Music

Our Vision in Music

Our vision in music is to 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. We provide opportunities for all children to create, play, perform and enjoy music, to develop the skills to appreciate a wide variety of musical forms, and to begin to make judgements about the quality of music. We want our children to ask questions and be inspired, motivated and engage in the joy of discovery.

Music Aims

As a school, we have chosen the Sparkyard Scheme of Work from Reception to Year 6. The scheme of work supports our teachers in delivering fun and engaging lessons which help to raise standards and allow all pupils to achieve to their full potential. We are confident that the scheme of work more than adequately meets the national vision for Music. Furthermore, it gives excellent supporting material for all of our teachers. Our music development plan sets out how we are ensuring our children have a wide access to music.

Instrument lessons

We offer access to a wide range of instrument lessons. Parents/carers can arrange and pay for these directly with our specialist music teachers. We currently offer guitar, ukulele, keyboard, drums, clarinet, flute and recorder.

We also offer an after school performing arts club which can be paid for in 10 or 12 week blocks.

Early Years outcomes

Within the Foundation Stage we aim to foster a love of music and an enjoyment of music making.

We aim to:

• Use  movement to express feelings;

• Create movement in response to music;

• For children to sing and make up simple songs and rhythms.

• To begin to build a repertoire of songs and dances;

• Explore the different sounds of instruments;

• For children to sing songs, make music and dance, and experiment with ways of changing them.

Key Stage 1 Outcomes

• To use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes

• To play tuned and un-tuned instruments musically

• To listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high quality live and recorded music

• To experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the interrelated dimensions of music

Key Stage 2 Outcomes

• To play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using their voices and playing musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression

• To improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the interrelated dimensions of music

• To listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory

• To use and understand staff and other musical notations

• To appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians

• To develop an understanding of the history of music.

How is my child assessed?

Assessment of pupils' attainment in Music is a continuous process and is integral to the teaching and learning cycle. Alongside regular informal assessments, where teachers note children who are doing exceptionally well or requiring support to grasp learning objectives, teachers record pupils’ progress termly against year group specific Music targets at the end of a unit of work. In the Early Years on-going assessment is used; children's progress is clearly marked and tracked through observations and in children’s individual trackers.

In all year groups, Music will be taught through a variety of strategies

At Sankey Valley St James’ CE 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 up the confidence of all children. Singing lies at the heart of good music teaching. Our teaching focuses on developing the children’s ability to sing in tune and with other people. Through singing songs, children learn about the structure and organisation of 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. Children develop descriptive skills in music lessons when learning about how music can represent feelings and emotions. We teach them the skills of recognising pulse and pitch. We also teach children how to work with others to make music and how individuals combine together to make sounds. Through the use of the Sparkyard Music Scheme we teach children how to recognise and use musical notation and how to compose music. This is done through various games and activities to introduce it in a fun and exciting way.

Why is Music so important?

We believe that Music is important because it can play a significant part in personal development, promoting citizenship alongside spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

We believe Music encourages the development of:

·       Social and personal values;

·       Intellectual and cognitive skills;

·       Creative use of imagination;

·       Fine motor skills, co-ordination and control

·       An awareness and appreciation of a wider range of cultural traditions.

National Curriculum Outline

The fundamental skills, knowledge and concepts of the subject are set out in the EYFS Curriculum and National Curriculum 2014, where they are categorised into programmes of study.  

EYFS

In Early Years, the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Curriculum and Development Matters document are used to plan and assess from. In the Foundation Stage, pupils experience a wide range of activities linked to Music. Activities are planned for children to play, explore, actively learn and develop their thinking skills in Music through focused, continuous and enhanced provision.  The Early Learning Goal at the end of EYFS is for children to 'sing songs, make music and dance, and experiment with ways of changing them.'

KS1/2

In Key Stage 1 and 2, in line with the National Curriculum, lessons are planned and taught to ensure coverage of the programme of study.

Pupils are taught all elements of the Music curriculum:

- To 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

- To 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

- To understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through their inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations