Music

Mission

To nurture every student’s musical creative spirit through music making and improvisation.

Key Strategies

The music classroom is a natural platform to nurture our school values, develop social and emotional competencies as well as to develop critical and inventive thinking skills, which will better prepare our students to thrive in a fast-changing world.

The QtPS Music department believes in developing every student’s ability for creative expression, a confident learner and appreciation for music of various cultures through music making and improvisation. Aligned to the GMP Music syllabus, we organize music skills and knowledge with the focus on improvisation. Our music lessons are designed using the Experience-Concrete-Application (ECA) approach where students get to experience a new skill or instrument for hands-on practice, then to understand the musical concepts before they apply the skill into another task. During lessons, teachers also use both formative and summative assessment to provide students with feedback on their musical development skills and social domain.

In addition, to enrich and enthuse students in music experiences, we dedicate one term for each level to learn in-depth a specific musical instrument in order to equip students with the musical capacities to express themselves.

Lower Primary

Primary 1 students will learn to play soundshapes in term 3 while Primary 2 students will learn to play boomwhackers in Term 2.

Rationale to focus on the above percussion instruments:
A good rhythmic sense is essential in music making. Hence, learning these instruments through listening, touching, observation, discussion and teamwork will help the child to think critically and make sound decisions. It will also develop in students the ability for creative expression through music.

Middle Primary

Primary 3 students will learn to play the 4 basic ukulele chords in Term 4. At Primary 4, students will continue to deepen their skills in playing the ukulele through class and group music composition in Term 1.

Rationale to focus on the above melodic instruments:
The General Music Programme 2015 requires students to play a range of classroom music instruments and can perform on a main melodic instrument with good tone and expression.

The learning of Ukulele provides students with the opportunity to express themselves through music using a string instrument. Besides learning the basic chords, students will be taught to listen attentively, and thoughtfully during practice, hence bringing to their awareness that listening is a necessary skill for music making. Each P4 class will perform at least a song from either local or global culture.

Upper Primary

Primary 5 students will learn beatboxing in Term 3 while Primary 6 students will prepare for their P6 Got Talent performance in Term 4.

Rationale to focus on beatboxing:
P5 students will experience and recognize that their vocal chords can be a powerful ‘instrument’ to make music in the absence of physical musical instrument. This is aligned with the department focus of developing confident students to make music with or without any musical instruments. Beatboxing not only teaches the students a greater sense of timing and rhythm but also improves their listening and improvisational skills.

At P6, students will showcase their performing talents during P6 year-end graduation party, “P6 got Talent”. It is a platform for students to collaborate with each other in different art form presentations such as dancing, singing, beatboxing, ensemble performances and others. With the teachers’ guidance and support, students will learn to manage the different dynamics that come along when they collaborate with one another.

Signature Programmes

To complement the Music curriculum, we also provide opportunities for students to build their confidence and showcase their creativity through various platforms.

During pre-assembly time or recess time, our talented young musicians will play their instruments to create a relaxing and soothing atmosphere for students to start the school day or wind down from recess. The purpose of this platform is to serve and contribute to the well-being of others by creating a conducive environment for students to relax. This process also helps them to be courageous and builds their self-esteem.

Often, these young musicians would feel a sense of purpose and achievement after playing their musical pieces.

P3 Collaboration with Cyber Wellness and Art Department

Music composition using resonator in collaboration with Cyber Wellness
In this activity, students will use what they have learnt during the Cyber wellness sessions to compose a musical piece using the ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ melody and a resonator instrument.

Integration of Art and Music (Interdisciplinary)
Music teachers facilitate and guide students to play the resonator based on how they feel about their own art pieces. It helps to infuse creativity and instill confidence when they explain and link their chosen colours in their art pieces to the mood that they would like to have. The mood is then expressed through their musical pieces. Using C major pentatonic notes, students compose their musical pieces in ternary form (ABA).

P6 Got Talent

P6 Got Talent 2019 video

It is a platform for students to collaborate with their friends in different art form presentations such as dancing, singing, beatboxing, ensemble performances and others. We encourage creativity and guide students to take responsibility throughout this process of preparation. Students were given choices to select the appropriate songs, choreograph their own dance steps as it will help them to take ownership and maximise their learning. Teachers and emcees collaborated together to prepare the flow of the items. Teachers vetted the chosen song lyrics and worked together with performers to improvise and improve their performance items. Last year, due to overwhelming responses, selected groups were chosen to perform for their peers during their 2019 graduation party. Performing in-front of their peers on this occasion helped to build their self-esteem and self-confidence. It also created a sense of belonging and camaraderie with their friends before they leave Queenstown Primary School.

National Platforms for Students to Showcase Their Talent

5th Steinway Youth Piano Competition, 18th May 2020

This national competition seeks to identify, encourage and promote young aspiring pianists in the development stages of their careers. Participants have the freedom to choose pieces that would best represent their musical development.

Emily Li from P4 Honesty 2020 participated in the competition recently. Due to the circuit breaker, it was telecast livestream on 18th May, 2020.

Emily has been faithfully playing her musical pieces to create a conducive environment for students to read during morning assembly. She has been serving and contributing to the well-being of others for the last two years before her music teachers encouraged and collaborated with her parents to prepare her for this Steinway Youth Piano Competition 2020.

It took a tremendous amount of courage, calmness, focus and many hours of practice to memorize her pieces for her performance. Through this journey, Emily has demonstrated one of our school values which is RESILIENCE.

Well done, Emily!