At Sires Hill  Primary Academy we want to ensure that every child has access to high-quality, practical and engaging music experiences during class lessons and whole school/key stage experiences, along with a rich offering of wider opportunities. 

We want every child to develop self-confidence, skills, knowledge and understanding to develop a lifelong love of music. The rich musical offering at Sires Hill Primary Academy also provides a secure foundation that equips pupils to take music further, if they wish.

Lessons and musical experiences are crafted to ensure that they are accessible to all and develop skills and knowledge, regardless of their starting point.

Our curriculum sets out the skills, knowledge and understanding to be gained by all pupils from Nursery to Year 6. We have welcomed the suggested approaches of the Model Music Curriculum (MMC) and these are incorporated in our plans and overviews.

All children experience music from a broad range of music traditions, both during lessons and with carefully crafted listening experiences during school assemblies.

Implementation

Every child throughout the school takes part in a music lesson every week, following our carefully planned scheme of learning. School assemblies also have planned listening that expose children to new pieces of music and also give opportunities for children to revisit prior learning and share knowledge with the peers from other year groups.

'Music is a cornerstone of the broad and balanced education that every child should receive. It touches hearts and minds, it celebrates and challenges, and it connects us and moves us.'

(Department for Education, 2022)

Music forms a critical part of our curriculum and life at SHPA. Pupils have the opportunity to learn to play instruments, improvise, compose, sing, listen, develop notational knowledge and perform. As a school we are very well resourced musically, we have class packs of a range of instruments to ensure that children are able to play collectively. These resources include djembe drums, glockenspiels and ukuleles.  In addition we also have sets of treble and bass xylophones, boom whackers and a wide range of unpitched percussion instruments. The school commitment to delivering high quality music provision is also reflected in the delivery of music lessons as well as committing to the participation in instrumental tuition delivered by specialist teachers from Oxfordshire County Music Service.

We have adopted the English Model Music Curriculum (MMC),and use 'Sing Up' as a basis for our own bespoke curriculum which goes well beyond the national curriculum.

Musical Enrichment

• Assemblies – Song is a key part of every whole school assembly, the song choices cover a wide range of musical styles from around the world.  A weekly singing assembly ensures that singing skills are developed, with an emphasis on performance. There is also a weekly listening focus, with music selected from the suggested lists from the MMC. 
• School productions – Reception take part in Christmas productions.
• Performance opportunities - Throughout the year every child will have the opportunity to perform, this may be through singing, instrumental playing or performing own compositions. These performances will be through a range of platforms including school assemblies, class assemblies, school concerts and playing at school events. Opportunities to perform are inclusive of those children who may have instrumental lessons outside of school.
• Live music opportunities - we recognise that it is important to model performance to children.  As a school we are fortunate to have staff members who can play for the children in assemblies at at special events.  We also seek opportunities to invite musicians into school to perform.

For information about piano and other instrumental lessons, please contact the school office.