Music is a universal language.  It is an opportunity for everyone to express themselves through this creative subject.  Listening to music, creating, composing, performing, and experiencing the wonderful musical opportunities we have will ensure that children have a wide experience of what music can bring to every individual.

Here at Poverest we also work closely with Bromley Youth Music Trust (BYMT) and welcome specialist music teachers to work with our children on reading notation, learning to play a range of instruments, and developing their musical knowledge and skills as they move through the school.

We also showcase this learning through concerts and events that we hold in school and in the wider community.

Poverest's aim is that music is:

• Enjoyable and inclusive to everyone
• Broad and balanced, where children will experience listening to a range of genres, both as recordings and as live performances
• Engaging and inspiring, where they are developing their knowledge of a wide range of musical genres and themes
• Fun and an opportunity for the children to be active in their learning
• Providing an opportunity to learn to read a new 'language' - music notation.
• Celebrated as every child has the opportunity to perform for an audience, showing their creativity
• Discussed, allowing every child to share their likes, preferences, and interpretations.

Music at Poverest is delivered in a broad and balanced way through a range of sources; we have the expertise of teachers from BYMT, we use the Kapow scheme for music, and have access to and use of Sing Up!  This ensures we are covering all the areas of music for all the children.  Within the classroom curriculum lessons, the children have experience of playing the ukulele, recorder, violin, djembe and other classroom percussion instruments.

What are these areas of music?

• Listening and appraising what is heard.
• Singing and creatively using our voices.
• Learning to play a melodic instrument
• Access to classroom instruments to focus on pulse and rhythm.
• Improvision and composition.
• Songwriting.
• Performing to others - individually and as an ensemble.

Musical opportunities start from EYFS and progress through the years that the children are here at Poverest.  Music and songs are also evident in other areas of the curriculum as they are often a tool for fact learning and engaging with new topics and themes through active learning.

Singing assemblies offer the opportunity for key stages to collaboratively perform on a regular basis, engaging with a mixture of styles and genres with these songs, as well as opportunities to learn about a variety of composers, further developing their knowledge.

Our school performances include everyone and give a chance for all to play to an audience. These include our Grandparents' tea party, spring concert, Christmas nativities and concerts.  Year 6 always end their time with us with a production which includes musical opportunities. 

An additional opportunity that is available at Poverest is 1:1 instrumental lessons.  Requests for these lessons are through BYMT/or Mrs Inwood at school.  The BYMT link can be found at the bottom of this page.  

Currently, children are learning the violin, piano, guitar, drums, clarinet and saxophone. From February 21st, Rocksteady is starting at Poverest. Children will have the opportunity to learn to play the drums, keyboard, electric guitar, base guitar or to develop their singing within a band setting. Please see/speak to Mrs Inwood if you would like more information on Rocksteady.

There is an extra-curricular choir that children from Year 2 upwards can join. 

Seeing the children grow is confidence when reading music, performing and singing shows how the design of our broad and balanced curriculum, which is in line with the National Curriculum and the Model Music Curriculum, really showcases their progression of skills.

Musical vocabulary and confidence with this new 'language' is evident.

Poverest children have been inspired to be successful in local auditions to perform at the prestigious Schools' Prom with an individual item.

We can measure the impact of our music curriculum through:-

• Pupil interviews which include all children
• Photos and recordings, showing active learning and engaged children
• Governor meeting
• Reporting and tracking to influence future planning and further the children's knowledge 
• Use of the Kapow assessment tool.

Our children leave Poverest equipped with a range of skills that ensure that they are ready to continue their music learning at Key Stage 3 and hopefully beyond.