Music Policy Reviewed by: Charlotte Tucker Music Subject Leader Date: Spring 2016 Ratified by Curriculum Committee: Spring 2016 Next Review: Spring 2019 1
Introduction: A high quality music education is an entitlement which should be enjoyed by all, it s essentially practical nature promotes inclusion and equal opportunities; allowing all children from an early age to develop a sense of rhythm, pitch, and the sounds around them and these skills are developed upon entry to the school. The curriculum should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discernment to the best in the musical canon. Aims: At Carpenters Primary School the aims of musical education are 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. Teaching and Learning: EYFS: The statutory guidance for the EYFS promotes musical development in four Early Learning Goals (ELGs): Listening and Attention; Technology; Exploring Media and Materials; Being Imaginative. By the end of reception, children will have had the opportunity to explore musicality in a variety of ways, through teacher led and child initiated learning they will: 2
Listen and respond to the music they hear. Learn how to use technological equipment linked to music. Sing songs, make music and dance, and experiment with ways of changing them. Learn how to represent their ideas, thoughts, and feelings through music and dance. Key Stage 1 : Children are taught to: Use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes; Play tuned and unturned 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. Key Stage 2: Children are taught to sing and play musically with increasing confidence and control. They are taught to develop an understanding of musical composition, organising and manipulating ideas within musical structures and reproducing sounds from aural memory. Pupils are taught to: 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. 3
At Carpenters Primary School we ensure that musical entitlement is received by every child through: Music Teaching through the Topic Curriculum: In KS1, music is taught through the topic curriculum, in particular through Science. Children will have the opportunity to listen to music and explore a variety of musical instruments. Dedicated music lessons are timetabled weekly and give children the opportunity to explore sounds and compositions in a musical context. Whole Class Instrumental Tuition: In Years three and four, children learn to play the recorder or violin as a whole class ensemble. In the first term, they develop essential musicianship skills before moving on to work with an instrument for two years. The children receive 45 minutes (in year three) and an hour (in year four) of tuition from an expert working on behalf of the Newham Music Hub. Through this tuition, children learn to play with increasing accuracy, fluency and control and develop an understanding of how music can be used expressively by varying the quality of the sounds created. Singing Assembly: Every week, children from year one to year six participate in singing assembly where much of their vocal work is taught and applied. The children learn to use their voices expressively and apply their understanding of pitch, dynamics and timbre to the songs they are taught. Singing assembly is delivered by an expert working on behalf of the Newham Music Hub and as a result, a great deal of emphasis is placed on aural memory and understanding the context of the song lyrically, musically and historically. Small Group Instrumental Tuition: In years five and six, children extend and deepen their learning from lower KS2 instrumental lessons taught in small groups. The children have the opportunity to choose an instrument to learn and receive tuition from experts working on behalf of the Newham Music Hub in groups of 6. The focus of the tuition allows the children to develop their skills as soloists and as an ensemble, using improvisation, music reading to compose and rehearse pieces for performance. 4
Ensembles and Performances: Children are encouraged to perform together in a variety of situations, including in class as part of the curriculum and in formal concerts throughout the year. As part of their collaborative performance work, the children compose, listen to, and appraise their own and other s work. Appraisal: Children are given the opportunity to use a wide variety of techniques, including technology, movement, creative language, and subject specific vocabulary to record and discuss their ideas and feelings about music. Through analysis of different sounds they develop an understanding of how to create different effects, learn what works and apply this knowledge to their own compositions. Assessment: Assessment forms an integral part of the teaching and learning of Music. Teachers will assess children s work by making informal judgements as they observe them working and performing, by listening to their responses and examining any work produced. Parents/Carers are informed of how their children are doing through the end of year report card. Monitoring and review: The music subject leader is responsible for overseeing the many different adults and groups who support the teaching of music across the school. They will organise relevant CPD for themselves and other teaching and non-teaching staff where required and will liaise with the Newham Music Hub. 5