Music
Intent
We believe that all children at Walderslade Primary School should have access to an exciting, relevant, well-organised and inspiring programme of learning about Music. Music continues to be an integral part of our society as a whole, and learning about its different aspects greatly benefits and enhances children’s development in many ways. It is the intent of Walderslade Primary School that every child should have many opportunities to experience music in different ways from listening, composing to developing their understanding of the history of music.
Music should first and foremost be enjoyed for what it is: the organisation and combination of sounds so as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion. All children at Walderslade Primary School are provided with a wealth of opportunity, not only to learn about Music, but to experience and appreciate it on their own individual level.
At Walderslade Primary School, we believe that Music supports and nurtures the development of every child. We believe that music should be accessible to all children, as it enables personal expression, reflection and emotional development. It also encourages and facilitates team work, instils discipline and develops confidence. It is taught throughout the school, from the early acquisition of reception children, through to the more confident application of skills in Year 6. We believe that the teaching of Music, and the many opportunities it provides children of all abilities to develop into confident, well-rounded individuals, with inquiring minds.
The Music curriculum at Walderslade Primary School:
- Is relevant, interesting, creative, challenging and enjoyable
- Promotes inclusion and diversity
- Provides regular opportunities for performance
- Promotes community links
- Deploys high quality resources and staff
- Develops in the children a love for music
- Develops active learning
Implementation
Classroom provision
The curriculum for Music follows the requirements of the National Curriculum. The teaching of skills and knowledge is taught through discrete music lessons which follow an on-line scheme - Charanga. This scheme provides a year-on-year and termly progression of skills and knowledge from Reception to Year 6 in an interesting and relevant way. This scheme ensures the teaching of the key music skills within a relevant and interesting way. Teachers deliver the interrelated dimensions of music: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations. The ideas are designed specifically to complement the ideas and concepts of the topic being taught.
Children in KS2 benefit greatly from the Medway Music Programme. Children across KS2 classes learn to play ukulele and key boards. These lessons are delivered from highly trained and motivational teachers from Medway Music Programme.
By teaching Music through discreet lessons, all children have opportunity to:
- Listen to, and appraise, a range of recorded and live music
- Learn to play a tuned musical instrument in KS2
- Play a range of other tuned and untuned instruments musically
- Sing a range of genres and for a range of purposes
- Play musical games
- Compose their own music
- Improvise with music
- Perform to a variety of audiences in a variety of contexts
- Take part in a rang of musical activities within our music days
Each year group has a decade focus, for appreciation and enjoyment of music:
- Year 6 – 1940s
- Year 5 – 1950s
- Year 4 – 1960s
- Year 3 – 1970s
- Year 2 – 1980s
- Year 1 – 1990s
- Reception – 2000s
All of these opportunities allows all children not only to foster an appreciation for music, but also ensures good progress is made.
Children make use of a range of musical instruments in lessons. They learn about the history of Music, and start to use musical notation in KS2 however, a link between sound and symbol is explored and embedded from KS1.
Non-classroom provision
As well as the learning experiences within the classroom, there is great opportunity for children to progress their knowledge, skills, understanding and enjoyment of music in many other ways.
All children have opportunity to experience quality live music. Professional musicians, and musical groups visit the school regularly to perform and involve the children in learning about music. Children who have reached a particular standard in musical learning are encouraged to perform to audiences in assemblies or concerts.
The school has a large, active and motivated choir which is freely open to all children from Year 3 to Year 6. The choir meets weekly to rehearse and practice a range of songs for a range of performance opportunities internally and externally.
Each year, the school performs at a range of community events:
- The local Retirement home at Christmas
- The Summer fair
- The Rivermead Inclusive Trust Community concert at Priestfield Stadium
- The school’s Christmas Carol concert – kS2
- HT coffee mornings
- EYFS performance
- Christmas Nativity – KS1
- End of year production – UKS2
The aim of the school choir is to provide an opportunity for children who enjoy singing, to come together with other children, and sing songs they enjoy, whilst developing singing technique, learning a range of songs, and developing in self-confidence and self-achievement. In November 2019 the choir appeared and sang on BBC1s Children in Need programme.
The school also uses music before, during and after assemblies for celebrations or reflection purposes. Walderslade also has a school song which all children enjoy singing.
Performance
Performing is a vital feature in developing children’s sense of self-worth and confidence. Children have many opportunities to perform to a range of audiences in a range of contexts.
Each Autumn Term the whole school holds a Harvest Festival, where pre-learnt songs are performed to an audience in the school hall.
All children in KS1 and KS2 perform at annual Christmas concerts. In KS1, the children stage a Nativity performance to parents in school. This includes the learning and performing of a range of pre-learnt songs. All children in KS2 participate in an annual Christmas concert at a venue within the local community. This involves all the children singing pre-learnt songs to a large audience, such as parents, family members and members of the local community. Other performances in this concert include:
- Solo performances by Gifted and Talented children
- Ensemble performances by Gifted and Talented children
- Solo and ensemble performances by children who have attained a particular level with their instrument, or who have progressed well in their learning
- The school choir
- Other musical ensembles (e.g. hand bells).
Children who play a musical instrument are encouraged to play at the beginnings and the ends of assemblies, whilst children enter and exit the hall.
Each year, at the end of KS2, a large-scale musical production is held. This is the result of regular rehearsals, and provides opportunity for solo and ensemble singing, as well as recognising Gifted and Talented performers. These performances are staged in the hall to large audiences.
Children who have learnt an instrument throughout the year also perform an end of year concert for parents, children and staff in the school hall.
Throughout the year, children across KS2 attend the Medway Music Festivals. This involves the children learning a range of songs in school, which they then perform with other children at the various places across Medway including Rochester Cathedral and the Central Theatre. These events also provide the children with an ideal opportunity to listen to high-quality live music which is tailored to their interests.
Resources
High-quality musical resources are vital to the effective delivery of the music curriculum. The school’s bank of musical instruments are regularly inspected and updated when necessary. Children are encouraged to use and treat the school’s resources with respect. The resources are carefully selected to complement and enhance the teaching of music. Children are encouraged to use musical instruments imaginatively. The children have opportunity to use ICT to enhance their compositions.
Assessment
The attainment and progress of all children from Year 1 to Year 6 is monitored closely through the assessment programme WAT. This process clearly shows the children who are making expected progress in music, and can also identify those children who find musical concepts more challenging to understand. It can also highlight those children who attain above expectations for their age, as well as those who demonstrate a talent, or that they are gifted in a particular aspect of music. Regular discussion with staff also informs of these children. All staff are aware of the process of this form of assessment.
The subject leader monitors the delivery of the musical experiences through termly scrutiny of class work within class books, lesson drop ins, pupil voice and the assessment trackers.
Impact
Through the delivery of the range of musical opportunities and experiences outlined above, it is the intent of Walderslade Primary School that all children will have developed an appreciation of a range of music. They will have an understanding of musical history as well as know how music is created, produced and communicated through basic notation, and the interrelated dimensions of music (pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture). They will know how to play a musical instrument, and can continue this into later life if they so wish.
All the children will have benefitted through increased confidence and self-worth. They will have the vital skills of effective communication and working with others. They will have developed a critical mind, and be motivated to continue to develop their musical understanding and skills in the future.
Link to Charanga Scheme
Progression of knowledge and skills Years 1-6
