Music at Hollywell

At Hollywell, our aim is for all our pupils to foster a lifelong love of music and ignite a passion by inspiring creativity and self-expression. ​

Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. A high-quality music education should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon.

By the end of each key stage, pupils are expected to know, apply and understand the matters, skills and processes specified in the relevant programme of study.

Key Stage 1

Pupils should be taught to:

• Use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes
• Play tuned and untuned instruments musically
• Listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high-quality live and recorded music
• Experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the interrelated dimensions of music

Key Stage 2

Pupils should be taught to sing and play musically with increasing confidence and control. They should develop an understanding of musical composition, organising and manipulating ideas within musical structures and reproducing sounds from aural memory.

Pupils should be taught to:

• Play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using their voices and playing musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression
• Improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the interrelated dimensions of music
• Listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory
• Use and understand staff and other musical notations
• Appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians
• Develop an understanding of the history of music

At Hollywell Primary School, we believe in a curriculum which inspires children and develops children's creativity.

Lessons have a strong practical element – children have opportunities to play instruments and compose their own music, as well as developing their understanding of how music is written down and constructed. Where appropriate, links are made between music and other topic areas which children are learning about.

Music is incorporated into the Growth enrichment programme, where children have the opportunity to learn to play a tuned instrument such as the ocarina in KS1 and the Ukulele in Lower KS2.

We are very proud of the talents of our children. Peripatetic teachers provide us with expert tuition in various instruments, including guitar, drums, strings and piano.  Children can take advantage of these lessons from Year 1 onwards. 

Music Events

- At Christmas, Reception performs a simple nativity for parents and KS1 performs a play for the parents involving singing, dancing and drama.

- In the Spring Term, the children in Year 3 and Year 4 classes take part in a joint production. This may include singing, dancing and drama.

- In the Summer Term, children from Years 5 and 6 take part in an end-of-year production involving singing, dancing and drama.

- A music recital is held in the Autumn Term and the Summer Term, which parents are invited to attend. This showcases the instrumental tuition that has been happening in school.

Through these events, children experience the unique satisfaction of producing a high-quality musical performance.