Music
Intent
At Sholing Junior School, we believe music is a creative and enjoyable subject that also challenges pupils academically. Music plays an important role in helping children feel part of a community, while offering opportunities for self-expression and collaboration.
Our vision is to provide every child with the chance to create, play, perform, and enjoy music, developing essential skills and an appreciation for a wide range of musical styles. Through these experiences, pupils learn to make informed judgments about the quality and impact of music.
We are committed to delivering a music curriculum that is engaging, inclusive, and inspiring, underpinned by our core values:
- Kindness – through collaborative music-making and respectful listening to each other’s ideas.
- Curiosity – by exploring different genres, instruments, and cultures, encouraging children to ask questions and discover new sounds.
- Success – by building confidence through performance opportunities and celebrating progress in musical skills.
We nurture creativity, build self-confidence, and celebrate achievement. At the same time, we help pupils develop a lifelong love of music and the ability to reach their full potential as musicians.
Implementation
Every half term, all pupils have a weekly music lesson with their class teacher, developing skills in singing, playing, improvising, composing, and listening. They also take part in weekly singing assemblies to strengthen their vocal ability and enjoy the shared experience of singing together.
Additionally, around 35 children attend choir sessions after school.
In Year 3, every child has a weekly music lesson with a Music Specialist Teacher (In2Music). After an initial term exploring different instruments, pupils then focus on developing their skills on either the clarinet, tenor horn, or violin for the next two terms. This approach enhances their playing, improvising, composing, and listening skills.
In Years 4,5 and 6, every child has weekly music lessons every half-term. At Sholing Junior School, every child is considered a musician. They progress from simple chants and melodies to more complex songs, including those with multiple parts. Pupils learn to play a wide range of tuned and untuned percussion instruments, as well as glockenspiels, working towards performances and recordings.
Children create original music from various stimuli and learn to be reflective composers who can edit and improve their work. Listening is also a key focus: pupils experience music from different times, places, and cultures, responding physically and using an increasingly rich musical vocabulary.
Our lessons encourage:
- Kindness when working in groups
- Curiosity when experimenting with sounds and instruments
- Success when pupils showcase their learning in performances
Extra-curricular Music
We encourage children to learn a musical instrument, currently offering wind, string, and woodwind lessons through peripatetic specialist teachers. For pupils receiving Pupil Premium, instrumental lessons are subsidised. Other families pay a subsidised fee, but larger group sizes help keep costs affordable. Lessons are provided by Southampton Music Hub. Children have opportunities to sing and perform for parents throughout the year, including Christmas performances and the Year 6 Leavers’ Show. We also run a school choir, which performs regularly both in school and at city and national events. The choir is open to all pupils without audition.