Music

“I know that the most joy in my life has come to me from music” Albert Einstein.

“To sing is to pray twice.” St Augustine.

“Where words fail, music speaks.” Hans Christian Andersen.

Music plays a powerful role in enriching all our lives. People of every culture are able to share ideas, thoughts and feelings through musical expression. Pupils are given the opportunity to enjoy listening to music and become familiar with a variety of musical instruments. Pupils are encouraged to use instruments to express and develop their own musical ideas, create movement in response to musical stimuli, as well as perform in front of audiences. Besides being a creative and enjoyable activity, music can also be a highly academic and demanding subject. It also plays an important part in helping children feel part of a community. We provide opportunities for all children to create, play, perform and enjoy music, to develop the skills, to appreciate a wide variety of musical forms, and to begin to make judgements about the quality of music.

At St Joseph’s, our aims are to:

• understand music is used for a variety of purposes
• develop musical insight through experiences
• develop the necessary skills and concepts to appreciate music through musical activity
• provide an enjoyable and stimulating experience accessible to all children
• develop skills and talent that encourage children to value themselves as well as others
• develop an awareness of musical traditions and developments in a variety of cultures and societies

Music can be subdivided into two main overlapping areas of experience: firstly listening and appraisal and secondly, composing and performing:

Listening
Listening requires an individual commitment to focus attention on the music. This can evoke emotional, intellectual and physical responses. Music may also be used in the classroom to evoke a certain mood or feeling. Pupils are given opportunities during school assemblies and classroom activities to listen to music from:

• a variety of forms, styles and traditions
• different historical periods
• a variety of cultures

Whenever possible, listening and appraisal are linked to practical classroom work.

Composing
Composing offers immediate, first- hand experience of exploring and organising sounds, and provides opportunities to express, interpret or communicate feelings, experiences and ideas. We have a growing range of instruments at school, and pupils have access to them all as they progress through the school.
Within music lessons, children are:

• encouraged to develop their own ideas and musical pieces
• introduced to non-traditional (eg graphic) forms of scoring as well as the stave and the positioning of notes on it, musical signs, symbols and terminology.

Singing
Singing is a natural activity and a fundamental part of the music experience at St Joseph’s. Our children enjoy singing during sing and praise assemblies and celebrations. Singing at school can be spontaneous or highly developed and involves individuals, small groups or the whole school. We offer pupils the opportunity to rehearse instruments and songs, and perform them in front of various audiences, in a number of venues, both within and outside school, including at Christmas when children sing out in the local community.
As part of a strong partnership of Catholic schools, music and singing are used to promote work and beliefs using external providers to support the children’s progression.

Peripatetic Music
Through working with a number of peripatetic music teachers, the school is able to offer individual drums, piano, guitar, brass, flute, clarinet and strings tuition. If parents would like their child to start tuition, please speak to a member of the school office staff who will be able to provide you with further information. Letters are sent home regularly reminding parents of opportunities to learn different instruments.