Music and singing are an integral part to the life of a St-Dominic Savio’s child. We provide a vibrant musical experience for all children. We allow opportunities to create, play, perform and enjoy music, to develop the skills, to appreciate a wide variety of musical forms, and to begin to make judgements about the quality of music.  

Through our music curriculum pupils will:  

• Gain enjoyment, self-confidence and a sense of achievement through musical activities.  

• Be aware of, understand and respond appropriately to the rich variety of sounds in their environment and particularly to those organised arrangements of sounds called music.  

• Acquire musical skills and understanding of musical concepts through primarily active listening then performing and composing.  

• Develop their capacity to express ideas and feelings through the medium of sound.   

At St-Dominic Savio, we deliver a clear and comprehensive scheme of work in line with the National Curriculum through Charanga. Charanga provides weekly lessons that enable children to understand musical concepts through a repetition-based approach to learning. Learning about the same musical concept through different musical activities enables a more secure, deeper learning and mastery of musical skills. Musical teaching and learning is not neat or linear. The strands of musical learning, presented within the lesson plans and the on-screen resources, are part of the learning spiral. Over time, children can both develop new musical skills and concepts, and re-visit established musical skills and concepts. Repeating a musical skill doesn’t necessarily mean their progress is slowing down or their development is moving backwards! It's just shifting within the spiral. Mastery means both a deeper understanding of musical skills and concepts and learning something new.   

Charanga is also supplemented with aspects from BBC Ten pieces, enabling the children to have broad experience of musical genre and composers. 

What makes our school special and how do we celebrate Music within our school? 

• We perform an annual upper KS2 production; all upper KS2 children are involved and fully immerse themselves in acting, singing and dance. 

• We perform an annual EYFS Nativity and KS1 Christmas production; all children sing, dance and act in costume. 

• Lower KS2 children and KS2 Choir partake in an annual Christmas Carol Service at St-Bosco’s Church. 

• Regular weekly hymn practice to learn and rehearse familiar and new songs.   

• Annual participation in WASMA at the Hexagon by KS2 choir children.  We take great pride in performing well both in school and at various public events. 

• Many of our children learn to play instruments such as the recorder, piano, drums and brass instruments. Children have the opportunity to learn many of these in school during Music lessons or with an outside peripatetic teacher. Children can also showcase their efforts in assemblies.   

Please speak to the school office if you would like your child to learn to play an instrument.   

• Extra-curricular clubs such as our school choir and instrumental lessons enhance the curriculum on offer.  Concerts, performances, live shows and sharing assemblies take place throughout the year to further inspire pupils and develop their musical and cultural abilities.    

Learning a musical instrument

Children have many opportunities to learn to play a variety of musical instruments during their time here at St-Dominic Savio.  These include the recorder, glockenspiel and guitar.   Children also get to use their singing voices through music lessons, choir and other musical performances such as assemblies, end of year productions and other external performances.  

  - EYFS children focus on exploring and experimenting with different sounds using tuned and untuned percussion instruments.

- Year 1 focus on glockenspiels and percussion instruments

- Year 2 focus on glockenspiels and introduction to families of instruments – Percussion, woodwind, string and brass

- Year 3 focus on glockenspiels and recorders.  Whole class teaching of recorders by Class Teacher.

- Year 4 focus on guitars (String instruments).  Whole class teaching of guitars by a music specialist from Berkshire Maestros. 

- Year 5 focus on glockenspiels and recorders (Guitars optional) 

  Children apply their knowledge gained over the last 2 years to practice skills on glockenspiels, recorders and   

  guitars.

- Year 6 focus on freestyle using glockenspiels and recorders, (Guitars and drums – optional) 

   Also compose a piece of music using Yu Studio (A digital audio tool)

All teaching will include aspects from Charanga units and cover the interrelated dimensions of music. The interrelated dimensions (pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure) are the building blocks of Music, as referred to in the National Curriculum for Music in England.