Music

"Music can change the world because it can change people."

                                                                                                                                       - Bono

At Oatlands Infants, we really do believe in the transformative power of music! We love to sing as a whole-school community: all different, but united in song. Singing together connects us, giving us a sense of belonging, and is also known to boost our happiness and wellbeing - something we are very passionate about at Oatlands! We seek to nurture a love of music and to inspire our children to grow into adults who are confident to enjoy and explore it in all its forms, embracing its power to improve and enrich their lives.

Musical Experiences

In addition to our Music learning in the classroom, we find lots of opportunities to enjoy a range of musical experiences throughout the year.

Year 2 Singing Club were privileged to be invited to sing at a wellbeing session at St. Michael's Hospice. We had a lovely, sunny stroll along the bridleway to get to the hospice and we had a very warm welcome when we arrived. We sang in two groups so that one group could be singing and one group could be enjoying some of the delicious treats baked by our Singing Club families to share with the group attendees. What a yummy selection! It was clear that everyone really enjoyed our performance and our audience even helped us out by clapping and singing along! Huge thanks to all the lovely staff at St. Michael's and all the fabulous volunteers who accompanied us on our walk.

We were delighted to welcome the Oatlands Junior School Choir to perform for us, and with us, as part of our Fabulous Families Unity Day assembly. They sang a captivating rendition of 'Count On Me' by Bruno Mars, including some beautiful harmonies! As a school, we sang 'What Makes a Family?' and our Year Two Singing Club performed 'Lead with Peace'. We finished the assembly with everyone singing 'I Belong' (I belong | Lyric video (performance track) | Sing Up Day 2024 (youtube.com)) together, accompanied by Makaton signs. It was wonderful to sing together as one big Oatlands family and it was extra-special, as we were participating in Sing Up Day 2024 along with many schools across the UK and around the world.

James from Top of the Rock Tuition came in to do a fabulous, interactive drumming assembly, including some of our Oatlands Infants pupils who have been having lessons with him. We were all inspired! 

We had a real treat recently, when the St. Aidan's Junior Choir came to sing for us. You could hear a pin drop as the children were spellbound by the beautiful sound they made! We had the chance to join in with the chorus of 'I'm Still Standing' and we finished the assembly by all singing together a Sing Up! song that we had been practising, 'I Belong'. This was a great way to celebrate being part of the Yorkshire Causeway Schools Trust family!

We were so lucky to have the brilliant Rock Kidz in school for our 'Maths Rocks' day! We all came to school dressed as rock stars and had a massive rock concert in the hall. We had air guitar battles and learned a song about how important it is to be yourself.

Music was at the heart of our celebrations at Christmas! The children in Year 1 worked hard to put on a fabulous performance of 'Christmas with the Aliens'. Years 1 and 2 walked up to St Mark's Church and sang beautifully in their Christmas Carol Concert. They even sang 'Jingle Bells' in French and Spanish!

Our Year 2 Singing Club took the train into Harrogate for an open-air performance, as part of the Harrogate Christmas Fair.  They sang beautifully, even leaving some members of the community in tears! 

The very talented mezzo-soprano, Emma Carrington, got us in a festive mood with a special mini concert just for us! She sang some traditional Christmas carols as well as 'Walking in the Air' from 'The Snowman'. Tom Stephen accompanied Emma on the piano and also joined in with some of the singing. What a treat!

We celebrated the coronation of King Charles III with a whole-school performance in the playground. We sang The National Anthem and a special song we'd learned for the occasion, 'Long Live the King'.

Singing Assembly

In addition to Music lessons in class, we have a weekly Singing Assembly with Mrs Hunt, our Music Lead. This is a wonderful opportunity to get the whole school together to enjoy the shared experience of singing as part of our school community and a real high point in the week. We have a wide repertoire of songs and spoken rhymes, which Mrs Hunt teaches voice to voice using 'my turn, your turn'. These songs are carefully chosen to reflect either the whole-school topic, the season, important events or to support our PSHE learning. We use Makaton signs to help the children (and the teachers!) learn the words and to make the songs as accessible as possible to everyone in school.

Here at Oatlands Infants, we are proud to be able to offer specialist Music lessons for all ages. Our lovely drumming teacher James, from Top of the Rock Tuition (Schools - Top of the Rock Tuition), comes in for a full day of individual lessons, teaching children in Reception, Year One and Year Two. For children in KS1, we also offer guitar and keyboard lessons through North Yorkshire Council Music Service. In recent assemblies, we have been treated to mini performances by some of our children who take Music lessons.

If your child is eligible for Pupil Premium, please speak to a member of the Senior Leadership Team about the school's ability to fund music lessons in certain cases.

We are proud to be a Music Mark school!

Curriculum Intent

Our main approach to the teaching and learning of Music is through ‘Sing Up!’, an online curriculum we adopted in spring 2024, which uses singing as the primary means of  developing musical skills and understanding. We chose this scheme because its emphasis on the personal and social benefits of singing and music-making really fits in well with our school ethos:

"Singing specifically supports learning, personal and social development, promotes health and well-being and bonds communities of people like no other activity." - Sing Up! website

We use Sing Up! from Reception to Year Two and this whole-school approach ensures continuity and progression throughout the school, as well as supporting all teachers in delivering high-quality Music lessons. In addition to lots of singing, there are plenty of opportunities for movement, focused listening, composition and instrumental work. In Year Two, the children work specifically on learning to play simple accompaniments on the glockenspiel. At Oatlands Junior School, staff have recently begun to use Sing Up! as the basis for their Music lessons. We are working closely together with our Junior School colleagues to develop a consistent, cohesive approach, which will really benefit those students moving from the Infants to the Juniors.

In line with the 'Sing Up!' curriculum, our aims for our children are that they will:

• Learn to sing well and enjoy singing;
• Develop musical skills and understanding;
• Experience the wider learning and developmental benefits that singing and music-making provides;
• Experience long-term benefits to their health and well-being.

This is a summary of how our school delivers music education to all our pupils across three areas – curriculum music, co-curricular provision and musical experiences – and what changes we are planning in future years. This information is to help pupils and parents or carers understand what our school offers and who we work with to support our pupils’ music education.