Music
‘Music begins where the possibilities of language ends.’
Jean Sibelius
Our Vision
A sense of the marvel and moving power of music is a key part of life. Music touches the very heart of our humanity and in all of its many genres, forms and varieties it is beautiful and changing. At Warter School, our music education provides children with the opportunity to understand, perform and create in a world of sound that often sits outside our capacity to describe words. For almost all of our children, the music they love will provide the soundtrack to their lives and bring depth to the experiences that shape them.
ANALYTICAL
While part of the beauty of music is the way that it can be appreciated at first without any specific technical knowledge, it is clear that building knowledge of music only develops the levels and depth to which we can enjoy and evaluate it. Consequently, a key part of children’s work in Music is to build an awareness of the key concepts – the grammar of music – that includes reading and understanding music, learning how to compose, and developing an awareness of how to play an instrument.
SENSITIVE
Children will hear a wide range of music as part of our broad curriculum and that will include a range of music from different points and time as well as different places. While this music will be enriched by study of its context and the way it is put together, a clear aim for us as a department is to build up a sensitivity and appreciation for music – a respect for it.
This will involve making time for children at all stages to discuss their reaction to piece – how it makes them feel, how they respond to it. This is essential for them to engage with it but it also forms the basis for the best analysis as they discover and articulate why and how it makes them feel that way.
OPEN-MINDED
As part of the development of sensitivity to different styles of music, children will become open-minded to different styles of music. In doing so, they will become aware of different cultural traditions.
This in turn supports our school’s commitment to the teaching of fundamental British values as an appreciation of music supports tolerance and harmony by enabling them to acquire an appreciation of (and respect for) their own and other cultures.
Music Curriculum Statement and Parent Information 2023-24
