Music
At Springfield Primary School we pride ourselves on the quality and breadth of musical opportunities that we offer our children. We were one of the first schools in Bedford Borough to be presented with a Music Mark in 2019, an award that we have consistently maintained since. Ofsted noted Music as a strength in their June 2022 inspection, observing in their discussions that ‘resourcing and breadth of music is meeting the needs of all pupils’ and that they saw ‘100% participation… pupils are well prepared for the next stage in education’.
All children receive class lessons from our Specialist Music Coordinator. Music lessons follow and exceed the requirements of the National Curriculum and provide all children with opportunities to listen, appraise, perform and compose. Each Summer Term every child in KS2 is taught an instrument through WCIT (Whole Class Instrumental Tuition). Recent instruments offered include ukulele, keyboard and djembe. Our weekly singing assembly is popular with pupils and provides the opportunity to learn seasonal and inspirational songs, boosting wellbeing and building a sense of community whilst developing performance skills. After extensive examination of our curriculum as part of their Music Deep Dive, Ofsted concluded that the ‘music curriculum is well sequenced’ and that ‘new knowledge and skills are developed through the school’.
For younger pupils who have additional needs, lessons are based on the principles of Interactive Music Making, a music therapy based approach to supporting children’s development. Our specialist music teacher is a qualified Interactive Music Maker. For more details about this, please visit https://www.musicastherapy.org/our-approach/interactive-music-making/ Ofsted observed how music is ‘fully inclusive across the school, including pupils with significant needs’.
We offer our children multiple performance opportunities throughout the year with their classes. These include our annual Harvest Festival and Christmas Service, visits to local care homes, etc. Those children who are learning instruments are given the chance to perform solos at these events, plus in assemblies and at other occasions. We regularly take children from Key Stage 2 to Young Voices and we have recently performed at Wembley Arena and the Resorts World Arena, Birmingham as part of this massed schools’ choir alongside inspirational professional artists.
We provide opportunities for the children at Springfield to experience musical events given by visiting professional musicians and performers from a wide range of musical genres. We work closely with Music for Bedford Borough (our regional Music Hub) and other local organisations and regularly collaborate on joint projects, helping to support the development of music education in other schools. Ofsted described how our Specialist Coordinator of Music demonstrates ‘excellent subject leadership and understanding of curriculum’.
Each week specialist instrumental teachers from Bedford Music Cooperative visit Springfield Primary, giving children the opportunity to learn a choice of musical instruments with skilled and qualified teachers. We currently have the following teachers and instruments available:
- Mr Geanga - guitar
- Mr Blackwell - piano and keyboard
- Mr Trowell - drum kit (coming soon)
- Mrs Mason - recorder, oboe, flute and saxophone (delivered remotely)
Instrumental lessons are charged to families directly by Bedford Music Cooperative. If your child would be interested in learning to play one of the above instruments or any other, please register to find out more via www.bedsmusic.coop. Lessons can be individually, in pairs or small groups. Children who receive Pupil Premium may receive a 50% remission of lesson costs and Looked After Children may receive 100% of lesson costs, funded by Bedford Music Hub.
In addition to instrumental lessons we run a variety of musical extracurricular clubs. These vary each term and recent offerings include Springfield Singers (our KS2 choir), Singing Playgrounds, Young Voices Club and Ukulele.
