Music
Intent
At Ann Cam C of E Primary School, we advocate the value of music education and see it as an essential part of children’s learning, which embodies a high form of creativity in addition to being a universal language. Our intent at Ann Cam C of E Primary School is to develop a curiosity and passion for music in addition to ensuring the children progress in key musical skills. The music area of learning is concerned with increasing pupils’ understanding of what music is through listening, singing, playing, appraising, evaluating, improvising and composing across a wide variety of historical periods, styles and genres. Additionally, to increase their creativity, self-confidence and their sense of achievement.
At Ann Cam C of E Primary School, in accordance with the aims of the National Curriculum (2014), our music teaching offers opportunities for children to:
- 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.
We are committed to ensuring that children understand the value and importance of music and are able to utilise their musical skills and experiences to involve themselves in music in a variety of contexts, as they develop their skills or as they progress into later life.
Implementation
Teachers create a positive attitude to music within their classrooms, reinforcing the expectation that everyone can achieve high standards in music. Our whole class approach to the teaching and learning of music involves the following:
- A comprehensive scheme of work in line with the National Curriculum. This ensures all children gain a solid understanding of musical skills through quality first teaching.
- In year 4, all children have the opportunity to be taught a specific instrument (brass) for the whole of the summer term.
- All children are given the opportunity to have music lessons, taught by the peripatetic music teachers, if they wish to learn them (guitar and flute).
- We build upon learning from previous years. We monitor this through the use of the whole school progression grid. As children develop in their understanding and skills, they become more confident in composing their own pieces of music, using their own choice of instruments, using musical notation to record their compositions and performing their compositions to various audiences.
- Musical skills are embedded into lessons to ensure key vocabulary and skills are being developed and new vocabulary is being introduced through direct teaching.
- Whilst at Ann Cam C of E Primary School, children have access to a variety of musical experiences, which allows the children to discover areas of strength. Music will develop an understanding of culture and history as well as allowing children to be able to: sing and feel a pulse, dissect music and comprehend its parts, compose music and perform through various opportunities.
- Children are able to enjoy music in many different ways: as a listener, composer and performer.
- Tasks and activities are designed to allow children to engage at their own level though setting open-ended tasks, incorporating a gradual increase in difficulty of tasks and taking into account different abilities when grouping.
- Teachers demonstrate how to use musical instruments in order to develop the children’s musical skills.
- There will be chances for children to perform to greater audiences through wider opportunities such as: Young Voices, singing in the local community, being part of the school choir and taking part in house music, class collective worships and the Christmas coffee morning. This will in turn increases the children’s musical skills and abilities.
- Weekly singing collective worships will take place to allow children to develop their singing and performance skills.
Impact
This successful implementation at Ann Cam, results in a fun and engaging music education. By the end of year 6, children retain knowledge that is pertinent to music, in addition to participating in wider musical opportunities. Music at Ann Cam creates a rich palette from which children access fundamental skills such as: achievement, self-confidence, interaction with an awareness of others and self-reflection.
