Music
At SASM, we have a thriving musical community of which we are very proud. We believe that engaging in music is an integral part of a child’s development, as it helps to ignite their creativity and inspire their imaginations.
Music at SASM covers a wide range of musical skills, as well as providing knowledge of genres and their history. Each year group explores pulse, rhythm, pitch, composition, improvisation and performance. This is taught in greater depth as the children progress through the school. All children are given the opportunity to listen, appraise and compare music from different historical eras and from around the world. Every child performs in our annual Christmas concert, held in the school hall at the end of the autumn term as part of the music curriculum.
Music Learning Overview (Autumn 2023) 
Year 3
In Year 3, children explore pulse, rhythm, pitch, improvisation and composition through topics such as, ‘let your spirit fly’ and ‘three little birds’. They have the opportunity to study aspects of culture and history that influence different genres of music. Year 3 cover a range of genres including reggae and R&B. Every child in Year 3 also learns the recorder as part of their music teaching, where they begin to learn about musical notation through reading notes and gaining an understanding of rhythmic representation. This part of their learning culminates in an end of year performance at our ‘Celebration Evening’, where children at SASM showcase their learning across all subjects.
Year 4
In Year 4, children explore the fundamentals of music in more depth. Each topic gives children the opportunity to explore the culture and history associated with each genre. Year 4 covers a range of genres including soul and folk music. Every child in Year 4 also continues to learn the recorder as part of their music teaching to continue to develop confidence and accuracy when playing the recorder and reading music notation. This part of their learning culminates in an end of year performance at our ‘Celebration Evening’, where children at SASM showcase their learning across all subjects.
Year 5
In conjunction with Kingston Music Service, we provide every child in year 5 with a musical instrument for use alongside their study of the music curriculum. Our current Year 5s are enjoying learning the ukulele, with previous years learning a range of brass instruments, the clarinet and the violin. During the summer term, the children are invited to showcase their new skills as part of a borough-wide celebration of music at the Rose Theatre in Kingston.
Year 6
In Year 6, children thoroughly explore the links between the fundamentals of music. They use this understanding to compose and improvise more complex pieces. Each topic gives children the opportunity to explore the culture and history associated with each genre. Year 6 covers a range of genres including jazz. Every child in Year 6 is also given the opportunity to perform and sing in their annual production, held at the end of the summer term in the school hall. This gives the children a final chance to perform in front of an audience, allowing them to combine and showcase their musical skills and knowledge at the end of their time at SASM.
Choir
We have a thriving choir at SASM, of approximately fifty children, spanning across all year groups in the school. The choir meet once a week to practise for upcoming performances, develop vocal techniques and confidence in performing in front of an audience. Our choir has built up excellent links within the local community, and the children have been invited to sing at a wide range of events, including the St Andrew’s Church Christmas Fair and the Festival of Choirs. As a church school, we take great pride in our choir singing as part of our church services throughout the school year, at both St Andrew’s and St Mark’s churches.
Kingston Music Service
At SASM, we have strong links with the local music service in Kingston, who provide us with external tutors to take individuals for specialised music lessons during the school day. We currently have children learning to play the piano, guitar and violin. If you are interested in booking your child in to learn a musical instrument, please speak to the school office or to Kingston Music Service directly (https://www.kingston.gov.uk/music).
