Franche Primary School has a thriving Music department, led by specialist Music teacher, Mrs Brockman. Music is an integral part of our school curriculum, and we believe it plays an important role in helping children develop confidence, independence and creativity. Through a wide range of musical experiences, we aim to inspire a lifelong love and passion for music in every child.
Intent
At Franche Primary School, we want every child to understand what it means to be a musician. Through a rich and varied curriculum, children listen to, appraise and appreciate a wide range of musical genres and styles, sing a diverse repertoire of songs, learn to play different instruments, and develop their skills in improvising, composing and performing. Our ‘Musician of the Month’ resources broaden children’s musical experiences and introduce them to inspiring musicians from a range of backgrounds and cultures, while our music clubs provide further opportunities to reinforce learning, develop skills and build confidence. We are committed to helping children understand the value and importance of music in their own lives and the lives of others, recognising its positive impact on wellbeing, communities and the wider world.
Implementation
Our music curriculum is delivered through creative, engaging and practical lessons, with children given regular opportunities to sing, play, create and perform music.
The children receive:
- Weekly curriculum music lessons from Nursery to Year 6. In Early Years, lessons are delivered alongside class teachers, with Mrs Middleton teaching Year 1 and Mrs Brockman teaching Years 2–6.
- Weekly singing assemblies from Nursery through to Year 6, developing children’s confidence, enjoyment and ability to sing with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression.
- Opportunities to learn and play instruments, developing practical musicianship skills through whole-class and individual musical experiences. In Key stage 1 these skills are developed using classroom percussion instruments. All students in Year 3 learn to play the recorder and in Year 4 learn the ukulele is introduced in a whole-class setting. Higher up the school these skills are developed further.
- A variety of extra-curricular music clubs, including Ukulele Club, Choir and Melody Makers, giving children further opportunities to develop their musical skills and enjoyment.
- Lunchtime enrichment opportunities, including ‘Come and Play’ sessions and ‘Singing Playgrounds’, allowing children to explore music informally and reinforce the skills developed in lessons.
- Whole-school music initiatives, including our Musician of the Month resources, introducing children to a diverse range of musicians, musical styles and cultures.
- Regular performance opportunities, including Christmas and summer performances for parents and our annual musical production performed by children in Years 4 and 5. These opportunities enable children to celebrate their achievements, develop confidence and experience the excitement of performing to an audience.
- Instrumental tuition, is provided by experienced external music tutors, giving children the opportunity to learn a range of instruments including piano, keyboard, flute, recorder, ukulele, clarinet, violin, guitar, bass guitar, drums and singing. Further information about instrumental lessons and how to apply can be found on our Instrumental Music Lessons page. Rocksteady also come in to school once a week to help children learn instruments by forming rock bands.
How to learn a musical instrument at Franche Primary School
Please see our music tuition page for all the details on how to start learning an instrument at Franche. Here you will find how and where to apply for lessons, as well as some help to decide which instrument to learn.
- Provide learning opportunities that enable all pupils to make good progress
- Aim to extend children’s experiences through workshop initiatives with external Professional Musicians. This has included the talents of spoon percussionist Jo May and the professional choir, the Armonico Consort.
- Strive to meet the needs of those pupils with special educational needs, those with disabilities, Gifted and Talented pupils, and those learning English as an additional language.