Bourn Music
The music curriculum at Bourn is planned in order to provide high quality musical education for all children. It takes into account the National Curriculum and the Model Music Curriculum published in 2021, but it is firmly based on what the teachers, including our music specialists, know our children need to learn in order to achieve high outcomes in music.
We use a range of resources, including Music Express, but the much of the teaching is instrumental. Children begin to play boomwhackers in EYFS and Year 1, which is a pre-cursor to two years of recorder tuition in Years 2 and 3. Children learn to read music and play basic notes, moving on to learning a wider range of notes, composing simple tunes and learning about time signatures and dynamics. This gives them the basis for being able to read an orchestral part and being able to join the orchestra in Year 4. Throughout Years 2 and 3, children also learn singing strategies, become familiar with popular classics, learn about the different sections of an orchestra and begin to learn to play the ukulele.
In Years 4 and 5, children learn to play the glockenspiel, continue with the ukulele and learn more about percussion, different composers and different genres of songs, such as Jazz and Blues, as well as continuing singing skills.
In Year 6, children continue to develop their skills in playing the ukulele, as well as learning about a wider range of song genres, such as calypso, reggae, rock and pop. They continue to sing in unison, solo and in groups.
All children are offered the opportunity to learn an instrument, taught in private lessons in school (drums, guitar, violin, clarinet, flute, piano). All children from year 4 onwards are able to play in the orchestra, which rehearses every week.
The school also has a choir as well as more informal singing clubs where children join as they wish to sing pop songs.
