ACE Music Focus Day 2023

Miss Holness, tell us who your favourite singers are and what your most memorable musical event was?

When a singer gives me goose bumps, I know they are special! I love to listen to Whitney Houston, Gregory Porter, Billie Holiday, Stevie Wonder and Judy Garland to name just a few! And I was lucky to see Dame Shirley Bassey and Beyonce at Glastonbury Festival, which was AMAZING!

How has being able to sing together again after the pandemic restrictions have lifted impacted pupils at Astley?

The first time staff heard the children sing as a whole group again was a special and moving moment. We all felt a sense of joy and togetherness.

What elements of Music Focus Day 2021 inspired pupils the most?

In our last Music Focus Day, pupils seemed to enjoy listening to different genres of music and discussing how it made them feel. They were also excited by taking part in activities which involved responding to music through drawing and painting and using their imagination to interpret what they heard.

What does the Music Curriculum look like across the different year groups and how do pupils progress? And can you explain to us the purpose of extra musical opportunities for children in both Year 3 and 4 and what further skills pupils learn?

At Astley we use The Norfolk Music Hub scheme of work called 'Charanga', which builds children's learning across the year groups. In Year 3 children have steel drum and Ukulele lessons with a peripatetic music teacher, the amazing Estelle Furnelle. Year 4 have whole class guitar lessons with our fantastic teacher, Mr Darricott. Having specialist Music teachers enriches pupil experience and gives Astley children opportunities to learn to play an instrument they may not otherwise have chance to try.

Options are also available for pupils for private lessons in both guitar with Mr Darricott and piano with Ronnie Jones by arrangement.

In Music Focus Day 2021 we learnt about links with Life Skills and the how singing effects cognitive skills in Maths etc. Are there other ways in which Music enhances learning across other curriculum subjects?

Music can stimulate the imagination so we sometimes use it in our Big Read lessons. Lyrics can tell a story or they an rhyme like poetry, and they can teach pupils about the rhythm and rhyme of words. As we discovered in ACE Music Focus Day 2021, music has a way of getting any information to stick in our minds, from learning about the continents in Geography or planets in Science! Singing is also used to help learning in Astley French lessons.

What is the theme of ACE Music Focus Day 2023 and what can pupils look forward to taking part in?

For Ace Music Focus Day 2023, we are using a special unit from Charanga called 'Plastic' as our theme this year and pupils will be asking 'How can Music Help the Planet?' Children will be involved in many exciting activities including learning to sing a rap song about the effects of plastic on our planet and responding and discussing the topic of pollution using a picture prompt.

In addition, all the children will be making an instrument using recycled materials and making posters about why we should Re-use, Reduce and Recycle! Older year groups will look at the lyrics of the rap and compose their own alternative lyrics using rhythm and rhyme!

In what ways would you like to see the Music curriculum develop for pupils at Astley over the coming years?

Last year the Department for Education launched a national plan for music and a new model Music Curriculum. The overarching theme of this is, 'The power of music to change lives.'

From September this year, Astley children will be using a new model music curriculum developed and written by the Charanga team.

We have been fortunate here at Astley to have had musicians visit and perform live Classical music and Rock music in school. I would really love to see them return to Astley to enrich the children's special musical experience!