Music

Please click here to view our music development plan 2024/2025 

Intent 

What a music lesson looks like in our school:

• We follow the Charanga music schemes of work to support the delivery of our music lessons
• Children are given opportunities to participate in making music with voice and instruments.
• Charanga gives children the opportunity to learn about rhythm, beat and to form an opinion on the music genres that they like.
• Children are given opportunities to perform what they have been taught to family and to the school in assemblies.
• Children are encouraged to appraise pieces of music.
• Children are taught to listen out for different instruments.
• Opportunities to inspire children’s curiosity about music.
• Opportunities to inspire children to take up an instrument of their own.

This is our philosophy: 

• Children learning through exploring different genres whilst acquiring new skills.
• Cross-curricular links wherever possible - e.g. Upper KS2 themed topic 'I love Rock and Roll' 
• For children to gain a love of music and to have the opportunity to play musical instruments where possible

This is the Knowledge and understanding at each stage: (please see our key skills and knowledge plan for more detail)

By the end of EYFS, pupils will have learnt to: 

• Sing a range of well-known nursery rhymes and songs
• Perform songs, rhymes, poems and stories with others, and – when appropriate – try to move in time with music.

By the end of key stage 1, pupils will have learnt to:

• use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes
• play tuned and un-tuned 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 inter- related dimensions of music

By the end of key stage 2, pupils will have learnt 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 inter- related 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

Implementation

Each year group have particular skills to focus on which are set out and made clear in Charanga. The children will then progress through the skills as they move up the school

• By the time the children leave Year 6, they will have covered a range of musical genres and styles to really get the children engaged and enjoying their learning
• Links with other areas of the curriculum are embraced to provide a more meaningful learning experience
• There is a KS1 and KS2 choir which all children are given the opportunity to join. They will get the opportunity to go on various trips to develop their skills and to perform to audiences as well as performing in the annual school concerts.
• Raised profile of music through the use of performances
• Weekly whole school singing practise which enables all pupils to develop their aural and performing skills.

This is how we support and ensure access for all children:

• Small group/1:1 adult support given where required.
• Ensuring that a range of instruments and resources are available to ensure success for all pupils 
• Funding available to provide opportunities for instrumental tuition
• Use of padded headphones for pupils who have sensory difficulties
• Pre-teaching and opportunity to familiarise pupils with instruments prior to lessons to anticipate any obstacles.
• We use teacher and self-assessment to quickly identify any child who requires additional support in specific skills.
• Pupils then receive additional support or resources.
• This is how we challenge:
• Further solo and performance opportunities
• Invitation to participate in concerts 

Impact & Assessment of Music

In order to assess the children’s knowledge in Music, teachers will track the children’s progress against what has been taught to allow them to identify gaps in learning.

This will enable misconceptions or knowledge which hasn’t been retained to be addressed in the ‘revisit’ section of future lessons.

At the end of each term, teachers will give an overall judgement of each child, recording attainment on the school’s curriculum tracking sheet. This judgement will be based on evidence from their performance in class.

Teachers will also conduct observational assessments of children during lessons and assess verbal responses from children in line with our oracy framework.

This is what you might typically see:

• Happy and engaged learners
• Paired/group work
• A range of different activities including practical and use of technology - Junior Jam
• Engagement and perseverance.
• Self-motivated children.
• Children talking about, sharing and reflecting on their learning.
• Children displaying a passion for music inside and outside of the classroom.

Monitoring of Music

Monitoring takes place regularly through sampling children’s work, lesson observations and through talking to the children – ensuring they enjoy each subject and can recall key knowledge of what they have been taught.