Music
Music Lead: Mr Cummings
MUSIC CURRICULUM STATEMENT
Intent
The National Curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils:
• Perform, listen to, review and evaluate music
• Be taught to sing, create and compose music
• Understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated.
At Holden Clough the intention is that children gain a firm understanding of what music is through listening, singing, playing, evaluating, analysing, and composing across a wide variety of styles, traditions, and musical genres. Our objective is to develop a curiosity for the subject, as well as an understanding and acceptance of the validity and importance of all types of music. Through this, the children develop an unbiased respect for the role that music plays and how it may be expressed in any person’s life. We are committed to ensuring children understand the value and importance of music in the wider community, and are able to use their musical skills, knowledge, and experiences to involve themselves in music, in a variety of different contexts.
Implementation
The New Model Music Curriculum (March 2021) ensures students sing, listen, play, perform and evaluate, improvise and compose. This is embedded in the classroom activities as well as various assemblies, tuition programmes and other performance opportunities. The elements of music are taught in the classroom lessons so that children are able to use the language of music to describe and explain how it is created, played, appreciated and analysed. Formal tuition of an instrument is made available in each Key Stage, with an introduction to the drum set (a short termly programme) and other developing opportunities.
Through the EYFS curriculum, the current Musical Development Matters document is referenced to ensure sound coverage of the basic skills and explorative introduction to music, ahead of the Key Stage 1, National Curriculum. As with the Early Years areas of, Hearing and Listening, Vocalising and Singing, Moving and Dancing and finally Exploring and Playing, Key Stage 1 key areas of the curriculum are Singing, Listening, Composing and Musicianship. In Key Stage 2 the children’s musicianship is deepened further in Composition, drawing on the skills of the other focus areas of Listening, Singing and Performing. 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. This often aids many SEND children by providing inclusive activities without the barrier of a tuned instrument. Technologies will be used to aid learning where appropriate and where beneficial to outcomes for all children.
As part of the curriculum, every year group will have teaching of at least two specific instruments from the Music Specialist Teacher, in school.
Impact
Music has the capacity to enable and grow many aspects of pupil’s development: achievement, self-confidence and raised esteem, interaction with and awareness of others, and self-reflection to name some. We understand and are very aware, at Holden Clough, that Music is a different intelligence that has close links with both Science and Maths. To this end and to allow the subject to impact wider areas of learning, there is no glass ceiling for the children. Furthermore, Music will develop an understanding of culture and history, both in relation to students individually, as well as ethnicities from across the world. Children are able to enjoy music, in as many ways as they choose - either as listener, creator or performer. They can describe music using the Elements of Music set out in the curriculum. They can sing and feel a pulse, perform, compose by trial and error (improvisation) and show consideration of related notes and scales, reflecting and commenting constructively on their own work and that of others. They will have an understanding of how technologies have developed over time to aid the production and sale of music, considering the wider world of music and performance.
Teaching and Learning
Fundamental skills and knowledge are taught to children by a Specialist Teacher. All children gain an understanding of musical notation, playing an instrument, composition, improvisation, listening and analysing music, singing and an appreciation of what music is. Teaching is skills based and supported by relevant theory when appropriate. The curriculum builds in a cyclic, spiralling form, with each element of music being revisited and embedded further and applied more deeply as children progress through the school. Children are expected to be engaged, contribute to the whole, speak musically using good accurate vocabulary and show increased levels of skill and understanding as they progress through the school.
Assessment
Assessment is through teacher judgement, with current data being formally taken at key points through the school year.
As per the new National Plan for Music recommendations, Musical evidence will be taken regularly and stored on the school database, or promoted via other channels (eg Social Media) Such evidence is to include videos, to ensure evidence is seen and heard. This is in addition to other forms of evidencing, such as photographs.
Planning and Resourcing
Teaching of the Curriculum will be led by the Specialist Music Teacher, through a bespoke curriculum, crafted for the school. All planning and coverage documents will be overseen by this person, to ensure that music happens in school to its fullest potential. Instruments and resources needed to support the curriculum should be ordered and audited regularly by said person.
Planning should show a distinct understanding of each age phase and progress and variance in activities should be clear and appropriate, showing progression throughout the child’s learning journey.
The upkeep of instruments is primarily the responsibility of the Music Teacher in school, however where opportunity arises for other teachers to use instruments, it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure items are looked after and returned in a timely and appropriate manner and condition.
EYFS
The key areas of, Hearing and Listening, Vocalising and Singing, Moving and Dancing and finally Exploring and Playing will be comprehensively covered through targeted skills from the Music Development Matters document. Children should be accompanied by music when performing, either through a CD or a live performance. This will help build the children’s listening and performance skills.
Regular opportunities to perform (Christmas or Easter for example) will play a key role in meeting and evidencing these skills in EYFS. Children will be encouraged to express themselves when exploring instruments and all abilities and ideas will be treated positively allowing children the freedom to enjoy the feeling of music as a performer and listener.
Equal Opportunities (eg Gender, race)
The music curriculum adheres to the Holden Clough Equal Opportunities Policy. The music curriculum takes into account issues of difference: gender, race and ethnicity, and class. Music from across cultures is taught, listened to and appraised. The curriculum provides space to play different styles and genres of music.