At St Johns, we value the role and importance that music has in our daily lives and for our well-being. We celebrate music through song, prayer, worship, lessons, drama and through our school concerts and productions. During their time with us, children develop a broad repertoire of songs and hymns that are traditional, modern and linked to our school Christian values.

We have a school choir, who meet on a weekly basis and go out into the community to sing at a variety of events, such as; residential homes,  fairs, stores and the Salvation Army. They support local charities, fundraising by holding a 'Sponsored Sing'.

Music is a unique way of communicating that can inspire and motivate children. It is a vehicle for personal expression, and it can play an important part in the personal development of people. Music reflects the culture and society we live in, and so the teaching and learning of music enables children to understand the world they live in. 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/genres, and to begin to make judgements about the quality of music.

Aims

Our school uses Charanga as the basis for its curriculum planning. We cross-reference the steps/lessons from Charanga with the skills progression map, ensuring progression of knowledge and skills in music is taught weekly, as the children move through the school.

• Listen & appraise a variety of music, identify structure, instruments, voices & style.
• To learn how music is made through a variety of instruments (currently glockenspiel, ukulele and recorder)
• To know how music is composed and written down.
• To know how music is influenced by the time, place and purpose for which it was written.
• To develop the interrelated skills of performing, improvising, composing and appreciating music.