The Vision for St Catherine's 

At St Catherine's, through the Music curriculum, we inspire children to exercise their imagination and creativity whilst learning and growing.  Children appreciate and enjoy the diversity of music working collaboratively, taking risks and reflecting from experiences of failure as well as success to believe in themselves and reach their potential.

The music curriculum is divided into three elements: performance, composition and listening skills.  

Key Stage 1 The children will learn through the innovative Voices Foundation method of teaching that gives the children direct experience of the concepts of timbre, rhythm, pulse and pitch. This method of teaching works primarily through carefully chosen songs which can be use to explore various musical concepts. The musical understanding gained through singing is then directly transferred to the playing of untuned and some tuned instruments. By the end of Key Stage 1 the children will be able to pitch match, differentiate and be confident to explore rhythm and pulse, and begin to explore their own musical ideas. All teaching is further supported by listening to selected high quality recordings of music, crossing all cultures and styles.

Key Stage 2
The children will apply the embedded skills from Key Stage 1 to a greater emphasis on learning and playing the recorder and a range of tuned instruments. During this time they will begin to learn basic staff notation and start to create simple compositions, initially through supported improvisation. Music will be taught in blocks, where the learning and playing of instruments is alternated with further work on listening skills, composition and an overview of the history of music.  The children in Year 5 spend a year learning the cornet with a specialised instrumental teacher who comes in once a week.  Children have their own instruments and are encouraged to take their cornets home to practise, to maximise this fantastic opportunity to learn an instrument.

Extra Curricular Music

Piano Lessons  Children can learn the piano with Heather Banks, who comes in to give private lessons.  Please contact the school office if you are interested in your child learning the piano.

Choir  We have a thriving choir for the chidlren in KS2.  All children in KS2 are welcome to join, and we only ask that children attend our weekly rehearsals and are enthusiastic and committed. The choir has given many performances in Ware and Hertford and regulalry perform in the Ware Music Festival.

Recorder Club  Recorder club runs throughout the year and meets once a week at lunchtime.  All chilren in KS2 are welcome and instruments are provided.

Ukulele Club  Ukulele club also runs throughout the year and meets once a week at lunchtime.  All chilren in KS2 are welcome and instruments are provided, but cannot be taken home.