Musicians at Southam Primary School can:
Improvise and compose music;
Play, sing and perform with accuracy and expression;
Appreciate different musical traditions and genres;
Appreciate the contribution of great musicians and composers to the world of music;
use musical vocabulary effectively, accurately and appropriately.
Music Curriculum
Intent
The National Curriculum for music aims to ensure that all children:
· 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
We want our children to appreciate a wide range of music, from varying genres, and be able to perform with instruments confidently in groups and by themselves.
The music curriculum is tailored to the specific needs of the children at this school. Through qualitative research, including interviewing staff, children and parents, it is evident that the children have limited exposure to varying genres of music, apart from some music heard on the radio or television. The school intent is to give children a level playing field.
At Southam Primary, children gain a firm understanding of what music is through: listening, singing, playing, evaluating, analysing, and composing across a wide variety of historical periods, styles, traditions, and musical genres. We are committed to developing a curiosity for the subject, as well as an understanding and acceptance of the validity and importance of all types of music, and an unbiased respect for the role that music may wish to 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.
Sharing our musical skills with the local community is a huge part of this school; we have links with care homes in the areas and children also have the opportunity to perform with their peers from the other SVMAT schools.
Implementation
We want teachers to be confident when teaching and discussing music with our children and to open their eyes to the wider musical world.
The music curriculum ensures children sing, listen, play, perform and evaluate. This is embedded throughout the school curriculum with classroom teachers with strong subject knowledge as well as peripatetic learning taking place in Key Stage Two. The use of the UpBeat program from the Warwickshire Music Hub ensures that the children can learn an instrument from a professional teacher. This enables them to play in solo and ensemble contexts. Directed by the music co-ordinator, year groups show strong cross-curricular links, especially with topic, where children can be found; singing Viking Chants; composing music to ‘going on a bear hunt’; studying Holst’s ‘The Planets’; singing sea-shanties as well as many other topic links.
They also learn how to compose, focusing on different dimensions of music, which in turn feeds their understanding when listening, playing, or analysing music. 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. These aspects of the curriculum also benefit from specialist teaching from the Warwickshire Music Hub.
Progression grids show the music progression throughout the school from EYFS up to Year Six and these are cross-referenced with the work produced by these year groups. Key skills are also split over the year and are closely monitored to ensure coverage and progression over the academic year, with feedback given to teachers to ensure coverage. A portfolio of progression also demonstrates the expectations of each year group and can be witnessed by any member of staff to aid their planning.
Music is celebrated on many occasions throughout the year including: weekly singing assemblies; class assemblies; visits from national music groups; winter and summer performances; singing playgrounds; visits to local care homes and shops; as well as other performances in the local area.
Impact
We want children to not only develop their practical instrument skills, but also to gain an insight into how and why music is created in a certain way. We want them to form their own opinions and feel confident to critique the music of others.
How the music curriculum improves knowledge and skills
The music curriculum at this school is high quality: it ensures the children gain a rich understanding and have many opportunities to widen their knowledge. The children are invited to show off the learning by performing to their peers and feel proud of their newly gained skills. Pupils express a high level of engagement in the music curriculum and enjoy their varied experiences.
The integral nature of music and the learner creates an enormously rich palette from which a child may access fundamental abilities such as: achievement, self-confidence, interaction with and awareness of others, and self-reflection. Music will also develop an understanding of culture and history, both in relation to children 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 dissect music and comprehend its parts. They can sing and feel a pulse. They have an understanding of how to further develop skills less known to them, should they ever develop an interest in their lives
Cultural Capital and Music
Music is interpretive and allows children to lean through the expression of others (music appreciation) and themselves in creating their own compositions. In connection with St James’ church, spiritual songs form the main singing at the festivals of Harvest, Christmas and Easter. By organising visits by various artists ranging from Tudor ensembles to string quartets, the children gain a wide cultural awareness and learn about different points of history across the world. Weekly assemblies focus on songs to do with friendship, equality and navigating life, along with an introduction to the life and works of a diverse range of composers. We sing songs from a variety of cultural backgrounds and constantly update our catalogue.
