Music at St Nicholas
At St. Nicholas Church School, our commitment lies in nurturing a profound love and comprehension of music among our students, offering them a top-tier education that sparks creativity and promotes enduring admiration. Here at St. Nicholas, we offer a rich celebration of music - drawing from diverse cultural influences, styles, generations, and genres. We encourage collaboration and exploration through ensembles, class playing, composing, singing and exposure to a range of instruments and styles. Our goal is to equip students with the confidence and skills to listen and perform with increasing assurance, empowering them to communicate and connect through the language of sound. Through varied musical experiences and thorough instruction, we strive to ensure that music remains a treasured companion throughout their lives.
We currently follow the Kapow Scheme of Music which aims to develop children’s skills, knowledge and understanding to become confident performers, composers, and listeners though exposure to a variety of different materials and techniques. It introduces children to music from all around the world and across generations, teaching children to respect and appreciate the music of all traditions and communities.
Some of our topics include:
Pitch and Tempo | Theme: Superheroes (Y1)
Orchestral Instruments | Theme: Traditional Stories (Y2)
Creating compositions in response to animations | Theme: Mountains (Y3)
Samba and carnival sounds | Theme: South America (Y4)
Composition Notation | Theme: Ancient Egypt (Y5)
Dynamics, pitch and tempo | Theme: Fingal’s cave (Y6)
In Reception, we follow the EYFS framework. Understanding the world involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community. The frequency and range of children’s personal experiences increases their knowledge and sense of the world around them.
Music Enrichment
St. Nicholas have a close relationship with a variety of music bodies such as WEMA (West of England Music and Arts association); an organisation that provides the children with opportunities to learn and experiment with a variety of musical instruments. They are providing us with music tutors who specialised in instruments such as the ukulele and trombone as well as the variety of equipment available in school (keyboards, guitars, glockenspiels etc).
We regularly provide singing opportunities through our weekly singing assemblies and regular theatrical events, as well as specialised singing workshops with experienced practitioners from WEMA. Where opportunities have arisen, we also allow our children to experience live events such as ‘Young Voices’ and the ‘Let's Go!’ relay assemblies, where they can perform and participate in collaboration with other schools; making sure that their musical experience is fulfilling and stays with them for life, helping them feel confident to enjoy and participate in music.
