Music

We are proud of our music throughout the school and we enjoy taking part in our music lessons.

These are delivered on a Friday morning in the hall. The infants all come together to learn new songs and use the instruments. They have been learning how to play the different instruments and what they are called. All the children get to play the instruments over each half term. They also learn about keeping the beat, rhythm and the pitch of the music.

They have learnt lots of songs for Spring and are now going to be looking at their Spring Concert songs!!

Take a look at us playing our instruments!

The lower juniors (Y3 and 4) have their music together. They build on the foundations of the infants and begin to explore more rhythm. The look at the pace of the music and how it sounds (loud, quiet, fast, slow etc) They also enjoy using the instruments and begin to look at the different notes on the xylophones and glockenspiels.

This then leads to the upper juniors (Y5 and 6) who then develop the instrument playing and looking at the different notes on the instruments. They begin to read and follow simple patterns on the instruments. They also develop more pitch and are able to change their voices more to sing in tune.

All the children enjoy singing in assembly and we even have some hymns which we split and sing the descant for with the choir singing the descant.

The children in year 2 and 3 are able to try out for the junior choir. They practise on a Wednesday and they then perform throughout the year.

The children in Y4, 5 and 6 are all able to audition for the senior choir. They also practise on a Wednesday. They form the backbone of the Christmas concert and sing their hearts out all evening. They also take part in two concerts for Dr Kershaws Hospice - once at Oldham Parish Church and the Light for Life festival. This enables our children to show others what we can do and how we can sing. It enables us to show the wider community the passion for music that we have at Thornham St James.

Some children have weekly violin and cello lessons and they then come together to create our school orchestra. They practise weekly in the hall and also take part in concerts throughout school.

Look at our Year 2s. They presented a concert to the rest of the infants even though they have only been playing for a term!

The choir participates in the Oldham Music Festival and they really did us proud this year, singing the Rhythm of Life, Bread of Heaven and Requiem (Pie Jesu). (WOW)

We got the award for outstanding contribution to music.