Music

Subject vision: (The 'intent')

We ensure that all pupils receive enriched music lessons at Cooper and Jordan, whereby all children have the opportunity to express themselves musically; use a variety of instruments; learn to listen, perform and appraise their own performances and that of others.

We consider music as an integral part of the curriculum. It allows the opportunity for personal expression, and it can play an important part in the personal development of individuals and groups of people. Music reflects culture and society, and so the teaching and learning of music enables children to better understand the world they live in. Besides being a creative and enjoyable activity, we believe that music can also be a highly academic and demanding subject. It plays an important part in helping children feel part of a community and therefore we provide opportunities for all children to create, play, perform and enjoy music, to develop musical concepts, to appreciate a wide variety of musical genres, and to begin to make judgements about the quality of music.

Curriculum (Implementation): 

In the National Curriculum orders for the programme of study of music, the subject is described in terms of Knowledge, Skills and Understanding. Teaching should ensure that listening, and applying knowledge and understanding, are developed through the interrelated skills of performing, composing and appraising.

The new Charanga online music programme helps teachers cover all aspects of the new Music Curriculum. In addition, visiting peripatetic music teachers will give pupils the opportunity to learn at depth a woodwind/String or Brass instrument as well as developing a deeper understanding of musical notation.

Charanga aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Confidently perform either singing or skilfully playing an instrument, either solo or as part of a group.
• Compose and create song with verses and chorus and create rhythmic patterns and an awareness of timbre and duration; digital technology may be used to compose, edit and refine pieces of music.
• Begin to transcribe and use standard musical notation and read and create notes on the musical stave.
• Describe music, using a wide range of musical vocabulary to accurately describe and appraise.

Every year, each year group has an extra music experience to enrich their classroom lessons.

Year 3 have responsibility for the Christmas Production

Year 4 have responsibility for the Harvest Festival and have the opportunity to learn an instrument.

Year 5 have responsibility for the Easter Service

Year 6 perform a leavers production in the summer term.

There is a dedicated ‘Whole School Singing’ session weekly. During assembly, children hear pieces of music from a wide variety of genres. Staff often use background music in the classroom, whilst the children work or whilst eating lunch, to promote a calm atmosphere.

Whenever possible, we invite Musicians into school to perform or work with our children. We have a good relationship with our local secondary schools and invite their musicians in to perform for us.

EYFS:

In the Early Years, we teach music through the Expressive Arts strand of the Early Years Framework.

Ongoing experiences and opportunities linking to children’s developing understanding of the world are planned from the objectives set out in the Early Years Framework. These underpin the curriculum planning for children aged 3-5 at Cooper and Jordan School.

The experiences that we provide ensure that children develop a secure understanding of how to express themselves through the mediums of music. By the end of the Reception year, they will be able to:

• Explore and engage in music making and dance, performing solo or in groups.
• Sing a range of well-known nursery rhymes and songs.
• Perform songs, rhymes, poems and stories with others

KS1 and KS2:

The Primary 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.
• 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
• 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.

With this in mind, our programme of study for music clearly sets out what will be taught and learnt at each point in the year for all year groups.

Special Educational Needs

Through the SEND and Inclusion policy, teachers will plan to ensure all pupils, including those with special educational needs, can access the music curriculum. This will ensure that all children access the same music curriculum.

Adaptation

Charanga provides differentiated lessons/resources which teachers can use to adapt their teaching to suit children of all abilities. This includes challenges for children working at greater depth. We give children of all abilities the opportunity to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding as they move through the school.

Assessment (The ‘Impact’): 

The impact of Charanga’s Primary scheme can be constantly monitored through both formative and summative assessment opportunities. Each lesson includes guidance to support teachers in assessing pupils against the learning objectives and at the end of each unit there is often a performance element where teachers make a summative assessment of pupils’ learning.

The expected impact of following the Charanga Music scheme of work is that children will:

• Be confident performers, composers and listeners and will be able to express themselves musically at and beyond school.
• Show an appreciation and respect for a wide range of musical styles from around the world and will understand how music is influenced by the wider cultural, social and historical contexts in which it is developed.
• Understand the ways in which music can be written down to support performing and composing activities.
• Demonstrate and articulate an enthusiasm for music and be able to identify their own personal musical preferences.
• Meet the end of key stage expectation outlined in the national curriculum for Music.

Trips and enrichment: 

We understand how important it is to offer the children art visits and/or visitors as this provides them with valuable learning opportunities and allow the children to make important connections between what they have learned in class and their first-hand experiences of the world. Therefore, next year, we are hoping to invite a variety of musician in to the school to work with the children. Watch this space….

Pupil Voice: 

Freya said "Playing instruments in lesson is really good fun and we get to sing!"

Noah said "Music is great because we have lots of different types of songs and we get to talk about what we like about them."

Alice said "I really like that we get to sing as a class and learn a new song altogether, then we get to perform it."

Florence said "When we have the glockenspiels we get to learn how to play the songs that we have been learning, it is really fun!"

Jessie said "I like that we get to explore our own tastes in Music and enjoy ourselves and express our own feelings through it."

Zach said "I like getting the instruments out and get to play my own clarinet."