At Stoke On Tern, music is valued, and is a big part of our school community. When asked, children are enthusiastic about music and can describe memorable experiences in their lives, in music lessons, music clubs, choirs and other extra curricular musical events such as performing with “Young Voices”
We believe that all pupils should:
1) Be empowered to engage positively with music and to make progress.
2) Develop an understanding of music’s social and cultural importance.
3) Become aware of the lifelong benefits of engaging with music, along with its positive impact on mental health.
How will pupils become empowered to engage positively with music and make progress?
• Through active engagement with music as performers, music-creators and audience, we hope that children will develop a love of music, a knowledge of a wide range of musicians, composers and genres and become confident musicians.
• Musicianship skills are developed progressively, practised regularly with plenty of opportunity to re-visit them through singing, listening, composing and performing. We also value the opportunity to provide additional one-off inputs.
• Music making requires an ability to collaborate and communicate effectively. The use of specific musical structures, songs or games enables pupils to develop interaction skills but they also benefit from explicit work outside of music lessons. We aim to provide opportunities to develop the vocabulary needed to describe, discuss and communicate ideas. This includes specific musical vocabulary and the ability to write down their musical ideas.
• Singing is at the heart of our Foundation Stage and KS1 curriculum and continues throughout KS2 where children also learn an instrument. This provides an opportunity to develop and refine specific vocal and instrumental techniques over a longer period.
How will pupils develop an understanding of music’s social and cultural importance?
• Developing the skills to listen critically to music, we encourage pupils to be open minded, to expand their musical horizons and to gain a knowledge of the breadth of musical genres in the world today.
• Following on from the wide range of music that has been enjoyed in KS1 (of different times, genres and places) in KS2, we explore the history of music, key composers and performers in order to gain a better sense of artistic, historical and political contexts.
How will pupils become aware of the lifelong benefits of engaging with music, along with its positive impact on mental health ?
• Through sharing music with each other and the wider community we hope that children will experience the joy of engaging in music as a social activity.
• We feel that it is important that pupils gain a sense that being involved in the music industry is a career path that is available to them through encountering composers and musicians that are alive today and being confident musicians.
• Music is often an important part of our lives and colours many of our experiences, It is often used to enhance our mental well-being. We feel that it is important that pupils experience how music can elicit an emotional or physical response and to develop the vocabulary to describe this.
The national curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils:
• 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 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.
How do we know that children are making progress?
We offer opportunities for pupils to show that they can achieve the aims stated in the EYFS and National Curriculum. (For more information see below) Through positive feedback and encouragement, pupils grow in confidence and are able to demonstrate their ability and share their opinions. We use peer and teacher feedback to evaluate performance and suggest next steps. We use questions to clarify misconceptions and check understanding. Observation, notation and the use of listening diaries provide further evidence of progress.
What does our high quality music curriculum offer?
• Opportunities for all children to actively engage with music and to make progress both in the short term and over time.
• A motivating level of challenge.
• Opportunities to achieve the aims of the National Curriculum.
• Enough time to master the content that is planned.
• Lots of opportunity to return to and consolidate short term learning
• Repetition of key content with gradual introduction of new concepts and ideas .
How do we plan our music curriculum?
We have a long term plan which gives a focus for each half term. (For more information see below)This includes developing a particular musical skill or knowledge of a musical element. Listening to a named musician, composer or piece of music. Moving to music or learning a certain style of dancing. Exploring music from a particular place, of a certain genre or style. Discovering the historical or political circumstances surrounding the music. It also offers opportunities to achieve the aims outlined by the EYFS Curriculum and the National Curriculum by the end of each key stage.
We do not follow a published scheme but offer support for non specialist and specialist staff with suggestions of suitable songs, chants, games, instrumental tutor books, and guidance on listening. We use some materials from the scheme “Music Express” and “Listening to Music -Elements” as well as some of the suggestions and progression guidance outlined in the DfE “Model Music Curriculum” .We have numerous song books by outstanding songwriters for the primary age group such as Helen and Mark Johnson, Shirley Court and Nikki Davies and use “Sing Up” materials. We also use Primary teaching materials from Shropshire Music Hub and some which have video tutorials from the Nicola Benedetti Foundation, Inspire Works and Oak Academy. We believe this enables more flexibility to respond to particular needs and interests of our pupils, allows us to include reference to world events and to maintain the planned curriculum objectives but refresh the activities when needed.
Curriculum Progression Statements/Aims from EYFS to KS2:
In EYFS pupils should…
Have regular experience of music so that a foundation is laid from which the musical journey can continue.
Be given opportunities to become more aware of different sounds (This is embedded in phonics and the exploration of the world around them.) and of pulse, tempo, rhythm and pitch (These are innate in our heartbeat, movement, and speech.)
Gradually develop the confidence and vocabulary to discuss sound, respond to music and share their feelings about music.
Learn to use instruments safely and appropriately.
Develop the skills needed to interact, control sounds and cooperate when playing music.
Develop a positive, open minded attitude to music from a wide range of times and places and of different styles and genres.
Experience music as an important part of marking seasonal events and festivals.
As children move into Reception they should…..
Play instruments with increasing control to express their feelings and ideas.
Create their own songs or improvise a song around one they know
Remember and sing entire songs
Pitch match (sing the pitch of a tone sung by another person)
Sing the melodic shape of familiar songs.
At the end of Reception, children should be able to…
Listen attentively, move to and talk about music, expressing their feelings and responses. Watch and talk about dance and performance art, expressing their feelings and responses.
Sing in a group or on their own, increasingly matching the pitch and following the melody.
Explore and engage in music making and dance, performing solo or in groups
By the end of KS1 children should…
Use voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes.
Play tuned and untuned instruments musically.
Listen with concentration and understanding to a wide 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 KS2 children should …
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.
Stoke On Tern Music Development Plan
Music Long Term Plan
Shropshire Music Service
“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination…”
-Plato