Singing At St George's 

At St George's we regularly come together as a school to sing. We sing to celebrate, to worship and have fun as a team. Language development and emotional expression are just two benefits of singing. It is also excellent for building confidence, memory skills, listening skills and relief from stress. The pupils also learn about different cultures and eras from singing a range of songs. 

Throughout the year, different classes have the chance to be the stars of the show and perform for the school and community. We sing at church in groups and as a school to mark key Christian festivals. The infants sing for everyone in their Nativity performance. The juniors perform for our community in a summer play. We love to sing carols for our St George's Church luncheon club at Christmas. 

We really enjoyed coming together as a school choir to sing and perform BSL to 'You Will Be Found' as part of the DDAT's 10th anniversary. Click on the link to watch the moving performance featuring a choir made up of two children from each DDAT school. You will spot the whole school too! It is a moving song about finding happiness.  

Music Lessons

As stated in the Department for Education's 2021 Model Music Curriculum,

'The power of music is all around us. It is the soundtrack to our lives. Music connects us with people and places in our ever-changing world. It is creative, collaborative, celebratory and challenging. In our schools, music can bring communities together through the shared endeavour of whole-school singing, ensemble playing, experimenting with the creative process and, through the love of listening to friends and fellow pupils, performing. The sheer joy of music making can feed the soul of a school community, enriching each student while strengthening the shared bonds of support and trust which make a great school.'

We aim to help children build confidence, communication, thinking and creativity through singing, creating and performing music. Music also helps children develop self-esteem and creativity. We want children to enjoy and relax through music, helping to reduce stress. Most importantly, we want every child to feel a sense of achievement and pride in what they can do.

In weekly Music lessons, through Kapow Music Curriculum, children listen and respond to a wide range of music. They experience music from every corner of the world and in every possible style.  They learn to play tuned and untuned instruments and develop their musical knowledge and skills as they progress through school.

Peripatetic Instrument Lessons

School offers children the opportunity to have individual violin, piano, flute and bassoon lessons. If interested, please ask for a letter at the school office. To widen this provision, we are beginning in Autumn 2026 to teach recorders to Y3/4. The recorder is an excellent instrument to learn as pupils can quickly experience success and learn skills that will benefit them in future music making.   

SMSC

Music is an extremely sociable subject. Working in groups allows children to learn from each other and to share ideas and feelings. Music helps our pupils to develop a respect for the abilities of other children and encourages collaboration.

In relation to spiritual development, music introduces children to the work of great musicians and they experience wonder and awe at the achievements of these great pieces of music. They also experience great admiration and respect for their peers’ work.

Music helps children learn to respect others, give positive feedback and value the work of others, therefore building moral development. Pupils are encouraged to show compassion when assessing the work of others.

Music supports our children’s cultural development as they study various cultures and civilisations from around the world. This leads to a greater understanding of different ways of life and a respect for cultures that are very different from our own. 

British Values

Discussions in music lessons, creates an environment that is accepting of different beliefs and opinions of others. Children learn about similarities and differences between themselves and others, and show tolerance of these. All of our musical experiences teach them that everyone is important, and that everyone will have different life experiences and skills that we can celebrate and respect. Music requires a lot of teamwork, where children will take a democratic approach to working collaboratively, including making compromises and sharing decisions.

Protected Characteristics

At St. George's, we want to give our children an open, respectful and realistic mindset towards the wonderful world we live in and how this relates to music. We strive to expose them to a range of significant musicians from all different backgrounds related to the protected characteristics, and have planned for this in our varied curriculum.

Useful websites

Useful website links:

• BBC Bitesize KS1: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z7tnvcw 
• BBC Bitesize KS2: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zwxhfg8 
• Derbyshire Music Hub: https://www.derbyshiremusichub.org.uk/get-involved/music-at-home/junior/junior.aspx 
• BBC Ten Pieces: All 40 pieces - BBC Teach

We lay the foundations for the use of music as a source of pleasure, confidence and spiritual wellbeing. These high standards in our musical provision help St. George’s children thrive, carrying their musical experiences with them into their future lives.

Listening

During class and collective worship, we play music by various composers. Once seated, the children are able to listen to the music and learn more about its composer. This is a varied and diverse resource, designed to reflect the richness of our musical heritage. During National Awareness Weeks, such as Black History Month, Women's History Month and British Science Week, we listen to music chosen to deepen awareness of these themes.