Music
‘Without music, life would be a mistake.’
Friedrich Nietzsche
INTENT
Our vision: At Shirley Heath, we believe that the opportunity to engage in musical experiences is crucial for the development of the whole child. It is our intent that every child adopts an understanding and love of music which they can carry with them for the rest of their lives.
- Music is an essential part of life; integral in the development of the whole person.
- Learning music develops all aspects of a child’s learning, from the physical action of using an instrument to the mathematical skills needed to keep a pulse. These abilities are directly transferable to other areas of the curriculum, allowing them to flourish, and will be invaluable in their future life.
- At Shirley Heath, children have access to music through regular classroom activities, as well as extra opportunities such as peripatetic music lessons, after school clubs (through a school choir and the AG&T Rock Band) and wider performance opportunities with other schools and in the local community.
- We use a coherent scheme of work, based on the National Curriculum, which focuses on repetition of skills and a clear progression of small steps. Each small step builds on the previous one and the continuous repetition of skills ensures children have a deep understanding of the key skills within music as well as the concept taught.
- Progression of skills, procedures and concepts is evident within each unit via the small steps. Children continuously build upon their knowledge and understanding within each lesson as they know more, do more and remember more. Progression is also shown across units, across year groups and across the wider curriculum as musical skills are embedded further and applied to different genres.
- All children, regardless of ability are challenged and supported to become confident musicians within engaging and exciting lessons, ensuring that they can take these skills into their adult lives.
- All children are fully equipped for the next stage of their musical learning journey and for their future life using their musical knowledge and skills, with many former students having gone on to successfully continue their musical journey.