Music
“Music is a language the whole world speaks.”
Rich and Plentiful Musical Opportunities for All at Loxley
Music can raise a person’s mood, generate excitement or create a calm and relaxed environment. At Loxley, we value all that music has to offer and in line with our tradition of ‘aiming high together’, we aspire for every child to be able to play a tuned musical instrument by the time they leave our school. We deliver a high quality music education which engages and inspires pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians which we hope in turn increases their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As pupils progress and their skills advance, we encourage them to compose their own music and to listen with appreciation to a wide variety of musical genres.
Singing
We love singing at Loxley! Singing is great for our wellbeing, whether singing solo, as a group or as a whole school. We sing in performances, assemblies, concerts, Carol services and talent shows.
We believe that singing helps a child read, speak more clearly and helps to teach them a greater variety of vocabulary. It helps a child learn how to keep a rhythm and learn how to rhyme words. Children learn the importance of listening in order to learn their favourite songs. They learn how to enjoy listening to things and how to think about things while they listen. Being part of a group or choir can give children a feeling of belonging. We also integrate singing into many other areas of the curriculum.
Playing
How many adults have you heard say ‘I wish I could play an instrument’? Well, at Loxley, we can!
The children experience a variety of untuned instruments throughout school, developing their sense of rhythm and dynamics.
The children then have the opportunity to play a tuned instrument. In Y2 and Y3, the children learn to play the recorder. Then this progresses nicely onto the clarinet in Y4 and Y5, followed by keyboards in Y6.
In addition to this, we offer a variety of music lessons for children whose parents wish to enroll with peripatetic music teachers. They offer lessons in violin, cello, piano, keyboard, flute, clarinet and saxophone.
Composing
The children draw from their experiences in order to be able to compose music of their own.
The children have even worked on the lyrics for ‘The Loxley Carol’. Having listened to local carols, we decided that it was time for Loxley to have its own Christmas carol and who better than the children of Loxley Primary School to work together to write the lyrics. The carol is sung to the tune ‘Rodney Hill’. Many children past and present will know this to be the melody for our leaver’s song ‘When You Go On Your Way’.
Appraising
Not only do we enjoy singing and playing instruments but we also enjoy listening to music too. This is not just something offered as part of the music curriculum but infiltrates into all aspects of school life including P.E., history, assemblies and performances.
The children have opportunities to listen to live music in a range of ways throughout the year. We have musicians who visit school from time to time, including the Sheffield Music Hub and local duo ‘Toffee’ who perform songs in connection to the Sheffield Flood.
The children also have the opportunity to listen to each other play during our Carol Service, Talent Show, assemblies and annual music concert.
Music has so many benefits…
We believe that music is an extremely important subject for all children to learn. Music can raise someone's mood, get them excited, or make them calm and relaxed. Music also allows us to feel nearly or possibly all emotions that we experience in our lives.
Celebrating Music
We give all children an opportunity to perform to an audience. This could be at the annual music concert to parents, the Christmas Carol Service, the class performance, the talent show or the Sheffield Festival of Folk Carols (as shown here).
The Loxley Carol
To the tune of ‘Rodney Hill’.
Written by staff and children at Loxley Primary School December 2020
When the Christmas bells ring,
And you hear the choirs sing.
And the season’s full of laughter,
And the joy that it can bring.
Oh the stars shine so bright,
They give such a wondrous sight,
As the magic of the season,
Is upon us on this night.
1. We have heard the stories from the times of long ago,
Sowing seeds of kindness so that happiness can grow.
Chorus
The Loxley Carol - continued
2. Holly berries grow and bloom as wintertime draws near,
Let the joy of Christmas warm your heart and bring good cheer!
Haggas Croft
Was the place
Robin Hood
Loxley Chase
Holly grew
In the space
Where the angels sang with grace.
Chorus
As the magic of the season,
Is upon us on this night,
As the magic of the season is…
The magic of the season is…
The magic of the season is upon us on this night!
Musicians in School
We frequently have musicians coming into school. The children love watching and listening to musicians performing. Even some of the staff have been known to perform either individually or as a band for the children!
Every child playing a musical instrument
At Loxley Primary School, we like to ‘aim high’ and our ambition is that every child will be able to play a tuned musical instrument by the time they leave the school in Y6.
Beginning with recorders, the children then progress onto clarinets and finally onto keyboard.
Children not only learn how to play an instrument but also all the associated skills required to be able to play, including knowledge of different rhythms, how to look after the instrument, how to read music, how to play in groups and how to play different parts.