Children across the school have been learning a range of different aspects of music over the last term.

Reception have been learning to pitch-match with their voices using do-re-mi and move their hands in the direction of the pitch. They have been listening to and copying simple rhythms and strengthening the pulse when learning singing games.

‘I like clapping different rhythms’ – Caroline

‘My favourite part so far has been learning ‘Lost my partner’ – Tristan

‘I enjoy clapping the pulse’ – Isabelle

‘I enjoy playing Jump Jim Joe’ – Joel

‘I like using do-re-mi with my hands’ – Jakub

Year 1 have been learning to tell the difference between the pulse and a rhythm. They have been practising copying and creating rhythms using word patterns to help them.  Children have been practising keeping a steady pulse and strengthening their voices through singing games.

‘I really enjoy singing’ – Charlotte

‘I enjoy our clapping games’ – William

‘I like playing singing games’ – Lily

Year 2 have been learning to follow pitch patterns using do-re-mi. They have been reading how these can be shown as dot notation and learning to perform these on tuned percussion. Children have been learning to read crotchet and quaver rhythms and working on pulse work through different singing games.

‘I really enjoy singing games as everyone gets to join in’ – Alicia and Sira

‘I enjoy learning about the pulse and how to use do-re-mi to recognise how the pitch changes. Music brings me joy’ - Millie

‘I like to clap different rhythms and clap along to music’ – Noah

‘My favourite activity so far has been learning Mrs Macaroni singing game.’ – Jack

‘I love the harmony when we sing ‘Father We Adore You’ as a round’ – Leanne

‘I enjoyed playing different pitches on the xylophone’ – Livia, Gilbert and Ben

Year 3 have been learning to read, perform and recognise different rhythmic patterns using combinations of crotchets and quavers. Children have learned the difference between pitched and unpitched instruments when learning about the boomwhackers. They have learned about the scale and different pitches and how to play these instruments with control, especially when responding to different dynamics.

‘I enjoy listening to the music to hear the tempo change. It is harder to play fast’ – Thirana

‘It is really fun playing the boomwhackers’ – Roman

‘It is fun to play boomwhackers with different pitches and have a go playing games’ - Maeve

Year 4 have been learning about the origin of the djembe drums and learning how to hold and play these accurately.  They have been learning how to control their playing and respond to changes in tempo and dynamics and have practised being the conductor to lead everyone.

‘I like the djembe drums because you can change the rhythm and they’re really fun to play’ –Jessica

‘I like the djembe drums because they can be very loud’ – Troy

‘I enjoy the djembe drums as you can play three different sounds on them’ – Anchala

‘I enjoy going from fortissimo to pianissimo’ – Luke

‘I like to see the concentration on the children’s faces’ – Mrs Alexander

‘I enjoy playing rhythms’ – Hind

In Year 5, as well as singing in rounds and parts, children have been learning to read different rhythm patterns using combinations of crotchets and quavers and rests. They have been learning about timbre (quality of sound) through the use of body percussion and combine their rhythm ostinatos in layers to create interesting textures in sound.

‘I like how we are using rhythms to make music as a whole class’ – Ben

‘I like learning and using musical vocabulary such as timbre, texture and ostinato’ – Harry

‘I like singing to create harmonies’ – Laura

‘I enjoy using body percussion as it joins sport and music’ - Calvin

In Year 6, as well as singing in rounds and parts and learning how to conduct songs, children have been exploring rhythmic sequences and working together to put these together to create a group handskit (set of sequences using only hands) with a clear structure. As part of their World War topic, they have listened to examples of music that was popular during the War, recognising how this music affected people and have so far learned to sing Pack up your troubles, It’s a long way to Tipperary and We’ll Meet Again. They have also been looking at different ways to represent pitch, including graphic scores.

‘I liked learning to singing rounds as the sound of the harmony was really nice to listen to. Also I loved the up-lifting songs of the World Wars as I think it will make the soldiers feel confident and to make their worries to not stay in their minds’ – Ashten

‘I loved the harmonies from singing in rounds. It was a cool link to learn songs from the war since we are learning about WW2. The songs are really unique and remind you of how much work the soldiers put in.’ – Orla

‘I really liked listening to the different types of music since the songs were really unique and they had different emotions inside them. It was nice listening to the music that happens in WW2 since it motivated the soldiers.’ – Irena

‘I enjoyed finding out about the famous wartime sing Vera Lynn. My favourite song was definitely ‘We’ll Meet Again’. It is a perfect tune. It may be an old song, but for me its as good as a modern day song. It’s good to know that wartime songs that Vera made uplifted the soldier’s spirits.’ - Aksana