Music

Music within our curriculum

Music is part of the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework under expressive arts and design. Goodway Nursery School recognises its importance and provides children with opportunities to express themselves through music. The nursery also benefits from a visiting musician, Davina Brownrigg, who works with all the children on a weekly basis.

Davina Brownrigg is an outreach community musician with a 1st Class degree in Voice and Opera from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. She has worked extensively in a wide range of Early Years settings including nurseries and children's centres and holds a Certificate in Music Education: Early Childhood, alongside regularly running CPD sessions for various settings around the subject of music. Davina's passion is making music accessible and enjoyable for all, having also completed a PGCert in Music for Children With Special Abilities and Needs (SEND). Alongside singing, Davina brings a range of instruments into settings for children to explore, such as ukulele, harp and keyboard. Davina sees music as the number one priority in early years as it can be used to cover all areas of the EYFS (the government early years framework), such as language, literacy and maths skills, physical and emotional development alongside helping children understand the world around them in an enjoyable and comforting way. Music helps bond children and their caregivers, can be fun or relaxing and create curious and engaged little learners. A musical environment is a happy one!

Music Development Matters in the Early Years

"A strong foundation of music in the early years is vital for all children, but particularly for disadvantaged children or children with SEND." Power of Music to Change Lives: a National Plan for Music Education (2022)

The Power of Music to Change Lives