Music
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. (National Curriculum 2014).
Intent
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. They 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. They 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 Scotton Lingerfield, our curriculum introduces children to music from all around the world and across generations, teaching children to respect and appreciate the music of all traditions and communities, supporting the development of a broad understanding of the world and the different cultures and beliefs that exist locally and globally. Children learn about music from a wide range of places, historical periods, styles and genres so they appreciate the diversity of people. Musical preferences and their backgrounds. Therefore, promoting the British value of tolerance of people within our communities.
We follow the Kapow Primary music scheme (from September 2022). The intention is first and foremost to help children to feel that they are musical and to develop a life-long love of music. We focus on developing the knowledge, skills and understanding that children need to become confident performers, composers and listeners. Our curriculum introduces children to music from all around the world and across generations, teaching children to respect and appreciate the music of all traditions and communities.
Children will develop the musical skills of singing, playing tuned and untuned instruments, improvising and composing music and listening and responding to music. They will develop an understanding of the history and cultural context of the music that they listen to and learn how music can be written down. Through music our curriculum helps children develop transferable skills such as team-working, leadership, creative thinking, problem solving, decision making and presentation and performance skills. These skills are vital to children's development as learners and have a wider application in their general lives outside and beyond school.
Implementation
Kapow's Primary music scheme allows us to take a holistic approach to music in which the following strands: performing, listening, composing, the history of music and the inter-related dimensions of music are woven together to create engaging and enriching learning experiences. Each unit of work combines these strands within a cross curricular topic designed to capture pupils' imagination and encourage them to explore music enthusiastically. Children are taught how to sing fluently and expressively and play tuned and untuned accurately and with control. Throughout school, children will be exposed to and will begin to recognise and name the inter-related dimensions of music - pitch, duration, tempo, timbre, dynamics, texture, structure and notation and use these in their improvisations and compositions.
At Scotton Lingerfield, we follow a spiral curriculum whereby previous skills and knowledge are returned to and built upon. Children progress by tackling more complex tasks and doing more simple tasks better, as well as developing understanding and knowledge of the history of music, staff and other musical notations as well as the inter-related dimensions of music and more. Lessons incorporate independent tasks, paired and group work as well as improvisation and teacher led performances.
Each lesson can be accessed by all pupils and opportunities to challenge are also built into lessons. Children have access to a selection of untuned and tuned percussion within school. Each class has a performance to parents during the school year. At Christmas, EYFS and Class 1 performs a Nativity play, during Spring Term Class 2 performs and at the end of the school year Class 3 perform an end year production. During these performances, as a school, children come together to learn and perform a variety of genre of songs alongside telling a story through drama. Individual lessons are offered to our pupils provided by a peripatetic teacher. After school, children can join a choir club and percussion club.
Our choir also take part in the Young Voices Choir. All pupils also take part in a weekly singing assembly. We also invite our parents and children to take part in the Christmas Carol Service lead by the school choir.
Within the EYFS setting, music is an integral part of children’s learning journey. Children learn a wide range of songs and rhymes and develop skills for performing together. Singing and music making opportunities are used frequently to embed learning, develop musical awareness and to demonstrate how music can be used to express feelings. From KS1, children are introduced to weekly structured music session of approximately 45 mins although, music often finds its way into other areas of the curriculum such as English and Maths through song and dance.
Impact
The impact of Kapow's Primary scheme is monitored through formative and summative assessment opportunities. The expected impact of our music curriculum is that by the end of key stage 2, children will be developing a confidence as performers, composers and listeners and will be able to express themselves musically at and beyond school. They will show an appreciation and respect for a wide range of musical styles from around the world. They will demonstrate and articulate an enthusiasm for music and be able to identify their own musical preferences.
Kapow's Primary scheme of work enables pupils to meet the end of key stage attainment targets outlined in the National Curriculum and the aims of the scheme align with those in the National Curriculum.
Assessment and monitoring
At the beginning of each unit, children complete a pre unit task to ascertain their understanding and allow gaps in learning to be identified. This enables the teacher to provide additional support and challenge throughout the unit for individual children. During music lessons, assessments are made focusing on the content and performance involving verbal feedback. Learning is recorded when appropriate onto the Seesaw learning platform.
Following each unit, children complete the pre-unit assessment at spaced intervals. These recalls allow children to recall previously learnt knowledge. Children are supported in addressing these gaps throughout these sessions.
Regular recalls support assessment of children. Results are added to tracking grids, which support end of year judgements.
The subject leader monitors the subject through:
- Learning walks
- Work Scrutiny
- Planning Scrutiny
- Data/assessment scrutiny
- Pupil voice
