Why we teach music?

At St. Anne’s Infant School, we believe music offers a unique opportunity to enrich children’s lives. We recognise the power of music to inspire and engage, providing a creative outlet for communication and self-expression. High-quality, multicultural musical experiences enable children to learn about, connect with and appreciate music from around the world. Our children benefit from the calming and uplifting effects of music, which promote wellbeing and contribute to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
 

Our aim is to instil a lifelong love of music- whether through playing, listening, composing or performing.

The knowledge, skills and understanding that children develop:

At St. Anne’s Infants, children develop a deep appreciation and enjoyment of music through a lively and inspiring curriculum that celebrates a wide range of genres and traditions.

Our lessons encourage collaboration as children explore the many dimensions of music, including beat, rhythm and tempo, in creative and practical ways. Through these experiences, they build a rich musical vocabulary and develop essential skills in listening, appraising, composing, improvising and performing.

Music also enhances children’s sensory development and supports learning across the wider curriculum, promoting creativity and self-expression.

Most importantly, our structured lessons nurture confidence, resilience and a growth mindset, empowering every child to enjoy the full journey of music-making, from exploration and experimentation to confident performance.

The learning experience:

Every child at our school engages in a hands-on music education from their entry into Nursery until the end of Year 2. In our Early Years classrooms, music is woven throughout the school day, with plenty of opportunities to sing, explore sounds, dance and play.

Through our chosen learning platform, Sing Up, children in Key Stage 1 learn to recognise and respond to musical patterns, perform, listen to and evaluate music across a range of diverse genres, styles and traditions. As budding musicians, they are equipped with musical knowledge and introduced to notation, using their voices and instruments to perform their own creations to an audience.

As they progress through Key Stage 1, children learn to use their voices expressively through a wide variety of songs, chants and rhymes, further supported by weekly singing assemblies featuring Sing Up warm-ups and live piano accompaniment. During music lessons, they play both tuned and untuned instruments, explore rhythm and pitch, and develop their creativity by composing new rhythms, lyrics and melodies. They are also encouraged to reflect on how different pieces of music make them feel and what images or stories the music inspires.

Children take part in whole-school singing, practising songs to celebrate world festivals and seasonal events throughout the year. Outdoor musical instruments inspire children to be adventurous and imaginative, giving them the freedom to express themselves through music in joyful and creative ways.