Music at Selwyn

Curriculum intent

At Selwyn, we share the national vision of enabling all children to learn to sing, play an instrument and create music together, and have the opportunity to progress their musical interests and talents, including professionally.

We intend to do this by following a rich music curriculum, ensuring 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
  • create and compose music on their own and with others
  • have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument
  • use technology appropriately
  • 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
  • have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence

Curriculum implementation

At Selwyn, we offer a strong grounding in music for our Early Years children.

Nursery and Reception children receive a 30 minute lesson from Selwyn’s specialist Music teacher once a week

  • Songs and nursery rhymes are interwoven into every lesson and can be used at any point of the day to help, inspire and teach children
  • Instruments are available for the children to enjoy and explore during play sessions

As children move up the school, their music lessons increase to 45 minute sessions.

  • Years 1 – 4 receive a weekly music lesson from Selwyn’s specialist Music teacher
  • Years 5 and 6 receive music tuition from music teachers sourced from Lister Community school
  • Music journeys are planned and sequenced carefully, building on previous knowledge
  • Children are assessed termly by the Music teachers and used to inform planning and parents
  • Singing is integral to every lesson and BSL is provided where necessary
  • All classes have the chance to rehearse and perform on stage once a term with live piano accompaniment
  • Years 1-2 perform a Nativity annually and Year 6 perform a leavers’ musical as a transition project into KS3
  • Listening is integral to every lesson and children will have the opportunity to lesson to and appraise a wide range of music styles and genres
  • All classes have access to both rhythmic and melodic instruments

We work with the ENO, LSO and Newham Music to promote singing and using musical instruments in the classroom.

Whole-class instrumental teaching is embedded into lessons from the Music teacher:

  • SEN Support Provision classes are in receipt of weekly lessons from Selwyn’s music teacher.
  • Children use graphic notation from the very beginning and formal stave notation from Year 3 upwards
  • Children in the school’s Deaf Resource provision have the opportunity to further develop their musical knowledge and skills with specialist teachers from the ‘Sounding Out’ project.