Intent
Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity.
A high-quality music education should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon.
The National Curriculum for Music aims to ensure that all pupils:
• Perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians.
• Learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence.
• Understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.
At Moorlands Primary School we make Music an enjoyable learning experience. We encourage children to participate in a variety of musical experiences through which we aim to build the confidence of all children. Our teaching focuses on developing the children’s ability to sing in tune and with other people during our weekly singing assemblies, learn to play a variety of musical instruments and read and compose music. We teach them to listen and to appreciate different forms of music. As children get older, we expect them to maintain their concentration for longer and to listen to more extended pieces of music.
Composition is a large part of the curriculum lessons. These seven elements are taught from Reception through to Year 6, and form the basis of all instrumental lessons:
Pitch, tempo, dynamics, duration, timbre, structure and texture
The children will re-visit these elements over and over again throughout their primary education, which enables them to understand what they are playing on instruments, and what they are listening to in and out of school.
Implementation
Our school uses the National Curriculum in England 2014 Framework for Music as the basis for its curriculum planning. We have recently up-dated our Music curriculum with the support of Charanga, a commericial scheme, to support staff confidence, ensure full coverage of the curriculum and progression across the year groups. You can find out more information below.
While there are opportunities for children of all abilities to develop their skills and knowledge in each teaching unit, the planned progression built into the music curriculum means that the children are increasingly challenged as they move through the school. Links are made to termly themes and other curriculum subjects where appropriate and these are identified on the individual Medium Term Plans. Music is taught by class teachers who are supported by a music specialist who works closely with school to ensure relevant and inspiring units of work.
Additional music teaching
Children are offered the opportunity to study a musical instrument with peripatetic teachers. Peripatetic music teaching is organised by the Local Authority’s Schools Music Service. Parents who want their children to participate in the scheme must purchase or hire the instrument and pay the additional music lesson fees on a termly basis. These lessons are normally taught to individuals and/or small groups of children who have chosen to learn one of a variety of instruments, such as the violin or flute. This is in addition to the normal music teaching of the school, and usually takes place during normal lessons from which children are withdrawn for the duration of the instrumental lesson.
Whole class instrumental playing
The belief that all children should have the opportunity to learn an instrument in primary school underpins our whole class instrumental approach.
Early Years Foundation Stage
We teach music in our Reception class as an integral part of the topic work covered during the year. We relate the musical aspects of the children’s work to the objectives set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework which underpin the curriculum planning for children aged three to five. Music contributes to a child’s personal and social development. Counting songs foster a child’s mathematical ability and songs from different cultures increase a child’s knowledge and understanding of the world.
Special educational needs
We teach Music to all children, whatever their ability, in accordance with the school curriculum policy of providing a broad and balanced education to all children. Teachers provide learning opportunities matched to the needs of children with learning difficulties.