Music

The students’ comprehension and appreciation of music is taught and cultivated through activities which ensure that listening and applying knowledge and understanding, are developed through the inter-related skills of performing, composing and appraising. Students are given the choice of having instruction with a specialist music teacher in either the violin, percussion or singing.

Performing Skills - Controlling sounds through singing and playing

The students:
  • Sing songs, in unison and two parts, with clear diction, control of pitch, a sense of phrase and musical expression
  • Play tuned and untuned instruments with control and rhythmic accuracy
  • Practise, rehearse and present performances with an awareness of the audience

Composing Skills - Creating and developing musical ideas

The students:
  • Improvise, developing rhythmic and melodic material when performing
  • Explore, choose, combine and organise musical ideas within musical structures

Appraising Skills- Responding and reviewing

The students:
  • Analyse and compare sounds
  • Explore and explain their own ideas and feelings about music using movement and dance

The music program at Colegio Gran Bretaña is a very special one.

At the KS1 level, the children learn many traditional songs and play musical games as well as songs that help them learn the letters of the alphabet as well as the numbers. They get in touch with the world of sound and music which then becomes a very important part of their lives. We also teach them that music is fun.

In KS2, they have the option of playing the instrument of their choice under the guidance of a specialist in that area. They can choose to play the violin, the recorder, percussion instruments such as xylophones or vibraphones or they can sing in the school choir.

At the KS3 level, they can choose to play the percussion instruments, sing in the choir or take up the guitar, which is very popular at this age level. They can also take Music Theory, where they learn about the history of instruments, composers and music styles as well as listen to the most famous and beautiful music from around the world. At the end of the year, they will also perform during the summer concert; clapping and playing percussion instruments in the technique made famous by the British group, “Stomp”.

This academic year, the school has also adopted the IGCSE music program and in two years’ time, our students will be taking the IGCSE Cambridge University exams. The reason for this is to provide our students with a certificate that is internationally recognised as well as to provide them with a good, sound background to the different aspects of music; from composition to playing an instrument, from sight reading to knowing the history of music to identifying instruments from the different cultures.

WHAT DOES MUSIC OFFER IN THE PROCESS OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT

 Co-ordination   
(Mental and physical)		 Through action games,, singing games, rhythm work, striking an instrument at a precise moment in time in a predetermined manner, playing of simple accompaniments to songs.
Speech development Overcoming shyness by singing with others.
Exercising and learning to control the instruments of speech.
Making voice expressive through modulation and variety of tone.
Language development New words, new situations, new imagery – a further illustration might be the ease with which a child will sing a song in a foreign language and be fascinated by the sound and feel of the words.
 Learning to listen    (Aural perception) Perhaps one of the greatest needs of our time; living as we do in a noisy world the making of music together (creatively and recreatively) can help create a greater awareness of the sounds that surround us.
Memory Cultivating the memory through rote learning of songs, rhymes, games and instrumental parts.
Preparatory skills for reading Rhythm, left to right orientation, co-ordination (eye, ear and voice)
De-coding and order.
Confidence Gaining confidence through playing and singing with others.
Being responsible for a part in an instrumental group or providing sound effects for movement or drama.
Leadership Developing leadership qualities as a natural consequence of self-confidence  - the ability to pass on to others the new-found skills.
By organizing an ensemble for playing together.
Social development By working with others in small groups, learning to share and wait for turns. Noting that the lonely musician is a rare being, children enjoy singing, group percussion work, instrumental playing and even movement and dance.
Imagination Through creating sound pictures, illustrating stories, imitating sounds
Using sounds to build up an aural collage. Writing and painting in response to music.