Music at Mayfield
Teaching
Additional Opportunites
Learning an Instrument
Financial Assistance for Music Activities
Curriculum Content

Music at MayfieldMusic
At Mayfield, we aim to expose the children to a wide variety of music by developing and extending their musical experiences and joy for the subject.  Children develop their musical skills through singing, playing, improvising, composing and listening.

We want children to build upon their natural responses to music and:-

  • Find enjoyment in creating music, and see themselves as musicians
  • Develop skills to use a wide range of instruments/voice techniques
  • Feel able to express their ideas and feelings through musical creation coupled with a sense of achievement and fulfilment in musical expression
  • Learn to listen analytically
  • Develop musical vocabulary to help them discuss their own work and that of others
  • Understand about sound and symbol, and develop systems of notation for use in composing and performing
  • Appreciate and evaluate the work of composers and musicians from their own and other cultures
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Teaching
Where possible listening to, composing and performing music is linked to class topic work. Children in Years 3 and 4 take part in whole class recorder lessons and we have 15 electronic keyboards for whole class teaching. Pupils throughout the whole school take part in the preparation and performance of a dramatic/musical production on at least one occasion in the year.

The whole school also participates in singing assemblies which have selected songs to cover aspects of the social, moral, spiritual, cultural curriculum and school ethos.  These singing assemblies generally enable children to feel good about themselves through singing in unity.

Children are regularly encouraged to perform during whole school assemblies as soloists or in groups such as Choir, Samba Band or in Orchestra.
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Additional Opportunities

Mayfield ChoirChoir
Our popular early morning choir is open to all in Years 3-6.  They are exposed to a variety of genres of music – pop songs, folk songs, shows, carols, to name a few – and join with other school choirs in Cambridge for an annual performance in West Road Concert Hall.  To join the choir please click HERE

OrchestraMayfield Orchestra
We hope that all children who learn an instrument will take part in our music ensembles.  Mayfield has a vibrant school orchestra led by Anne Taylor, a professional musician who runs a range of music groups and classes across Cambridge. The Orchestra rehearses weekly and performs regularly both in school and at external concerts.  For more information please visit this page: Mayfield School Orchestra

Samba

Samba Band
For Y3-6 Samba Club runs after school. This is a percussion ensemble exploring Samba rhythms, African drumming and beatboxing. No music-reading is necessary. Click HERE for further details.

Mini Music

Mini Music and Reception Music Club
For younger children there is a Reception Music Club and Mini-Music for Y1 and Y2.  Details are HERE

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Learning An Instrument
There is provision for children to receive individual recorder, piano, ukulele, violin, clarinet, flute, saxophone and voice tuition from professional music teachers during the school day.  Please visit our music lessons page for more information: Music Lessons Page
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Financial Assistance for Music Activities: “The Mayfield Offer”
If your child is in receipt, or has been at any time in the last 6 years, of income-related Free School Meals (FSM) you may be entitled to have some or all music lessons paid for.  This applies to one instrument or music club only.  Contact Michelle Dodson in the school office for more details.
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Curriculum Content

In all year groups children will have the opportunity to explore music through singing, playing, improvising, composing and listening. The following table shows the progression of learning:

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

Singing

Sing broadly in tune within a limited pitch range.

Sing in tune with an awareness of audience.

Sing confidently and fluently, maintaining an appropriate pulse.

Sing with clear diction, mostly accurate tuning and controlled breathing

Maintain an independent part in a small group when singing.

Lead an independent part in a group when singing.

Playing

Keep a steady pulse.

Recognise and broadly control changes in timbre, tempo, pitch and dynamics.

 Join in and stop as appropriate.

Respond to musical cues.

Recorders: recognise the notes B, A and G on the musical stave.

 Recorders: read and create notes on the musical stave.

Recognise the symbols for a minim, crotchet and semibreve and say how many beats the represent.

 Respond to and use basic music symbols (standard and invented),including rhythms.

Recognise and create the notes EGBDR and FACE on the musical stave (using tuned instruments).

Demonstrate musical quality.

Maintain a strong sense of pulse and recognise and self-correct when going out of time.

Follow simple staff notation (including simple time signatures).

Improvising

Explore sounds and music through play.

Experiment with different ways of producing and combining sounds.

 Explore combining sounds using the pentatonic scale. Demonstrate understanding of the differences between pulse and rhythm.

Use voice, sounds, technology and instruments in creative ways.

Experiment with voice, sounds, technology and instruments in creative ways and to explore new techniques.

Composing

 Suggest symbols to represent sounds.

Follow and offer simple musical instructions and actions.

 Demonstrate links between shape and pitch using graphic notation.

Follow and lead simple performance directions (including dynamics, tempo, starting and stopping and silence)

Create simple rhythmic patterns, melodies and accompaniments.

Use a variety of musical devices, timbres, textures, techniques when creating and making music.

Create music which demonstrates understanding of structure and discuss the choices made.

Listening

Make physical movements that represent sounds.

Comment on and respond to recordings of own voice, other classroom sounds, musical instruments etc.

Learn to identify and name common classroom instruments.

 Listen to a variety of live and recorded music, making statements and observations about the music.

Demonstrate increased understanding of basic musical features.

Listen and evaluate a range of live and recorded music from different traditions, genres, styles and times.

 Critique own and others’ work, offering specific comments and justifying these.

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