Intent - what we want children to learn

Our intention is first and foremost to help children feel they are musical and to develop a life long love of music. We focus on developing the skills, knowledge and understanding that children need in order to become confident performers, composers, and listeners. Our curriculum introduces children to music from all ​​​​​​​around the world and across generations, teaching children to respect and appreciate the music of all traditions and communities.

Children will develop the musical skills of singing, playing instruments, improvising and composing music, and listening and responding to music. Through music, our curriculum helps children develop transferable skills such as team-working, leadership, creative thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, and performance skills. These skills are vital to children’s development as learners and have a wider application in their general lives outside and beyond school.

We want the children to learn:

• a range of music skills and an understanding that music can be used to express ideas and emotions as well as inspiring these in the viewer.
• to have confidence in playing, composing and using music to express themselves.
• to have an understanding that styles of music vary across the world and through time.
• to develop ensemble etiquette and the skills to listen and perform in a group.
• to gradually be exposed to a range of instruments, both tuned and untuned.

Since COVID:

• To focus on using and understanding musical vocabulary with a range of contexts.
• To develop a broader range of cultural capital and musical variety and vocabulary through the study of a range of music and musical styles.

Implementation - how our curriculum is delivered

Music should always be engaging and fun, therefore our music curriculum is delivered using  Kapow Primary Music Scheme which takes a holistic approach to music, in which the individual strands below are woven together to create engaging and enriching learning experiences:

• Performing
• Listening
• Composing
• The inter-related dimensions of music

Small group teaching happens in Wellbeing Boosters (music and movement), enabling all children to have the opportunity to have their voice heard and to play a range of instruments. Children are encouraged to move to music and to understand the reasons that certain combinations of notes, instruments and pitches are more successful than others.

We curate the equipment offered to the children to build in success and to match to the objective of the lesson. It is important to have an insight into the previous learning of individuals in order to match, support and extend their music learning to their skills and aptitudes.

• Cross curricular
• First hand experiences (performing)
• Quality resources and sources of music
• Encouragement to share opinions and responses to music and to ask and answer questions generated by the class
• Outdoor musical instruments in EYFS and in the playground
• Music made from recycled materials (buckets, etc).
• Collective worship includes singing and listening to music. 
• World Church collective worship fortnightly to introduce an understanding of similarities and differences in styles of worship (songs and music) across the world.
• We have a School Song about our school vision (see link below).
• Pause Days include Christmas and Easter traditions, celebrations and music across the world.
• ELSA activities often use music to explore and express emotions as well as a mindful activity for calming down.
• The children have opportunities to experience a range of musical genres throughout the school. In assemblies the children get to listen to music from around the world as well as learn songs linked to our values. The children learn songs for church services and to share with the local community. A singing club runs weekly for Years and 2.

Impact - vision to fruition

Children are ready for next stage in educational journey through:

• an understanding and appreciation of a range of musical styles from around the world 
• being confident performers, composers and listeners, able to express themselves musically at school and beyond
• valuing music as a mindful wellbeing activity, understanding how it can make them feel calm, peaceful and happy as well as excited or exhilarated.
• meeting the end of EYFS expectations in Expressive Arts and Design and in Key Stage 1 expectations outlined in the National Curriculum.