Music at Manorfield
Subject Vision:
At Manorfield, all children will gain an extensive knowledge of Music through a sense of awe and wonder inspired by our project based, creative curriculum.
We will seek to expand on children’s musical knowledge and skills inspiring a curiosity for music learning.
We will extend and embed children’s musical learning through engaging trips, visits from experts and teacher’s own subject knowledge.
Children will explore their own identity, building on their knowledge and respect of diversity, celebrating important musical events, figures and exploring changes in music through history and how musical inventions, important musicians and performance events have shaped our understanding of music their present lives and the musical world around them.
All children have a music lesson every week with the school's specialist music teacher. These
lessons begin in the Nursery and they focus on developing musicianship through singing.
Why do children learn instruments at Manorfield?
What is musicianship?
From an early age children are given the opportunity to develop:
- a sense of the steady beat (pulse) in music
- the ability to differentiate between the beat and the rhythm
- active listening skills
- an ability to recognise high and low pitch
- the ability to internalise music (inner hearing)
- whole body engagement with music (active learning)
- a love of singing including a weekly Singing Assemblies for Year 1 to Year 6
- an enjoyment of music through Singing Games; these games reflect Manorfield’s
- belief in the importance of developing social skills including listening, teamwork and Communication
From Reception onwards (when the children are confident with the above musical skills) we build upon them in the following ways:
- By naming the pitches (do, re, mi etc) and by naming the rhythms
- Musical literacy: reading and writing music
- Improvisation and composing
- An increasing application of musicianship in - multicultural - instrumental playing: tuned and un-tuned Percussion; West African Djembe drumming(Year 2); Steel Pans(Year 3 onwards);Violin and ‘Cello(Year 4 onwards); Recorders; Keyboards
- Instrumental players have opportunities to perform in and outside school
- The School Choir also performs within the school and in the community
- Keyboard, recorder and string players practise at home during the week between lessons; in this way Manorfield pupils develop a sense of personal responsibility and self-discipline
- Children are exposed to a wide range of live music including trips to concert venues and also meeting and listening to guest musicians; this forms part of Manorfield’s
- commitment to a broad cultural outlook for all pupils