National Curriculum

At Victoria Community School, we teach music following the National Curriculum which aims to ensure that all pupils:

• perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians
• learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence
• understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.

Children from nursery to Year 6 receive a half hour music lesson weekly and take part in a weekly Song Practise assembly.

Music is taught using a number of resources, the main one being the Charanga Scheme of work.

Music Award

We are delighted to share with you the following news:

On behalf of the North West Midlands Music Education Hub I am delighted to present a digital version of the Excellence in Music Provision Award logo achieved by your school recently.

This award is recognition that your school has undertaken an audit of music provision in school against the Excellence criteria.  The assessment and recommended award level has been reviewed and is now supported by the Music Education Hub. A copy of the criteria can be read below.

Staffordshire Youth Singers Workshop - Saturday 28th January 2023

Mrs Smith and Miss Martin took 22 singers from years 4,5 and 6 to the Brewhouse Arts Centre on Saturday 28 March to take part, along with other schools, in a singing workshop hosted by The Music Service.

We learned how to sing in rounds, how to use our voices to add feeling as well as learning a number of songs be heart. At the end of the afternoon, we performed to our parents and families. One song was a world premiere! 

We really enjoyed performing and learning new skills. Take a look at the photos and videos of the fun we had!

Entrust Virtual Christmas Concert - 16th December 2022

Year 4 enjoyed taking part in a virtual Christmas concert hosted by Entrust. Over 5000 children joined together online to work with a live band and perform 6 songs together. Staffordshire young musician and young composer of the year also performed for us and it was really great to sing together with lots of other schools and to be able to listen to live music. Well done year 4, you were a credit to Victoria.

Autumn Song Practise

We are delighted that we have returned to having a weekly song practise at Orchard on Wednesdays and Victoria Road on Thursdays run by Mrs.Smith

At Victoria Road this term we have learned to sing:

I just gotta sing

Wake Up Shake Up

Can I help you?

Just Sing

Autumn says Hello

Autumn Leaves

Give a little Smile

When it's a Sunny Day

If I were a minibeast

It was on a starry night

At Orchard this term we have learned to sing:

I just gotta sing

Back in school again

Just Sing

Autumn Says Hello

Autumn Leaves

School Rule Song

Somewhere only we know

When it's a Sunny day

It was on a starry night

These sessions allow us to perform as a school and give us the opportunity to share our musical learning by each year group performing to an audience.  Just as importantly, we are learning how to be a good audience and how to behave whilst listening to musical performances.

Every week we also listen to a piece of music while walking into and leaving assemblies. This allows us to listen to a variety of musical styles and instruments and voices.

Autumn Term 2022

We have had a busy, musical Autumn term across the school.

In Nursery  and Reception we have enjoyed using a variety of untuned percussion instruments as part of our Jolly Jingles lessons. We have developed our listening skills and explored how different sounds are made. In Autumn 2, we worked with year 1 on our Nativity where we had to learn the actions and words to 10 different songs! Didn't we do well?

In Year 1, we learned to sing Hey You! and explored hip hop. We performed our song to the rest of the school during song practise - a new experience for us which we really enjoyed. In Autumn 2, we worked with EYFS to rehearse our Nativity play which we performed to our families in December.

South African music was our topic in year 2 in Autumn 1. We learned to sing the song Hands, Feet, Heart and play the glocks. We enjoyed showing off our singing talents to the rest of the school in song practise. In Autumn 2, we learned a Christmas song - ho ho ho! This allowed us to practise rap.

R&B was the genre of Music we studied in year 3 during Autumn 1 with our song Let Your Spirit Fly. We produced a beautiful vocal sound, working together to listen to each other and suggest ways we could improve further. Our performance to the school was met with a round of applause that made us feel so proud. We spent Autumn 2 learning about notation and pitch names and how to read music from a stave whilst playing glocks.

Year 4 loved learning about ABBA and their music. We enjoyed performing both our singing and playing. We enjoyed building on our recorder playing skills from year 3.  In Autumn 2, we l\began to earn how to play our glocks more musically and built on our knowledge of notation, pitch and musical dimensions. Most of the half term was spent learning five songs for our virtual Christmas concert. 

In year 5, we learned about rock music, studying Livin on a prayer. We performed our singing during song practise and although we were nervous, we gave it our all. Our instrument playing skills were developed in Autumn 2 while studying Jazz.

Finally, in year 6, we studied pop and really enjoyed learning to sing and perform Happy by Pharrell Williams. In Autumn 2, we built on our Jazz knowledge from year 5 in our Classroom Jazz 2 unit.

Summer Term 2022

We had fun this term in Music with lots of special events, especially World Music Day. See the article below for more information.

Reception class enjoyed moving to the music using actions and dance as part of the Big Bear Funk unit of work.

Year 1 sang a song about your imagination - unicorns, ladybirds drinking tea,  an octopus climbing a tree - lots of funny lyrics.

For year 2, the theme was friendship and how to be a good friend. We enjoyed learning to sing the friendship song and listening to lots of different songs about being a good friend.

Year 3 spent the whole of the Summer term learning to play the recorder - they first time we have ever done this - but it won't be the last. Children had the opportunity to buy their own recorder which they could keep ready to learn more recorder skills in year 4 and beyond. They learned all about the musical stave, treble clef, time signatures and musical notation.

Soul and Gospel songs were studied by year 4. They learned to sing and play the glocks to Bill Withers Lean on Me.

Year 5 had the opportunity to perform at The Brewhouse this term. Have a look at the article below for more information.

Rehearsing for the leavers play was the focus for year 6 music in Summer term. They enjoyed learning all the songs and acting and singing to their parents at the end of the school year. Well done year 6 and good luck in high school.

Songbirds - The Brewhouse 5 July 2022

Year 5 enjoyed working with the Songbirds project, learning to sing a song to perform along with other Burton primary schools at The Brewhouse Arts Centre. The children were nervous about singing on stage but they performed really well and learned lots of new skills.

World Music Day Friday 24th June 2022

On Friday 24th June, the whole school took part in World Music Day which promotes playing and enjoying music.  Before the event all children took part in a poster competition to promote the day.

On the big day, all children took part in an assembly, showing off their music learning and skills.They also took part in a range of musical activities throughout the day including using Chrome Music lab to compose their own music. Finally, the children enjoyed singing and performing a whole school song, I Just Gotta Sing to their parents on the yard at the end of the school day.

Quotes from children on the day included 'Best Day Ever!' and 'I loved the Kandinsky part of Chrome Music lab.' 

Well done to all the children and staff for making the day such a big success.

Spring Term 2022

We have enjoyed another busy term of Music at Victoria.

In Nursery and  Reception, we have learned how to sing and act out a number of nursery rhymes.

Year 1 have been 'In the Groove' learning about different styles of music and lots of musical words such as rhythm, pitch and pulse. We have learned how to play along using the notes C and D.

Year 2 have been playing their instruments in an imaginary rock band with plenty of air guitars, drums and actions. They are beginning to improvise and compose as a class.

In year 3, we have spent some time learning to sing and play a number of songs on the glocks. We have played a duet and learned how to read music on a stave.

Year 4 are writing their own rap in their topic about bullying.  In addition have played with a live band as part of the Music Share project. More on this later.

Year 5 have also had a fantastic opportunity to sing with other schools. Have a look at the article below for more information.

Finally, in year 6, we have been learning about Jazz. We have learned a number of songs and have improvised our own notes. Some of us have composed a four bar rhythm of our own.

Lichfield Music Share concert 31st March 2022

Year 4 were lucky enough to take part in this amazing project. Originally we were due to perform in October but because of Covid, this had to be postponed until March. A live band from Music Share which is part of Lichfield Cathedral School came to visit us and we performed a number of songs, some in two parts, with help from Cathy Lamb and Mrs. Smith. We performed to the other children at Orchard site and had a great time. Cathy even taught the whole of Orchard a new song called I Just Gotta Sing. Have a look at the photos of our concert.

Rocksteady Music visits - March 2022

Rocksteady Music came to visit us during assembly time at Victoria Road and Orchard site. They brought drums, a keyboard and an electric guitar and performed live rock music for us. Even the teachers got chance to play - Miss Hughes played guitar and Miss Walker was on drums.

Manchester Camerata project

Over the Spring term, Manchester Camerata, an orchestra, have worked with Year 5 Yew. In January, members of the orchestra visited the children and worked with them to compose their own song based around the Roald Dahl story of The Twits. Year 5's song was about Mr. Twit. Mrs. Dolman worked in school with the children rehearsing their song and a number of other songs ready for a concert with other schools from across Staffordshire.

In March, they took to the stage, at the Gatehouse Theatre in Stafford.  The children all had an amazing time performing their songs in front of a large audience of other schools.  What’s more – our children opened the show! Even though the children were very nervous and had never been on such a large stage at a theatre before,  they showed courage and resilience in what really was for them, going beyond their own normal. Well done 5 Yew, we are all proud of you.

Autumn Term 2021

We have had a busy first term of Music across the school. 

Nursery and Reception enjoyed joining in with Jolly Jingles in Autumn 1 and in Autumn 2 rehearsed and performed the Nativity. The performance was videod and sent to parents to enjoy.

In Year 1, we learned how to rap and sing 'Hey You' in Autumn 1 and performed a Christmas Song concert to the children at Victoria Road and we sent a video of our performance to parents.

Year 2 took part in Harvest festival, singing three songs and we enjoyed learning to sing and play Hands, Feet, Heart - South African Music.

Year 3 enjoyed taking part in a Virtual Song Concert for Christmas. Over 3,500 children took part online. In addition, in Autumn 1, year 3 learned to sing and play 'Let Your Spirit Fly.'

A singing coach from Music Share came to work with year 4 rehearsing songs for a schools performance at Abbot Beyne in September and October. Sadly, due to COVID, the concert had to be postponed. However in Autumn 2, we did enjoy studying ABBA and their songs and performing Mamma Mia to the year 4 teachers.

Year 5 learned to play a number of songs on the glockenspiel and studied Rock Music including the song 'Livin on a prayer.'

In Year 6, we learned to sing and play to 'Happy' by Pharell Williams. We also performed our Harvest songs to year 4 and 5.

Finally, SLC enjoyed rehearsing and performing their Christmas Sing A long as well as learning how to play notes on the glockenspiel.

Pupil voice.

Here's what some of our pupils think about Music at Victoria.

"I like doing Music, it makes me happy." Nursery child

"It is important to learn Music because you need to learn what families instruments go in and to show your passion for Music." Ismaeel Year 6

"It makes your brain feel happy and ready to learn." Arzu Year 3

"It is something you will enjoy and have fun with." Hadi Year 5

"It learns you about notes so you can play a tune." Speech and Language Unit child.

"Music can make people." Ivan Year 5