Music

Music at Elms Farm

I am Mrs. Ruddock and I lead Music at Elms Farm. I enjoy making music outside of school in bands and choirs and so being able to bring my hobby to work is great fun for me! You will always find me singing something around the school and I love to hear about the music and creative arts you are taking part in outside and inside of school as well.

We are extremely lucky at Elms Farm to have expert staff who lead the subject and help plot technical elements of the subject, in addition to widening our appreciation of different styles. This is set out in our Learning Journey below and enriched through our assemblies when we listen to a range of musical genres. This helps us to develop our understanding of how music has developed over time.

Music is a vibrant part of life at Elmsfarm. From Nursery to Year 6, children follow the Kapow Primary thematic curriculum, which connects music to wider learning themes and supports deeper engagement (Daubney & Fautley, 2025).

In Years 4 and 5, pupils receive brass tuition from a professional musician, enhancing their musical skills and confidence. Expert-led instrumental learning has been shown to boost cognitive development and self-esteem (DiDomenico, 2017).

Year 3 pupils collaborate with a professional composer through the Listen Imagine Compose Primary project with BCU, developing their own compositions. Research shows that composing fosters creativity and deepens musical understanding (Fautley et al., 2025).

We are proud to be part of Creative Connections, offering children the chance to create and perform original music at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall—a powerful experience that builds confidence and teamwork. We are also working towards our Artsmark Gold Award.

All children perform termly in assemblies, which supports self-expression and emotional well-being (Kokotsaki & Hallam, 2007). Our brass band and choir provide further opportunities for collaboration and musical growth (Northwest School of Music, 2024).

Weekly singing assemblies bring our community together, promoting joy, unity, and mental well-being (Sing Education, 2024; Dunbar, 2019). In addition, music history assemblies introduce pupils to composers across eras, enriching their cultural understanding and listening skills (Wolffenbüttel, 2023).

At Elmsfarm, every child is encouraged to find their voice and experience the joy of music through a rich, inclusive, and research-informed curriculum.

Music Lessons at EFPS

See our virtual music library further on down this webpage for topic linked music.

Curriculum Enrichment

Year 2 had an African drumming workshop so that they could learn more about African culture.

Pupils in key stage 2 have participated in the Singing Playgrounds project. They have learnt songs to teach other children at play times.

Composer Project

This year our Year 3 pupils are working with our Composer in Residence, David Austin Grey. We are delighted to be one of the schools who will be part of the second iteration of BCMG’s award-winning Listen Imagine Compose Primary project.

Brass group

This year our brass group was invited to the youth proms at the Symphony hall and Gala Concert at the Bradshaw hall. We had great evenings and the children loved preforming in such amazing venues.

Writing through music

This is our voice project

Year 5 were very lucky to be given the opportunity to perform a concert at Ruddock Hall.

Learning journey

Whole school music learning journey

Documents

Listening and appraising through assemblies

See our virtual music library below for links to the music that we listen to in assemblies.

Our Virtual Music Library

At Elms Farm we are learning to appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music from a range of composers and musicians. Our virtual music library helps us to continue learning about different styles of music in school and at home.