Music

 At Horsenden, our music curriculum is delivered in partnership with Sing Education, whose specialist teachers provide engaging, high-quality music lessons across the school. Their approach aims to ensure that every child has the opportunity to develop their musical voice, with singing forming an important part of music-making. Lessons are practical, active and inclusive, helping pupils to develop confidence, enjoyment and a secure understanding of music.

The curriculum is carefully sequenced from EYFS to Year 6 so that pupils build their musical knowledge and skills progressively. In EYFS and Key Stage 1, children establish important foundations including pulse, rhythm, pitch, singing, movement and listening, before developing their understanding of composition, ensemble playing and notation.

As pupils move through Key Stage 2, they increasingly develop their skills in reading musical notation, singing and performing, instrumental performance, composing, improvising and listening. Pupils have opportunities to play instruments such as glockenspiels, recorders and ukuleles, to perform collaboratively and to create their own music.

Sing Education’s teaching is practical, vocal, sequential and inclusive. Musical ideas are introduced through practical experience before pupils develop a deeper understanding of the knowledge and terminology behind them. Lessons combine singing, movement, listening, instruments and creative music-making so that pupils are actively involved throughout.

Through this approach, we aim for every Horsenden pupil to develop the knowledge, skills, confidence and enjoyment needed to participate meaningfully in music, whether through singing, performing, composing, playing instruments or listening and responding to music.A Music Mark School

Music Mark is a membership organisation, subject association, and charity who advocate for excellent music education for all children and young people. Our school was awarded the Music Mark following a nomination by the Ealing Music Service in recognition of our commitment to provide a high quality music education through a broad and balanced curriculum, and the value we place on music. We are very proud to be a Music Mark School. 

Curriculum Documents

Whole School Music Curriculum Map:

Medium Term Plan for Music: 

 

Progression of Music Skills:

Performance Opportunities

Throughout each school year we provide various performance opportunities for all pupils at Horsenden. These are in addition to the performances built into classroom music lessons, which form part of the National Curriculum. Additional opportunities include things such as:

• Class Assemblies 
  Each year all classes from Year 1 - Year 6 present a class assembly about their learning to both parents and other classes in their year group. Class assemblies are a joint creation by class teachers and their pupils, and always include at least 1 song as a group performance. In some cases pupils who have particular musical talents also perform, if they wish.
  
  
• Horsenden's Got Talent 
  This is a whole school competition held each year, and there is always a lot of buzz and excitement in the lead up to this events; they are certainly some of Horsenden's historic favourites! Horsenden's Got Talent is a traditional talent show, therefore we see many musical entries, as well as a full array of other acts.
  
  
• Christmas Productions
  Each December Horsenden pupils put on an array of Christmas productions for the school and wider community. This allows pupils to develop a variety of performance skills with different sizes and types of audiences over time. Nursery pupils have an in-class sing-a-long for parents and carers, Reception classes perform a joint Nativity show as do Year 1 and Year 2. 
  
  
• Spring Medley for Y3, Y4 and Y5 
  

  Our Spring Medley gives pupils the opportunity to showcase a range of performance skills developed through the curriculum. Children take part in performance poetry, songs and a musical number using glockenspiels, combining spoken word, singing and instrumental performance.

  The event celebrates pupils’ confidence, creativity and musicianship, while giving them the experience of performing collaboratively for an audience.

  
  
• Year 6 Production
  Pupils end their final school year by producing and performing a whole-year group production. The show changes every year and is always the much-anticipated end-of-year performance where pupils get to really shine in their chosen roles!
  
  
•  Individual and Paired Music lessons 
  Pupils have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument at Horsenden with a specialised instrumental teacher from Piano Fun Club. The instruments we offer are Piano , Guitar and Violin. The lessons happen weekly during term time.
  
  
• Ealing Music Service partnership - Royal Albert Hall performance 
  This academic year KS2 pupils have the chance to perform as part of wider whole school music at the Royal Albert Hall. Pupils will be performing as a choir with other schools from the borough a variety of music already composed and new pieces composed for the event. This is an exciting opportunity for the pupils to build confidence in performing and working with other musicians in a professional environment.