology such as GarageBand to foster creativity.
Performance is a key part of children’s musical education and, at Bolney, we strive to give the children as many opportunities that we can offer in order for children to achieve this. The children have opportunities to play a range of tuned and untuned instruments and many undertake instrument lessons outside of school. Children who do this are warmly encouraged to bring in these instruments in when we are performing.
We are always keen to give children the opportunity to perform as part of a larger group and have linked with other schools in order to achieve this. We regularly perform to parents and families through Church services and key stage productions. Children in Key Stage 2 are also given the opportunity to go on a trip to London to sing in the Young Voices choir.