Music Curriculum Statement

Through our Christian Faith, we acknowledge our responsibility to all, to enrich lives and show love and respect within our school family.

We believe in lifelong learning aiming to equip our children to live life today and for tomorrow rooted in Christian love.

For with God nothing shall be impossible (Luke 1:37) 

Mission:

Our school is the church on the hill; the light that brings Jesus into the lives of all in our community.

Upon this rock I will build my church (Matthew 16:18)

Intent:

Our music curriculum has been designed to ensure each and every child enjoys music. Our intention is to create a high quality music education which engages and inspires pupils to become confident budding young musicians who can confidently talk about, listen to, understand and appreciate the best music in its many forms. As pupils progress, they will not only develop a critical engagement with music, but will also increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement.

Music embodies some of the highest forms of human creativity and we positively endorse the promotion of music and musical skills throughout our  school.

In school we focus on appreciating music using the best examples available whether tradition or new. We equip children with the desire, confidence and skills to perform, experiment and compose their own pieces of music using their voices as well as musical instruments. We also develop appropriate subject specific knowledge, skills and understanding as set out in the National Curriculum.

Musical creativity is encouraged through individual and collaborative learning experiences, a positive growth mind set, a sense of responsibility and challenges that take them beyond the classroom.

We are a Christian school and use Christian musicians to help promote our understanding of spiritual music through sing and praise, focusing on the impact this has on the performer and the listener.

Ultimately our music curriculum is intended to:

• Develop our head and body : What we learn
• Develop our hearts and character: Who we are
• Develop our actions and attitudes: How we show appreciation and evaluation
• Develop our moral compass: How our work, actions, thoughts and creativity impacts on our local and national communities.

Implement:

Through quality teaching of knowledge, skills and vocabulary in music we aim 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 interrelated dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations

All children will be challenged to be inquisitive, compassionate, courageous and creative musicians. They will have opportunities to influence their own learning through age appropriate and progressive themes and topics.

Effective learning characteristics including being ambitious, reflective and imaginative will drive teaching and learning in music.

Early Years Pupils will be taught:

• to create music based on a theme
• plays instruments (including imaginary ones such as air guitar) to match the structure of the music.
• keep a steady beat whilst playing instruments – his or her own steady beat in his or her creative music making.
• create rhythms using instruments and body percussion.
• sing the melodic shape (moving melody, eg up and down, down & up) of familiar songs.
• enjoy performing, solo and or in groups.
• think abstractly about music and expresses this physically or verbally
• compare pieces of music,
• Associate genres of music with characters and stories.

Music involves enabling children to explore and play with a wide range of media and instruments, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of musical activities

Key stage 1 Pupils will be taught:

• use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes
• play tuned and untuned instruments musically
• listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high-quality live and recorded music
• experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the interrelated dimensions of music

In Key Stage 2 pupils should be taught to sing and play musically with increasing confidence and control. They will develop an understanding of musical composition, organising and manipulating ideas within musical structures and reproducing sounds from aural memory.

Key Stage 2 Pupils will be taught:

• play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using their voices and playing musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression
• improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the interrelated dimensions of music
• listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory
• use and understand staff and other musical notations
• appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians
• develop an understanding of the history of music

Impact:

As pupils progress, they will be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They will also know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.

By the end of each key stage, pupils will know, apply and understand the matters, skills and processes specified in the National Curriculum for music.

Our children will have a confident set of music skills, knowledge and appreciation, supported by Christian values which can be used to get ahead in education and life more generally. In short they will learn more, remember more, enjoy more and develop more musically, creatively, spiritually, socially and emotionally. Thus enabling them to be ready for their next stage in education.

Music is a unique way of communicating that can inspire and motivatechildren. It is a vehicle for personal expression, and it can play an important part in the personal development of people. Music reflects the culture and society we live in, 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, music can also be a highly academic and demanding subject. It also plays an important part in helping children feel part of a community. 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.