Intent

Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. 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. Music teaching at Tackley and Wootton CE Primary Schools aims to follow the specifications of the National Curriculum; providing a broad, balanced and differentiated curriculum and ensuring the progressive development of musical concepts, knowledge and skills.

At our schools we believe that music plays an integral role in helping children to feel part of a community. Therefore, we provide opportunities for all children to create, play, perform and enjoy music both in class and to an audience. Through assemblies and key stage performances, children showcase their talent and their understanding of performing with awareness of others. Lessons enable children to develop their skills, appreciate a wide variety of music and begin to appraise a range of musical genres.

The aims of our Music curriculum are to develop pupils who:

  • Enjoy and have an appreciation for music.
  • Listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, cultures, styles and traditions.
  • Can sing and use their voices to create different effects.
  • Create and compose music, both on their own and with others.
  • Use a range of musical language.
  • Make judgements and express personal preferences about the quality and style of music.
  • Take part in performances with an awareness of audience.

 

Implementation

Children in KS1 and KS2 have weekly music lessons broken down into half-termly units. An emphasis is placed on musical vocabulary, allowing children to talk about pieces of music using the correct terminology.

Each unit of work has an on-going musical learning focus and lessons usually follow a specific learning sequence:

  • Listen and Appraise
  • Musical Activities (including pulse and rhythm)
  • Singing and Voice
  • Playing instruments
  • Improvisation / Composition
  • Perform and Share

Within the EYFS setting, music is an integral part of children’s learning journey. Rhyme and rhythm are utilised throughout the learning of phonics, handwriting and mathematics. 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.

Children in Years 3 and 4 benefit from whole class instrumental teaching, allowing all children to learn to play and read music. These lessons allow children the opportunity to learn to play an instrument as part of an ensemble and to engender a love of music learning. Throughout the sessions the interrelated elements of music are developed.

Performance is at the heart of musical teaching and learning at our schools and pupils participate in a range of performances during their school career. These include EYFS and KS1 nativities, Harvest, Easter and Christmas services, and a KS2 Christmas and end of year performance. Pupils also take part in weekly singing assemblies. Pupils who are confident are encouraged to perform in solo performances.

Alongside our curriculum provision for music, pupils also have the opportunity to participate in additional 1:1 music teaching by being offered the opportunity to learn a musical instrument with peripatetic teachers. Pupils also have the opportunity perform outside of school in performances such as The Big Christmas Sing in Oxford, and the National Young Voices choir in Birmingham.

Impact

Our Music Curriculum is planned to demonstrate progression and build on and embed current skills. We focus on progression of knowledge and skills in the different musical components and teaching of vocabulary also forms part of the units of work. If children are achieving the knowledge and skills in lessons, then they are deemed to be making good or better progress.

We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

  • Pupil discussions and interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice).
  • Governor monitoring with our link governor.
  • Annual reporting and tracking of standards across the curriculum.
  • Photo and video evidence of the pupils practical learning.

 

The impact of our music curriculum is also measured in the uptake of out of school opportunities and uptake of additional music 1:1 teaching.