"Where words fail, music speaks." - Hans Christian Andersen
Our Intent
Our vision here at St. Francis de Sales is that music is for everyone. As a great vehicle for personal expression and a distinctive method of communication, we believe all children should have access to a high quality music education. Music is highly accessible and can play a key part in the personal development of children. Additionally, it is a great source of enjoyment for both children and adults alike. It can also be used as a tool to motivate, invigorate and inspire, as well as building confidence and self-esteem in pupils. Music reflects the culture and society we live in, and so the teaching and learning of music enables children to better understand the world they live in.
The purpose of music in our school is:
- To enable all pupils to learn an instrument. Every child in the school has ukulele lessons each year so that they can progress on the instrument through Years 3 -6. Moreover, children also have the option to learn additional instruments throughout their time in our school.
- To allow pupils regular opportunities to perform for their peers and other audiences. We believe this is crucial in providing enriching experiences and building up the confidence of our pupils. We organise an annual concert at the Epstein Theatre which regularly has around 100 performers from Year groups 3-6. In addition, members of choir and band perform in a range of other locations both within our local community and further afield.
- To provide varied music lessons that allow for focus on performance, composition, listening and musical appreciation within each topic. Lessons also provide opportunities for pupils to perform both in ensemble and solo contexts.
- To expose pupils to knowledge with high cultural capital, such as through trips to the Liverpool Philharmonic and through use of technical musical Italian vocabulary.