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Markyate Village School And Nursery

Markyate Village School and Nursery
  1. About Us
  2. Curriculum Foundation Subjects
  3. Music

Music

Please find below the information for the Music Learning Pathway in our curriculum that has been devised by our teachers for our children. Our Music curriculum is supplemented with a number of resources, including Musicale and Sing Up.

Purpose of Study

Curriculum Map Part 1

Curriculum Map Part 2

Progression of Skills Overview

Progression of Skills (detail)

National Curriculum Information

National Curriculum Model Music Information

Music Coverage at Markyate Village School

Music Glossary

What does Music look like in our school?

At Markyate Village School, we want to offer every child the opportunity to take part in music and develop an appreciation of music that can last a life time. To achieve this, we employ specialist music teachers to deliver fantastic lessons, we have a recorder club and we have peripatetic teachers to teach 1:1 music lesson in guitar, piano, saxophone and flute. We have a strong and enthusiastic school choir that performs in school concerts, at local events. In 2020, the choir performed at the Royal Albert Hall as part of Hertfordshire Music Festival, and this year they performed at the O2, as part of the Young Voices event.

Choir Sing at the Royal Albert Hall April 2023

On Sunday 30th April, 12 children made the journey into London to perform at the Royal Albert Hall, as part of a Hertfordshire schools' concert. Travelling through London via the underground was a great experience for the children; they were sensible and cautious despite being very excited!

The Royal Albert Hall is a magnificent building, and the children were in awe of its splendour. We started the afternoon with a rehearsal, where we experienced how all the different ‘parts’ of each song fitted together. Some secondary school, for example, sang tenor or soprano, and the primary schools sang the melodies. The overall sound was amazing.

Rufus Frowde, the director and conductor, is an ex-pupil of Markyate school and to see him in action, conducting the whole event, was brilliant. The music accompaniment was Herts symphony orchestra, and their sound was truly wonderful.

The parents arrived at 7pm, ready for the show. And what a show it was! Dancers performed throughout, again, all from secondary schools in Hertfordshire, and there were performances from competition winners such as composition of songs and rap.

For me, a highlight was our 12 children seeing first hand where hard work and being part of a music group in school, can lead. The older children clearly had a fantastic musical experience within secondary school, and it showed our primary choir children just how enriching music can be as they continue their education. I think it inspired them to keep performing.

And they performed brilliantly! Singing their hearts out throughout the whole show, the practice really did pay off. Parents who saw the show said; ‘Amazing! What a show! Beautiful music and an amazing sound.’

The children were in high spirits as we made our way home on the train, continuing to sing on the journey! Despite it being 11.30pm when we arrived in Markyate, there was no sign of tired children!

Mrs Vaites and I were so proud of them all; fabulous behaviour and a positive mindset from them all. Well done Markyate choir, you did us proud. Here’s to 2025!

By Mrs Lawes, Music Subject Lead

Choir sing at the Royal Albert Hall, London April 2023
Choir sing at the Royal Albert Hall, London April 2023

A Musicale Workshop, March 2023

Year 4, 5 and 6 had a professional company called Musicale deliver a music workshop. The pupils experienced the exciting musical world of the Symphony Orchestra!  Lully & Clare, two professional local orchestral musicians, play with many of the leading orchestras in the UK. They led an interactive and thrilling journey, showing the children a glimmer into the       exhilarating world of classical music!  The interactive session included introductions to         composition & conducting, listening to both live performances & some of the best  hand -picked orchestral excerpts, alongside games, activities & songs! An amazing experience for the children in KS2 who said it was brilliant, interesting and made them learn lots about the different types of instruments within an orchestra.

Thank you to Lully and Claire for delivering such a wonderful workshop and we will definitely repeat this for the younger children soon.

By Mrs Lawes, Music Subject Lead 

The School Choir Sing at the O2, January 2023

On Thursday 19th January 2023, 43 very excited children (and 6 equally as excited adults) made their way into London for the annual Young Voices performance. This followed months of hard work and effort from the children (years 3 – 6) who learned a variety of songs ranging from a Nile Rodgers disco medley to Calon Lan, a welsh song meaning Pure Heart, and a mash up of Spike Milligan’s poems made into songs, which were bonkers but brilliant and inspired many children to go and look up some of his poetry.

There were almost 9000 children performing on the night and almost as many proud parents,    siblings, grandparents and friends there to support. The performance really is a spectacle. Not only do the choirs sound amazing, but the band, the lighting, the dancing and the special artists all make it a fabulous show, not only to perform in, but to watch as an audience member.

A highlight for the children was ‘Urban Strides,’ a street dance group who have danced for artists such as Justin Bieber. They are inspirational. Equally as amazing are ‘The Beatbox Collective’, a group of young adults who make the most phenomenal sounds and are mesmerising to watch. And of course, the most amazing Heather Small (M People) whose voice was soulful and beautiful. We were lucky enough to join her in singing her hit ‘Proud’. Young Voices collaborated with Place 2 Be, a mental health charity which supports children with mental health issues. With this in mind, a song entitled ‘Message’ was written specifically for the concerts. Lyrics include ‘ You’re sending out a message, the world is shaped around you with your super power shining through, everyone’s connected ; I’m the stars and they are me, everybody matters, I’m not free until you’re free.’ A fabulous message to promote the importance of supporting mental health in young people, on such a large scale.  By Mrs Lawes, Music Subject Lead

What our children say

Music: Things to do at home.