Emscote Infant School
and
All Saints' C of E Junior School
Music Curriculum
Aspirational, Lifelong Learning in Music
In June 2022, the government published a document called: the power of music to change lives: a national plan for music education. It sets out a vision to enable all children and young people to:
- learn to sing, play an instrument and create music together
- have the opportunity to progress their musical interests and talents, including professionally
The National Plan has the aim that: ‘Every child should receive a great music education. Learning about music and having the opportunity to play musical instruments and make music together is a vital part of a rich and rounded education. Music plays a key role in brain development. It helps to develop language, motor skills, emotional intelligence and collaboration skills.
This document sets out:
- what the national plan for music education means for children and young people
- where parents and young people can go for more support’
Our curriculum vision is for ‘Aspirational, Lifelong Learning’ across the curriculum and we seek to develop music provision which is equally aspirational for all.
In order for government aims to be achieved, all schools are required to have a Music Development Plan in place by September 2023. We have been working to develop our Music curriculum and provision to meet these needs and further details can be found below and via the other tabs in this Music section.
All Saints’ Music Development Plan
Overall objective – the INTENT of our curriculum
At All Saints’ CE Junior School, music plays a prominent role within the curriculum and within the school ethos: ‘Working Together, Valuing Everyone, Learning for Life’. The music curriculum aspires to create opportunities for all children to progress together in their musical interest and skill, leading to a life-long appreciation of music. Children will work both in groups and independently to create music with their voices and with instruments, learning musical notation throughout. They will have the opportunity to participate in co-curricular activities and to learn an instrument. Through a varied curriculum, children will learn to listen, appraise, sing, play and compose music, growing in confidence and skill throughout KS2; all contributing to a musical learning and appreciation for life.
IMPLEMENTING our Music curriculum
We aim to make music enjoyable for all; we encourage children to participate in a variety of musical experiences through which we endeavour to build up the confidence of all children. Children are given the opportunity to discover, explore and develop technical skills through practical music lessons.
Weekly music lessons involve both whole class and small group activities. Pupils’ understanding of music will be developed through activities which bring together the requirements of performing, composing, listening and appraising. Children are taught to recognise the musical elements of: duration, dynamics, pitch, tempo, timbre and texture.
Children are taught to make music together, to understand musical notation and to compose pieces. They are also taught to sing and play in time controlling the sound and pace. They are taught different ways to represent sounds graphically and symbolically.
To aid the teaching and learning of music at All Saints’ Junior School, the following
musical resources are available:
- Engagement with ‘Warwick, a Singing Town’ initiative – we have a specialist music teacher who teaches singing to all of our children, with each class having a session every 2 weeks
- During interim weeks, music lessons are often taught using the Charanga music curriculum, which provides week-by-week schemes of work with progression of skills and knowledge built in. It is a fantastic support for music specialists and non-specialists and has a library of songs, ready-made lessons and resources. This is often used to teach instrumental music
- tuned and untuned percussion instruments (including class set of glockenspiels) and recorders
- Children are offered the opportunity to study a musical instrument with peripatetic teachers; currently on offer are lessons in: guitar, violin, piano, keyboard, clarinet and saxophone
Other Key components:
- Links with external music organisations (Young Voices, Warwick a Singing Town, Warwickshire Music Hub)
- Pupil Premium student engagement
- Teacher CPD opportunities
- Weekly choir session with performance opportunities
- Whole school singing assemblies, plus singing in every other assembly
- Performance opportunities in singing and playing
- Concerts from external organisations
- Federation singing opportunities
Impact
As children progress throughout the school, they develop a deep knowledge, understanding and appreciation of music and its place within the wider creative arts context.
Assessment for learning is continuous throughout the planning, teaching and learning cycle. Key musical knowledge is taught to enable and promote the development of children’s musical skills. Assessment is supported by use of the following strategies:
- Observing children at work, individually, in pairs, in a group and in class during whole class teaching
- Using differentiated, open-ended questions that require children to explain and unpick their understanding
- Providing effective verbal feedback and to provide opportunities for self-assessment, consolidation and depth.
