Music
How we teach Music
At Twyford St Mary’s musical learning is an essential part of both whole school and class-based learning. Children are encouraged to express themselves musically through our landmark annual performances and the doors are open to all budding musicians for musical opportunities throughout the year.
Our music INTENT maps out musical units under the bridging themes of Musical Dimensions: Duration, Structure, Dynamics, Tempo, Timbre, Texture, and Pitch. These are linked to class topics, styles of music, or key musicians in history.
Children engage with music through listening skills, vocal units, and instrumental lessons which help them to advance through our pathway of musical progression. In each unit of work children are assessed in either: singing, instrument playing, performing, notating, listening and responding, or describing and discussing. Through these essential skills they develop independence in their musical learning.
Whole school music is held every Friday through our singing lessons, where dynamics, singing, and listening and responding are at the heart of the sessions. Musical units are mapped as weekly lessons to ensure pupils revisit essential language and skills.
We aim to nurture every young musician’s talents through our personalised musical provision as well as through trips and concerts dedicated to performance (our Christmas and summer music concerts).
Additional inspiring musical experiences at Twyford St Mary’s include:
- Weekly Key Stage 2 Choir,
- Peripatetic lessons in Piano, Brass, Strings, Woodwind and Guitar.
- Musical trips – held in Key Stage 2 through the ‘Young Voices’ annual choir event at the O2 in London (open to all learners in Year 4, 5 and 6) and the Winchester University Graduation Choir annual performance at Winchester Cathedral alongside the University’s talented singers.
The Early Years and KS1
From the very beginning of their Twyford St Mary’s journey, pupils are encouraged to express themselves musically, engaging with musical equipment and performing in the EYFS continuous provision to understand concepts and language such as high and low pitch or long and short sounds. Most importantly pupils are encouraged to express how music makes them feel through early listening and responding activities.
KS2
In Key Stage 2, our musical pathways progress to using formal notation, italian terms for dynamics, and understanding a range of structural and textural changes in music. The Listen to Me Hampshire music project is introduced in Years 4, 5 and 6 to ensure expert musical teaching is available annually to develop high level musical understanding. Year 4 learn this via the ukulele, Year 5 via music technology, and Year 6 via treble recorders. Parents are welcomed to the school for various events to see their children perform musical instruments and celebrate their success in learning new musical skills.
Our approach to Music for SEND learners.
Music is a subject for all, and inclusive practice is at the heart of all musical learning at TSM. Children are encouraged to participate in practical sessions through language scaffolding and teacher led modelling and perform at every school occasion possible! For many pupils with SEND, music is a lesson they thrive within.
Our pupils with the most complex needs can express great musical flair and talents! To support pupils’ musical engagement, we lead the ‘Good Vibrations’ intervention in school weekly. This is a small group intervention centred around essential skills for listening, responding, and enjoyment of music. This in turn impacts wider interventions in the school with musical cues used to reinforce positive attention and focus skills.
Supporting tools
Our curriculum, Good Vibrations intervention and ‘Listen 2 Me’ taught sessions are led and support by Hampshire Music Service:
https://www.hants.gov.uk/educationandlearning/hampshiremusic