At St John's, music learning is a classroom-based participatory and inclusive approach. We use Music Express as a scheme to support our teaching from EYFS to Year 6. During lessons, pupils are actively involved in using and developing their singing voices, using body percussion and whole-body actions, and learning to handle and play classroom instruments effectively to create and express their own and other’s music. Through a range of whole class, group and individual activities, pupils can explore sounds, actively listen, compose and perform.

Each unit of learning has as its focus one process, such as performance or composition, or one dimension such as pitch; the learning is progressive within the context of all the inter-related processes and dimensions of music.

Music learning is not limited to classroom teaching. At St John's, music is celebrated in a variety of ways and pupils are encouraged to be involved in a range of musical activities. These include weekly singing assemblies, the Vale Academy Trust Singing Festival and throughout the year, we plan for a series of performance opportunities so that each year group has the chance to perform to an audience, experiencing what it is to be a performer.