Music Department

Teaching and Learning Approach

West Spring Primary School music curriculum aims to support the holistic development of our students’ music education through PLAY (Purposeful Learning Activities for the Young) and music appreciation in both local and global context. Learning music helps to enrich students’ social, cultural and historical awareness. Students also develop critical thinking skills and aesthetic sensitivity through music appreciation and various activities learned in music lessons. The diagram below summarises the main objectives of the music curriculum.

Infusing PLAY in Music Lessons

Infusing PLAY in music is a key approach in West Spring Primary School’s curriculum. During music lessons, students are encouraged to show their creativity and work collaboratively. They even get a chance to interact with students from overseas. The PLAY approach is student-centric, engaging and fun.

Physical, Object and ICT PLAY: Working collaboratively with each other


Students learn the actions for our school song	We have fast-kits in class to allow everyone to respond

Using balls to learn rhythms of a song	Using cups to learn long and short notes

Working in a group to demonstrate how canon is performed

We plan our own soundscape and eventually performing it

Dancing Munnaeru Vaalibaa as a class	P2 students learning together with students from overseas

P5 students learning together with students from oversea

Students work in groups to create a music composition for ACTIVATE

Object PLAY: Playing a variety of musical instruments and resources

Students are exposed to different musical instruments and resources to tailor to a learning experience that best develop our students’ musical abilities.


Playing on the djembes	Leading in a drum circle

Playing on the metallophones	Playing our own composition on the xylophones

Composing our own melody using resonator bells	Trying out the resonator bells with a partner

Playing a song using the boomwhackers	Playing chords on a flexi-piano

Using recorders in our lessons

Object PLAY: Promoting green efforts

Our school promote green efforts by integrating within our music curriculum. We learn to make musical instruments using recycled materials and use our creations in our class.


Our musical instruments created using recycled materials

Physical PLAY: Exploring outdoors for music lessons

Our school is equipped with beautiful outdoor spaces and we get to go outdoors for our lessons.


We listen and draw what we hear at the Lego garden.
This allows us to create a more meaningful soundscape for our groups’ performances.

We went outdoors to perform our rhythms

Music enrichment programmes

Every year, students from each level are exposed to 4 hours of hands-on enrichment from different professional musicians. This is to give students the opportunities to develop a connection to music in real world context.

P1: Ethnic percussion enrichment
P2: Cajon enrichment
P3: Xylophone enrichment using Orff approach
P4: Ukulele enrichment
P5: Samba enrichment
P6: Keyboard enrichment (coming in 2019)


P1 Ethnic Percussion Enrichment	P2 Cajon Enrichment

P3 Xylophone Enrichment (Orff)

P4 Ukulele Enrichment	P5 Samba Enrichment

Opportunities for students to perform in pre-assembly programme and events

The school also provides ample opportunities for students to perform during assembly program and school events such as Chinese New Year Celebrations, Racial Harmony Day, Hari Raya Celebrations, National Day and Showcasing Talents And Recognising Successes (STARS!). These opportunities provide students the chance to perform on stage and to build confidence.

Pre-assembly Programme to accompany music for CALM (Channelling Attention for Learning & Mastery)