Music

Our Music curriculum is based around our core values:  Successful Happy Included Nurtured Enriched and follows the National Curriculum guidance for Early Years, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.

Music is a powerful, unique form of communication that can change the way pupils feel, think and act. It brings together intellect and feeling and enables personal expression, reflection, emotional development and increases self-esteem. As an integral part of culture, past and present, it helps people understand themselves and relate to others; forging important links between the home, school and the wider world. The teaching of music develops pupils’ ability to listen, appreciate a wide variety of musical styles, and make judgements about musical quality. It encourages active involvement in different forms of amateur music making, both individual and communal, developing a sense of group identity and togetherness. Music also increases self-discipline and creativity, aesthetic sensitivity and fulfilment.

We aim for every child to:

• Progressive musical skills through concepts taught by listening, appraising, performing and composing.
• Social skills through cooperation with others in the shared experience of music making.
• Cultural capital through an understanding of musical traditions and developments in a variety of cultures.
• Motivation to enjoy and succeed in music

At Christ Church C of E Primary School, we pride ourselves on the consistent approach to teaching and learning that can be observed across all phases of school. The school uses objectives from the National Curriculum thus ensuring lessons are kept as active and practical as possible. These objectives have been organised into concepts outlined in a music (listening) progression document to aid the planning and teaching of music. We also have a school singing strategy in place to support music progression.

Music at our school consists of classroom music using Charanga’s school programme, a weekly singing assembly for each key stage, the opportunity to join our school choir and concerts and performances organised during the academic year.

The music coordinator monitors the coverage of music objectives and ensures that an appropriate number of objectives have been covered for the length of the term

At Christ Church C of E Primary School, we make use of the online Musical resource Charanga for delivery of music across the school.

Charanga planning is used by teachers to drive children’s development within music. Every year group will build upon the learning from prior year groups therefore developing depth of understanding and progression of skills. This serves as a base to aid and enhance our teaching, but is not intended to be rigidly adhered to. Teachers should make professional judgements about when to adapt, miss out or add additional materials where this would benefit learning. Lessons provide opportunities for children to develop practical skills and progress by listening and appraising, singing, playing, composing, and performing.

The elements of music are taught in classroom lessons so that children are able to use some of the language of music to dissect it. We want them to develop an understanding of how it is made, played, appreciated and analysed. Composing or performing using body percussion and vocal sounds is also part of the curriculum, which develops the understanding of musical elements without the added complexity of an instrument.

In Year 3 there is an opportunity for children to learn a tuned musical instrument (ukulele)  with a 1 hour weekly taught session for the academic year by a peripatetic music teacher (from SIPS Education), with the opportunity to continue with their instrument in years 4, 5 and 6 through small group tuition from a member of staff.

Pupils experiencing difficulties will be given extra encouragement by working in a small group with the teacher/ support staff or with a more musically able child.

In Focus Provision children will have the opportunity to:

• Develop language and interaction through a variety of music based specialist communication interventions such as music for interaction, dance massage, and tac pac.
• Engage in activities to develop skills linked to personal targets.
• Use music to support the children’s PSHE skills, providing them with opportunities to express themselves.
• Fully immerse themselves into all aspects of the curriculum in an engaging, motivating way which is purposeful to the learners.
• Engage in calming sensory based music and music lessons which provides the children with opportunities to self-regulate.
• Develop their communication skills through music.
• Use music to key children into routines of the day, lessons or topics.

In EYFS children will have the opportunity to: 

• Listen carefully to rhymes and songs, paying attention to how they sound.
• Learn rhymes, poems and songs.
• Combine different movements with ease and fluency.
• Explore, use and refine a variety of artistic effects to express their ideas and feelings.
• Return to and build on their previous learning, refining ideas and developing their ability to represent them.
• Create collaboratively sharing ideas, resources and skills.
• Listen attentively, move to and talk about music, expressing their feelings and responses.
• Sing in a group or on their own, increasingly matching the pitch and following the melody.
• Explore and engage in music making and dance, performing solo or ingroups.

In Key Stage 1 children will have the opportunity to: 

 To perform:

• Take part in singing, expressively following the melody.
• Follow instructions on how and when to sing or play an instrument.
• Make and control long and short sounds, using voice and instruments.
• Imitate changes in pitch.

To compose:

• Take part in singing, expressively following the melody.
• Follow instructions on how and when to sing or play an instrument.
• Make and control long and short sounds, using voice and instruments.
• Imitate changes in pitch.
• Sequence sounds to create an overall effect.

To transcribe:

• To begin to understand that musical elements can be used to create different moods and effects

To describe music:

• Recognise changes in timbre, dynamics and pitch.

In Key Stage 2 children will have the opportunity to: 

 To perform:

• Sing from memory with expressively with accurate pitch.
• Maintain a simple part within a group.
• Show control of voice (dynamics).
• Play notes on an instrument with care so that they are clear.
• Perform with control and awareness of others.
• Sing or play from memory with confidence.
• Perform solos or as part of an ensemble.
• Sing or play expressively with increasing accuracy of tone.
• Hold a part within a round.
• Sing a harmony part confidently and with increasing accuracy.

 To compose:

• Compose and perform melodic songs.
• Create repeated patterns with a range of instruments.
• Create accompaniments for tunes.
• Choose, order, combine and control sounds to create an effect.
• Create songs with verses and a chorus.
• Create rhythmic patterns with an awareness of timbre and duration.
• Thoughtfully select elements for a piece in order to gain a defined effect.
• Convey the relationship between the lyrics and the melody.
• Use digital technologies to compose, edit and refine pieces of music.

 To transcribe:

• Use and devise non-standard symbols to represent a composition and indicate when to play and rest.
• Recognise the notes EGBDF and FACE on the musical stave.
• Recognise and use the standard musical notation of crochet, minim and semibreve to indicate how many beats to play.
• Read and create notes on the musical stave.

 To describe music:

• Use the terms: duration, timbre, pitch, beat, tempo, texture and use of silence to describe music.
• Evaluate music using musical vocabulary to identify areas of likes and dislikes.
• Understand layers of sounds and discuss their effect on mood and feelings.
• Choose from a wide range of musical vocabulary to accurately describe and appraise music including: pitch, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, lyrics and melody, rounds, harmonies and accompaniments
• Describe how lyrics often reflect the cultural context of music and have social meaning.

 To describe music:

• Use the terms: duration, timbre, pitch, beat, tempo, texture and use of silence to describe music.
• Evaluate music using musical vocabulary to identify areas of likes and dislikes.
• Understand layers of sounds and discuss their effect on mood and feelings.
• Choose from a wide range of musical vocabulary to accurately describe and appraise music including: pitch, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, lyrics and melody, rounds, harmonies and accompaniments
• Describe how lyrics often reflect the cultural context of music and have social meaning.