At Southridge we deliver music lessons using the Charanga scheme of work. The scheme ensures we teach skills in a progressive manner, and expose children to a wide range of high-quality music. In addition to this, each year group benefits from half-term's worth of tuition by a specialist teacher. This gives pupils the opportunity to develop their singing skills to a high level, and to learn to play instruments such as the ukulele, glockenspiel and recorder, learning how to read musical notation along the way.
We enhance our music curriculum further by offering extra-curricular opportunities such as an after-school choir and stringed instrument lessons.
We ensure all children are given the opportunity to perform their musical skills with Harvest, Christmas and Easter performances throughout the year. Year 1 enjoy being part of 'The Big Sing' at The Glasshouse in Gateshead each year, and the choir enjoy performing at Whitley Bay Playhouse and for the residents of a local care home.
The National Curriculum states that music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. A high-quality music education should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon.