Music at gps!
Weekly music lessons take place in our large Community Room which is ideal for whole-class music making. The room is well-resourced with lots of musical instruments that are used throughout our music curriculum.
Click below to see what our young musicians have been up to lately!...
Composing Rhythms and Melodies!
This has been a busy month for Music at Grangetown. Year 1 composed some 2 bar rhythms, and have learned about tempo and how it affects the feel of a piece of music. Year 2, have been getting really good at playing 2 note melodies on the glockenspiel. Year 3 got started learning the note A on the recorder, which they will continue with this half term. Year 4 have continued their work on folk songs, learning a new one from Ghana then playing the melody on glockenspiels. Year 5 have been drumming, learning a piece called “Calypso Soley Leve”. Year 6 are learning some chords on the ukulele - they have also got really good at learning how to hold a pick!
Dynamics, Tempo and Harmony!
We’ve been very busy this half term in Music. KS1 have been busy learning about dynamics and tempo, moving to songs at different tempos and controlling the volume at which we play instruments. They have also learnt to sing some great songs like “Cobbler Cobbler” and “Pretty Little Trees”, recognising which notes from the musical alphabet are in the songs. The children have played djembes, glockenspiels, claves and chime bars in large ensembles and pairs. KS2 have been going full steam ahead with their learning. Year 4 have been learning folk songs from around the world, as well as doing some graphic notation. Y3 have learnt about counting in 3/4 and how three beats can be really effective in music. They have also learnt how to sing songs such as My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean. Syncopation is on the menu in Y5, learning how to play in between the beats, and Y6 have started a tour of the world of harmony and are building up to learning some chords and arpeggios.
KS2 Singing Celebration!
Our Key Stage 2 children (years 3-6) sang beautifully in their Christmas Celebration Sing-along on Tuesday 19th December. Our Choir were also fabulous, and our School Council members did a fantastic job introducing the songs. Thankyou to parents & carers for coming along – another excellent turn-out. Well done everyone!
Christmas songs and musical traditions!
To finish the year in music children have enjoyed learning about Christmas songs and musical traditions. Years 1 and 2 have been transported into the world of The Nutcracker and have performed dance and musical accompaniments to the famous piece of music by Tchaikovsky. In Year’s 3 and 4, children have enjoyed creating Christmas rhythms and performing them on different percussion instruments. In Year’s 5 and 6, children have had fun creating their own song versions of The 12 Days of Christmas. Some of our favourites were, ‘The 12 Days of Chocolate ‘and ‘The 12 Days of Fast Food’. The choir have also enjoyed performing songs in the school KS2 Christmas singing event. Well done a great term of music. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Mrs Mavin.
Drumming – Rapping – Singing!
In Music we have been learning all about the elements of music. Children have enjoyed composing songs and raps in Year 6. In Year 1 and 2, we have been learning about how the dynamics can change a piece of music. Children have created compositions using percussion instruments and their voices. In Year 3 and 4, children have enjoyed learning all about drumming rhythms. Year 5 have enjoyed listening to music, which represents different emotions. They have learnt all about how music creates the mood for film scenes. The choir has started and they have had a great time learning new singing techniques.
Composing Halloween songs and raps!
In Music we have been listening to songs with an autumn and Halloween Theme. Children have enjoyed composing Halloween songs and raps. In Year 1 and 2, we have continued learning about beats and rhythms. Children have created compositions using percussion instruments matching rhythms to Halloween phrases and words. In Year 3 and 4, children have enjoyed learning Halloween songs and adding their own spooky sound effects. Year 5 have started to learn the recorder and have found out all about the History of the Recorder Instrument. In Year 6 they have listened to the music ‘Hall of the Mountain King’ by Peer Gynt. They have learnt all about how dynamics help create atmosphere in music and supports telling a story. A fantastic first half-term in music!
Finding the Beat!
In music, we have been listening to different songs and finding the beat. In year 1 and 2, the children learned how to keep a steady beat and control their instruments when playing along to familiar songs. In year 3, the children have talked about all the musical elements and performed these on a variety of percussion instruments. In year 4, the children have enjoyed using percussion instruments to explore and create sounds using graphic scores to represent a rain storm. Year 5 have started to learn the recorder and are beginning to recognise music notation to help them play tunes. The year 6 children have started their music learning looking at rhythms and have enjoyed creating their own rhythmic patterns on the Djembe Drum. All classes have enjoyed learning to sing some of Mrs Mavin’s favourite songs especially the Doodling song. A great start to the year in Music!
Sunderland Sings!
Year 6 took part in a collective concert at the Sunderland Empire. Schools from across the region gathered together to sing songs with a live band on stage. This year, the theme was the women’s world cup so the songs reflected work from around the world sang by strong female singers. The children all had a blast, sang confidently and were fantastic representatives for Grangetown Primary!
Rhythms, Riffs and Recycling
Continuing to look at how music shapes our way of life, we have focused on songs that make an impact on us this half term. In Year 1, we looked at songs about recycling and re-used plastic bottles to make maracas. In Year 3, the children have been improvising their own melodies using the glockenspiel. The year 4 class have been listening and singing to gospel songs, as well as honing their skills on the recorder. In Year 5, we have been reading sheet music and practicing switching between different chords on the ukuleles. In year 6, we have started to prepare for our singing workshop; each song chosen has been inspired by the upcoming women’s World Cup. Choir have been continuing to practice singing in parts by singing three different melodies that have similar rhythms.
Music Moves Us!
We started a new topic in music this term, looking at how music shapes our way of life. In Year 1, we have been singing songs that help us with everyday tasks and playing along to some of them using the glockenspiel. In Year 3, the children created their own compositions to the song ‘He's got the whole world in his hands’. Year 4 pupils have been learning to play the recorder and reading musical notes on a stave. The Year 5 children have been continuing to play the Ukulele this term, looking at different chords including C and F. We have also been talking about the frets and experimented with playing high and low pitched notes. In Year 6, we have been listening to gospel music and discussing how we can different styles of music apart when listening. The choir have been playing singing games to learn harmonies and singing the song ‘Roar’ chosen by the children.
Music in Our Community
In Y2, we have created a musical story using percussion instruments. We thought about what instruments we wanted to use and then played them in a sequence. In Y3, the children have been improvising using the glockenspiels and learning to sing pop songs. In Y4, we have been creating melodies using different instruments. We started with some improvisation and then looked at how we could write our ideas down. The Y5 children have been learning to play the Ukulele, practicing strumming and plucking the strings and learning about chords. In Y6, the children have been exploring musical notation, looking at different notes and discussing how long each one lasts. We used our knowledge to play melodies on the glockenspiel by reading the sheet music.
We love Making Music at GPS!
In Music, we have been listening to different songs from around the world and discussing how music makes the world a better place. In Year 1, we talked about the tempo and dynamics of instruments and practiced playing percussion instruments quickly, slowly, loudly and quietly. In Year 3, the children learned how to play some songs on the recorder using notes A, B and G. They worked hard to play in time to the music and had to concentrate to follow the notes on the screen. In Year 4, we practiced playing the glockenspiel and learnt some melodies. They have enjoyed using their creativity to come up with their own melodies. Year 5 used their glockenspiel skills to copy back rhythms and improvise at certain parts of the music, we talked about which notes sounded best in keeping with the music. The Year 6 children used the YuStudio App to create their very own hip hop tracks. They took pride in sharing their work with the class.
The Amazing GPS Choir!
In Choir, we have been learning the song ‘Something Inside So Strong’ which links to our theme in this term ‘How does music make the world a better place?’ We have been experimenting with different harmonies and learning if we prefer to sing the soprano (higher) or alto (lower) parts. We have enjoyed playing different vocal warm up games and we are excited to start learning a new song called ‘Happy’ and try some body percussion next.
Christmas Singing Celebration!
Our Key Stage 2 children (years 3-6) sang beautifully in their Christmas Celebration Sing-along on Monday 19th December. Our new Choir were also fabulous, and our School Council members did a great job introducing the songs. Thankyou to parents & carers for coming along – another excellent turn-out. Well done everyone!
Music brings us Together!
We have been looking at how music brings us together across the school this month. Year 2 have enjoyed playing call and response games and using percussion instruments. In year 3, we learnt to sing the song 'Bringing Us Together'. Year 4 have been using instruments to improvise along to the music. Years 5 and 6 looked at different genres of music, including rap, and used glockenspiels to play along to the melody. Choir has gotten off to a fantastic start too, the children have really impressed me with their lovely, confident singing and enthusiasm as we rehearse for our upcoming Christmas performance.
