I'm Mrs Pyne and I am the Music co-ordinator at Gorringe Park Primary School.

Music is my first love and I have been playing music since I was 6 years old. I first learnt to play the organ and then the treble recorder. I progressed to the clarinet and my teacher was called Mrs Blower! During my time at secondary school, I loved performing and I went on tours with the local wind band and clarinet choir playing clarinet and bass clarinet. 

At university, I learnt how to play the piano in one year -  this is why I sound like Les Dawson! At university, I was introduced to the complexity of the steel pans. I absolutely fell in love playing them and favourite pan is tenor. I am quite passionate about it because playing it is nothing like playing western music. None of the notes are written down and it is a true test of memory and group work. I have played at the Royal Albert Hall and in front of the Queen.  My other passion is song-writing and singing. I  often write and produce songs based on experiences, thoughts and feelings and if there are producers out there - call me! I love singing at weddings and have done performances as far as Barbados.

These experiences urge me to ensure that our children have: a rich exposure to a range of music, opportunities to play instruments, chances to sing to lift their moods and feel empowerment by what they learn.

At Gorringe Park, we learn how to play the steel pan. We have opportunities to have instrumental lessons on the piano, drums and guitar. Different year group have whole class instrumental teaching:

Nursery and Reception - Every day singing
Year 1 - classroom percussion
Year 2 - bamboo tamboo
Year 3 - recorder
Year 4 - steel pan
Year 5 and 6 - trumpet.

We have a KS2 choir who perform to our school community and participate in events across the borough. One day, we hope to visit or perform at the Fairfield Halls, O2 or Royal Albert hall - this would be a memorable experience for all.

I am proud to introduce my Music Ambassadors who inspire me, when I hear of their musical endeavours:

Brennan

Tabitha

Miroshan

Skyla
 

Our Music Curriculum 

At Gorringe Park Primary School, we aim to enrich children’s understanding of how the  key elements of pitch, tempo, dynamics, duration, structure, texture and timbre are used to organise sounds to create music which evoke a range of emotions.  We develop an understanding that music is subjective and personal and the importance of expressing reasons for opinions in relation to the musical concepts and using the musical vocabulary. Children from an early age develop performance skill and group music- making skills using their voice and a range of instruments. Our children have an opportunity to learn a range of instruments which develop the acquisition and understanding of notation and performance while applying knowledge of core elements and how they work together. Our children learn and listen to a range of songs or music which reflect culture, histories and genres that represent the world that they live in and to improve their well-being.

 In our Music lessons at Gorringe Park we aim to:

• perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians
• learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence
• understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations

Early Years Foundation Stage

By the end of the Foundation Stage children will be able to:

• Sing a range of well-known nursery rhymes and songs
• Perform songs, rhymes, poems and stories with others, and – when appropriate try to move in time with music.

Key Stage 1

• use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes 
• play tuned and untuned instruments musically
• listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high-quality live and recorded music 
• experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the inter-related dimensions of music

Key Stage 2

Pupils should be taught to sing and play musically with increasing confidence and control. They should develop an understanding of musical composition, organising and manipulating ideas within musical structures and reproducing sounds from aural memory.

• play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using their voices and playing musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression
• improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the inter-related dimensions of music
• listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory
• use and understand staff and other musical notations
• appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians
• develop an understanding of the history of music