Music

Music at the Willows

Intent

At The Willows, we provide opportunities for all children to create, play, perform and enjoy music, to develop musical skills and appreciate a wide variety of musical forms. We believe that each child should be exposed to a broad and rich music curriculum, that can inspire and motivate, giving opportunities for personal expression. Music can be used to reflect the culture and society we live in and so the teaching and learning of music enables our children to better understand the world we live in, and it is also important in helping children feel part of a community.

In line with the National Curriculum 2014, we aim to provide a broad and engaging music curriculum which enables them to:

perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians
learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence
understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the interrelated dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations

Implementation

In Key Stage 1 children will learn to:

Use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes
Play tuned and untuned instruments musically
Listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high quality live and recorded music
Experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the inter-related dimensions of music

In Key Stage 2 pupils will learn to:

Play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using their voices and playing musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression
Improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the interrelated dimensions of music
Listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory.
Use and understand the stave and other musical notations. The musical elements of pitch, duration, tempo, dynamics, timbre, texture and structure are progressively introduced
Appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians
Develop an understanding of the history of music

To further engage and inspire, music is also delivered through cross curricular learning opportunities and events. In English and maths for example it may be delivered through learning such as following a steady beat, counting songs and songs that develop rhythm and rhyme as well as using their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes. In computing lessons pupils also have the opportunity to develop their musical knowledge and skills. Events in school such as visiting theatre shows and a live orchestral concert further enhance our curriculum.

Impact

The design of the music curriculum at The Willows, allows for all children, regardless of starting points, to make progress.

Planned lessons will ensure that prior knowledge is built upon and the children are continuously growing their knowledge and developing their musical skills

Our children will demonstrate their ability in music in a variety of different ways. Assessment is used as a tool for helping children to make future progress. Target Tracker is used to monitor and assess children’s progress.

Music Mark School

Music is an integral part of the Willows School Curriculum which we endeavour to incorporate into our daily learning. The Willows School has been awarded a prestigious Music Mark. This is a significant achievement and a direct result of the value that the school places on music and our commitment to providing a broad and balanced music curriculum.

In addition, throughout the year, our students will also experience a variety of visits, performances and workshops from various performance artists. Be sure to look at our gallery to keep up to date with our musical performances and experiences.

Events:

Sing 24!

Earlier this year, enthusiastic students from The Willows took part in the annual Sing24! Festival. It was a process that began in September 2023 in which a school choir was formed and they began learning the songs to be performed as well as some vocal techniques, and culminated in a performance on stage at the Beck Theatre. It was there that the Willows did a spectacular performance of their chosen song ‘Don’t Give Up On Me’ and also sang a group song, ‘The Power in Me’, with other schools from the Hillingdon borough as a collective.

It was an emotional and meaningful experience/performance for the children, which brought delight to the audience of 400 who passionately applauded at the end of their performance. We have since continued with the choir, focussing on vocal technique and learning other songs to be performed for future performances. We take on anyone who is willing to participate, so they too can experience the joy of singing and performing.

Here are some photos from our time at Sing24!

Orchestral Concert at The Willows...

Music at Home

Click on the pictures below to find some exciting music sites you can access at home!