Vision

“I don’t sing because I am happy: I’m happy because I sing.” (William James)

Music is just like magic. It is not something you can see, nor touch, yet it is often very powerful: it can make us want to move or change the way we feel; it can tell a story or bring the past to life; it can unite people or evoke fear; it can paint pictures in our minds; it can convince us to buy things or change our opinions on important topics; it can motivate us and energise us, or lull us to sleep; and it can console us when we are in difficult times. Music is almost inseparable from what it means to be human. Music is at the heart of who we are. We were all musicians before we took our very first breath: the first sound each of us ever heard - the first rhythm we ever moved to - was the beating of our mothers’ hearts.

At Lady Joanna Thornhill (Endowed) Primary School, we are committed to creating a love for the magic that is music through inspiring opportunities to listen and respond to, explore, experience and devise their very own range of musical experiences, as a listener, singer and performer. Through our engaging, challenging and expansive curriculum, we ensure all children have access to the unique social, emotional and intellectual benefits achieved through musical excellence; driving curiosity through both independent and collaborative work. Our children learn the fundamentals of music to a high and ambitious standard, including improvising and composing, and responding to and analysing music from different genres, countries, traditions and cultures through history. We believe that music is a transformative, empowering and uniting magic that shapes our development and lives.

Wherever we are, music is too. And yet, it is also somehow something more than us, remaining something of a beautiful mystery - just like magic.

“The sheer joy of music making can feed the soul of a school community.” (DfE)