Castleton Primary School and Children's Centre

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Green Lane, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS12 1JZ

Andrea Riley and Alistair Darnell (co headteachers): headteacher@castletonleeds.org.uk

0113 2637756

Castleton Primary School and Children's Centre

'Unlocking Potential'

Music

Intent of Music at Castleton

 

At Castleton we firmly believe that music has the potential to transform us. It is not simply about learning a body of knowledge but it is also a wonderful medium for facilitating communication between people of different cultures, ages and social backgrounds.

Music confirms our understanding that there is something beyond ourselves. It promotes high-level intellectual and physical attainment, and evokes deep emotional and creative response. Studying music provides a rich opportunity for acquiring and developing a wide range of skills; musical, personal and social which we need in our modern world.

Music plays a big part in our children's lives here at Castleton. From the moment a child starts nursery they will experience singing, movement and experimenting with sound in a creative way. As they progress through the school they will have music and singing lessons as part of their weekly curriculum as well as the chance to join extra- curricular lunchtime clubs such as choir, djembe and ukulele.

We have a peripatetic specialist teacher who comes in on a weekly basis to teach drums and guitar to children in Key Stage 2. Children are given regular opportunities to perform both in and outside of school, with school music assemblies held termly and trips to perform at Leeds Town Hall twice a year. Opera North and Leeds Lieder work in partnership with us, delivering workshops in school. We also go out into the community to perform at local care homes and GP surgeries. There is a Year 6 band who have performed at local music festivals and recorded CDs at the same recording studio as the Kaiser Chiefs.

If a child shows particular musicality they are encouraged to develop their potential by furthering their studies outside school. Castleton have had several children who have successfully auditioned for a place at Leeds College of Music Saturday Morning School (SMS) and who are currently studying there. One past pupil joined Opera North Youth Chorus, touring nationally and internationally with Opera North and now works in music production. Last year one of our Year 6 pupils successfully gained a full scholarship to attend the internationally acclaimed Cheetham's Music School in Manchester to study piano as a full time student.

We have also nurtured links between our music department and Leeds Beckett University. Last year a group of third year B Ed students came to work with children on a successful and highly enjoyable 6 week composition project , culminating in a concert for parents, teachers and children to see and hear the work the children and students had done.

What we are learning in Spring 2

In this coming half term Reception classes will continue to learn many new songs including 'The Three Little Pig Jive' and 'Magic machine'. They enjoy making different voices for the big bad wolf and the three little pigs and also making up jobs for their magic machine to do!
Year 1 are on Unit 6 and will progress to Unit 7 soon. They have been learning about pitch matching and keeping a steady pulse. They are enjoying listening to music about train journeys and also making up their own train journey sounds in the song 'Engine Engine'.
Year 2 have been learning abut the three musical comparatives this term in Unit 14: Higher/lower, faster/slower and louder/quieter. We drew our own graphic score pieces incorporating these musical elements and had great fun performingand recording them. They will be progressing to Unit 15/16 later this term and will be exploring rhythm.
Year 3 are exploring percussion this half term in Unit 24 and will be playing on the djembe drums for the first time!
Year 4 are making good progress on the ukuleles and are using the Charanga Music scheme. They can now play 3 chords and will be continuing to learn new pieces this half term which use these three chords.
Year 5 are half way through their 12 Bar Blues projects. they have been listening to different styles of Blues Music and learning about its origins. This half term they will practise their class blues compositions and record them.
Year 6 have been arranging their own group pieces and they will be using these skills this half term to make their own musical story pieces which they will write down or draw in graphic score form, practise, perform and record
Musical Leaders
Musical Leaders
Reception
Reception

Our band and drum lessons


Wow, check out our band! Well done everybody.

Mouchi in Year 5 in his drum lesson. He’s keeping a steady beat really well and reading drum notation.

Mouchi teaching Abdulla how to play the Congo Drum in Year 5 Music Club.

Year 3 

We have been learning how to play a pulse and known rhythm together on instruments. Have a look at our videos below!

Year 4

Year 4 have been learning all about sea shanties. We then sang one that we have learned.


Well done 4B. We have been learning all about sea shanties.