“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.”

Plato

Helping Each Child to Flourish 

At Heworth we value music and the skills it teaches.  We want children to develop confidence in their musical knowledge and their ability to tackle new skills and projects.  Our goal is for each child to leave Heworth able to sing and play confidently; to have experienced different musical styles and genres; and to have thought about and responded to a wide range of music.  We provide plenty of performance opportunities at a variety of levels, and experiences of working with other musicians.  Most of all we aim to foster a joy and love of music and of making music.

What Music looks like at Heworth?

  • Music at Heworth uses the Kodaly method which encourages each child to develop a sound understanding and feel of pulse, rhythm and pitch.   As they progress through the school they learn to apply this to instrument playing and composition, as well as developing appraisal and listening skills with the vocabulary to communicate their ideas.  Children are also encouraged to respond to music through a variety of mediums.
  • Heworth takes part in the Whole Class Ensemble scheme with whole class violin lessons in Class 4, giving each child the chance to leave Heworth able to play an instrument.
  • We have regular workshops led by students from the University of York music department covering a variety of different music styles.
  • There are plenty of performance opportunities at Heworth.  All year groups sing or perform for parents and carers at the Harvest Festival, Carol Service and Easter Service.  Classes 1 and 2 perform a Nativity play each year and Year 6 give an annual Summer Show.  Instrumentalists can perform at the Summer Concert and by playing in the weekly singing assemblies.  We also take part in public performances organised by York Music Hub and AHS.  
  • Any child interested in learning an instrument to a higher level can do so through individual and group lessons with specialist peripatetic teachers.  Vocal technique is improved upon during Music lessons and during Singing Assembly.

How do our values shine through in Music?

Trust

Children learn to trust one another through teamwork, taking responsibility for their part and trusting the rest of the group to do their best.  They are encouraged to build a climate of trust and acceptance in music sessions so that everyone can be sure of a welcoming and accepting atmosphere for their efforts and responses.

Forgiveness

Ensemble work encourages children to work and perform as a group – we practice, play and perform together as a team.

Compassion

“Music can change the world, because it can change people” – Bono. The pieces that children hear and the songs they sing, teach and reinforce compassion, respect and love for one another.

Endurance

Musical skill is based upon regular practice and the resilience to keep going, with the reward being a new skill and ability. There are no short cuts in music, but when we stick with it, progress is easy to see.

How do children flourish in Music at Heworth?

  • Children will leave Heworth viewing music as a positive force in their lives, to be tapped into regularly.
  • Children will develop confidence in singing, playing and performing.
  • Children will be confident working in a group, and individually, in order to express their ideas for creating, producing and communicating music.
  • Children will have a developing technical vocabulary which they can use to describe and respond to the music they hear, play and compose.
  • Children will leave Heworth having experienced a breadth of musical styles, genres and traditions across the world and throughout history.
  • Children will understand that our response to music is personal and have developed a respect for those responses different to their own and confidence in the value of their own response.