Music
Music at our school is very important. On a weekly basis, each class is taught Music by a specialist Music Teacher. In line with the new curriculum for Music, the children learn musical skills through an integrated, practical, exploratory and child-led approach to musical learning, through performing, composing, listening and appraising. The lessons are interrelated and thread through the units and years, to encourage the development of musical skills as the learning progresses through listening and appraising, differing musical activities (including creating and exploring) and performing.
The musical learning is built around pulse, rhythm, pitch, tempo, dynamics, timbre, texture, structure and notation. These dimensions are at the centre of all the learning.
In addition to class curriculum lessons, there are opportunities, through the Wider Opportunities Music scheme, for classes in KS2 to learn a brass instrument or the violin for a term, as a whole class. A specialist brass and violin teacher visits a class for 10 weeks during a term, teaching the children the skills needed to play simple tunes, starting as beginners and progressing to play, and perhaps read music, accompanied by a variety of musical recordings from different musical genres.
There are other opportunities for children to learn a variety of instruments with a specialist instrumental teacher, who visits the school on a weekly basis. These lessons take place on an individual or small group basis. Over the last few years, the range of instruments being taught has grown, and we currently offer lessons in violin, cello, trumpet, trombone, baritone, tenor horn, flute, clarinet, piano, keyboard, guitar and ukulele. Informal termly and annual concerts are held, both in and out of school time, to showcase individual children’s talents – all abilities perform, from beginners to examination players. All musicians from our school have the opportunity, along with pupils from other local Primary Schools, of attending the Wednesday orchestra at the local secondary school and brass players can attend the Monday brass ensemble, again at the local secondary school.
In conjunction with the local Learning Community, a variety of children from Shaldon Primary School have had the opportunity to take part in workshops with the English National Opera, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the Bath Philharmonic, Chetham’s Music College, the London Gospel Choir, the Military Wives Choir, the Devon Teacher’s Rock Choir and with a local/international composer - David Haines and the Teignmouth Community Choir. A selection of children have participated in Exeter Choir Festival, the Singing Excellence event, the Inclusive Singing workshop and concert, all at the Exeter Corn Exchange and in Exeter Cathedral. Our choir members were invited to attend a day at Exeter Cathedral School, learning the intricacies of being a chorister and have also taken part in a Music Festival with Exeter Cathedral Choir in the Chapter House at Exeter Cathedral. We also offer a number of extra curricular music clubs at the school. These include choir and recorders.
Our school choir have a very good reputation locally and perform annually in the school Christmas and Summer Fayres, in concerts at local residential homes for the elderly, around the village Christmas tree and in the local church with local adult choirs. They have also taken part in workshops at the annual Devon Music Festival at Westpoint, and in conjunction with the learning community and wider Devon school communities in workshops in Exeter Cathedral. They have also composed and performed songs for a local Science Festival, taken part in a compositional workshops, with some of The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the Bath Philharmonic, the Bath Symphony Orchestra and a mini operatic workshop based on ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ with singers from the National Opera.
The Helen Foundation is a local Arts Charity, which has worked with us on a number of occasions and provides a Year 6 leavers Music award for the most talented arts pupil in the school. We also hold annual Autumn Harvest Festivals and Christmas Carol Concerts in the local church - St. Peter's.