Vision statement for Music

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. (The National Curriculum)

Music teaching at St Peter's CE Primary Academy aims to follow the specifications of the National Curriculum; providing a broad and balanced curriculum, ensuring the progressive development of musical concepts, knowledge and skills. At St Peters, 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 skills 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.

Looking at our whole school vision and the drivers for our curriculum I have looked at each driver and thought about how our Music curriculum will deliver each one.

Social Responsibility

The children will use their experience within the Music curriculum to find opportunities to benefit others. This may include doing performances to benefit local residents and charity performances.

Independence

Our Music Curriculum will encourage our pupils to reflect on their role both independently but also as part of an ensemble. This will develop useful skills that are transferable to the world of work – showing that we have a responsibility for ourselves and also within a group.

Diversity

Our Music curriculum will give our children access to cultural capital and they will be introduced to cultural and social contexts beyond those they are familiar with.

Knowledge as its own intrinsic value

Our vision is for all pupils to develop a lifelong love of Music and the Arts. We will expose them to new worlds, experiences and ideas. Students will discover the pleasure of composing and performing and they will enjoy the creative process.

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

Music teaching at St Peters delivers the requirements of the National Curriculum through use of the Kapow scheme of work. The progression of skills are used to ensure that children get an experience to their age-related standard. Teachers follow the suggested scheme of work, although adaptations can be made using the ‘freestyle’ element of the package to substitute units deemed to be more appropriate for thematic learning in other curriculum areas. Music lessons are broken down into half-termly units and 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

Our progression model also follows the same learning sequence to ensure all interrelated elements of music are covered and implemented. 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.

Performance is at the heart of musical teaching and learning at St Peters and pupils will participate in a range of performances during their school ‘career’. These include nativities (KS1), Christmas and Easter Services (Years 3 to 6), and a Leavers performance (Year 6). Pupils also take part in Harvest assemblies and singing assemblies. Pupils who are confident are encouraged to perform in solo performances. Parents are invited and welcomed to watch all of these performances whether at school or outside of school.

Alongside our curriculum provision for music, pupils also have the opportunity to participate in additional 1:1 ( or small group) music teaching by being offered the opportunity to learn a musical instrument with a peripatetic teacher. Our peripatetic music teaching is delivered by an expert freelance music teacher and will enable pupils from year _ onwards to play a range of instruments including woodwind (flute, clarinet, saxophone), strings (violin), piano (or keyboard) as well as voice.

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).
• LAC monitoring with our subject music link governor.
• Annual reporting and tracking of standards across the curriculum.
• Photo and video evidence of the pupils practical learning.
• Use of the assessment tools provided within the Kapow scheme.
• Dedicated music leader time. The impact of our music curriculum is also measured in the uptake of our music after school clubs and uptake of additional music 1:1 teaching.