At St John's, children develop a love of music from Nursery through to year 6. The children get the opportunity to participate and engage in a range of music activities and learn many new skills, from singing songs and playing instruments to creating music and studying musicians in history.

We provide an environment which enables our children to develop through our living values: love, trust, honesty, peace and respect. As part of our music curriculum, we are also integrating our learning values within our music lessons. Each year group has the opportunity to perform to another class, to their parents or to a wider community, getting the opportunity to boost self esteem and develop their creativity, team work skills and emotional curiosity.

All pupils have the opportunity to learn and play a tuned instrument. Whilst year 1 and 2 learn to play the chime bars, year 3 and 4 learn the recorder and year 5 and 6 learn the ukulele, each year group will continue to play and compose using the tuned instrument previously taught.

Year 1 and 2 – Chime bars/glockenspiels

Year 3 and 4 – Recorder, chime bars/glockenspiels

Year 5 and 6 – Ukulele, recorder, chime bars/glockenspiels

We enjoy learning new songs with Makaton every Tuesday in Choral Worship time, and particularly enjoy performing to parents, carers and visitors in worship time and at special events throughout the year. Early Years and Year 2 perform their Christmas Nativity, while Year 1 learn two new christmas songs to perform at the Year 2 event. Year 6 have their final production in the summer term, and throughout the year all year groups take part in Harvest and Easter services.

Musical talent is shared within the school and wider community. Pupils at St. John's have the opportunity to learn an instrument outside of normal music lessons. We currently have one to one or paired lessons for violin and piano being delivered by a peripatetic teacher. Pupils showcase their talents by performing to the school and their parents at various times in the year. Our KS2 choir learn new songs and perform them in school and around the local community. The choir have the opportunity to perform in local shops, The Gulbenkian Theatre and at Canterbury Music Festival - Beautiful Noise.

We have bought a class set of djembe drums which have been launched through an exciting day of drumming workshops. Teachers and support staff have attended an exciting CPD session on how to enhance their musical lessons with the addition of this great instrument.

Our efforts to ensure pupils at St John's are able to access a high-quality music education and our dedication to delivering a broad and balanced curriculum is both welcomed and celebrated by Kent Music and we have recently become a Music Mark School.