Music is the universal language. It improves children’s listening skills, but also can build self-esteem, confidence, teamwork, resilience, and perseverance. It gives children opportunities to shine. We aim to enthuse a passion for music by making it fun, creative but also developing literacy and language skills (key stage 1, particularly helpful for our EAL children) with the goal of encouraging a child to engage in music their whole lives. Essentially, music is also used proactively with children at Lakeside to nurture overall well-being.
Untuned percussion and tuned percussion are used in key stage 1 from bucket bashing to hand bells, performance is included in most lessons. Moving into key stage 2 we provide a wide and varied musical opportunity for all children including free music instrumental lessons (taught in whole classes) in Year 3, 4 & 5 – recorder, violin and ukulele. In Year 6 the focus is music technology from composing four chord pop songs and a special project of becoming a ‘Foley Artist’ (like in Hollywood films) is completed in small groups. Children explore all their musical skills and ability to produce sound for their chosen clip whilst also developing team working skills and independent thinking.
In addition, there are one to one or small group instrumental lessons with visiting peri staff in upper strings, flute, voice, drum kit, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, ukulele, and piano/keyboard. Weekly singing assemblies are enjoyed by all children in both key stages and EYFS where they are trained to sing as a choir and in parts by a trained choral leader. There are also opportunities to join a before school choir (key stage 2) and music ensemble at a lunch time (key stage 2), both performing regularly to parents and beyond into the wider community eg. Joseph Rowntree’s Theatre.
All key stage 1 and 2 children receive one hour (plus) specialist music classroom delivery and take part in regular class and whole school performances.
We believe we have some of the best music educators in York at Lakeside Primary (a team of 5) who are passionate and committed to bringing musical joy to all students within the school community. Musical talent is celebrated and developed at Lakeside School.
Lakeside’s Music curriculum takes a holistic approach to music, in which the individual strands below are woven together to create engaging and enriching learning experiences:
· Singing
· Listening
· Composing
· Musicianship
· Performance
Each unit combines these strands within a cross-curricular topic designed to capture pupils’ imagination and encourage them to explore music enthusiastically. During their time at Lakeside Primary Academy, children will be taught how to sing confidently and expressively and play tuned and untuned instruments precisely and with control. They will learn to recognise and name the interrelated dimensions of music – structure, tempo, pitch, dynamics, duration and timbre – and use these meaningfully in their own compositions and improvisations.
This is measured in a variety of ways including:
Subject Specific Knowledge Organisers are used as a reference point for children, staff and parents enabling all to be clear with the key vocabulary for each area of the curriculum.
