At Grange Primary School, music is delivered by a range of specialist teachers who work closely with staff to create a highly enriched curriculum. The aim is to inspire and challenge all pupils by equipping them with the knowledge and skills to develop a love of music. As pupils progress they should develop an engagement with music, exploring and listening to a range of famous composers and performers and developing their composing and improvisation skills. Pupils are also given opportunities to develop their singing and performing skills in a range of supportive and encouraging environments. Visiting teachers also work with the music teachers to collaborate their efforts.
Details of the Programme of Study for Music can be found here:
PRIMARY_national_curriculum_Music
Visiting Music Teachers at Grange School (VMTs)
Music plays a central role in the life of Grange School Primary. The subject teachers are supported by a team of visiting music teachers offering tuition across a wide range of instruments.
Currently, we have a team of VMTs. Nearly one in every 4 pupils at Grange Primary School has individual instrumental or singing lessons in the school. We teach the Recorder, Piano, Clarinet, Saxophone, Trumpet, Violin, and Singing.
All lessons last 50 minutes and take place in one of our practice rooms. Pupils are expected to arrive at their lessons. These lessons take place during the normal school day and pupils leave their class lesson to attend.
Activities
The department offers a great number of performance opportunities for developing musicians and encourages participation in the orchestra, concert, choirs and vocal groups. Pupils are also active in forming their own groups, which are then supported by members of staff where appropriate.
ABRSM
Our pupils write the ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) examinations board.
The national curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils:
• perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres.
• styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians
• learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence.
• understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.
KEYSTAGE 1
Pupils in Key Stage One will be taught to
• use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes
• play tuned and untuned instruments musically
• listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high-quality live and recorded music
• experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the inter-related dimensions of music.
KEYSTAGE 2
Pupils in Key Stage Two will be taught to
• play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using their voices and playing musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression
• improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the inter-related dimensions of music
• listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory
• use and understand staff and other musical notations
• appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians
• develop an understanding of the history of music.
Brian Bocking says “If you don’t know the difference between theology and religious
studies, then you’re a theologian.”
One may ask; why do we do Religious Studies in School? Is studying Religious Studies relevant today? Are we trying to make our children religious?
Studying RS helps us to understand other people’s beliefs and why they do the things they do. It helps us to decide what values are important to us and why. It helps us draw the line between Political and Religious activities. Questions bothering people’s minds such as; Is there God? Is there life after death? What is the purpose of life? Why does God allow suffering? etc, are all addressed in Religious Studies.
IGCSE Religious Studies is an interesting course in which you look at topics such as Christian beliefs, Muslim or Jewish beliefs, their ways of life, justice, crime and punishment; family life and marriage, the roles of men and women in the society, the concept of life after death, religious pilgrimage and historic places and many others. It enlightens and removes the ignorance that causes prejudice, hatred and violence.
