Music

What does Music look like at Easington C of E

Primary School?

INTENT

Subject Leader – Ms Lilley

At Easington C of E Primary School, we aim for all of our wonderful children to develop the roots to grow and the wings to fly. Through Music, children will have the wings to fly by developing the confidence and independence to:

• Be aware of their own talents and use them wisely.
• Show resilience and strength in times of challenge.
• Develop their musical creativity through practical and exploratory opportunities to develop as performers, song makers, composers, improvisers and listeners.
• Become fluent in their knowledge of music.
• Develop an increasing understanding of the history of music, learning about music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians.
• Develop a love of music, becoming musicians who are able to share and perform using their new knowledge.

IMPLEMENTATION AND CONTENT

We use the music scheme, Charanga. This scheme allows for the interrelated dimensions of music to weave through musical units and encourage the development of musical knowledge and skills. Children build their knowledge and capabilities of listening and appraising, understanding different musical activities and performance. At the beginning of each unit, children have the opportunity to demonstrate prior knowledge including connected knowledge. We teach a balanced curriculum that is sequenced appropriately in order to build on and develop the knowledge and skills required to secure children’s ability and understanding of music. Children have opportunities to recall their musical knowledge and skills and demonstrate their abilities through performance.

Substantive and disciplinary knowledge in music

Substantive knowledge in music is based on the developing knowledge of the nine interrelated dimensions of music. All musical learning is built around the interrelated dimensions of music.

Interrelated Dimensions of Music

1. Pulse	4. Tempo	7. Texture
2. Rhythm	5. Dynamics	8. Structure
3. Pitch	6. Timbre	9. Notation

• Substantive knowledge

Focuses on developing children’s skills and knowledge required for them to develop as musicians. This is achieved through deliberate practice and allows children to develop and demonstrate fluency of knowledge. It involves learning about music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians.

• Disciplinary knowledge

In music is the interpretation on the interrelated dimensions of music and how this knowledge is used when singing, playing instruments, improvising and composing, to develop creative and original pieces and performances. Children work independently and collaboratively to interpret and combine the dimensions of music to create a specific and desired effect.

Creativity in music

“Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. A high-quality music education should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement.” National Curriculum, 2013

Music is a highly creative subject where children develop their own musical ideas. Creativity in music is encouraged through children’s improvisations and compositions when singing and playing instruments. They make connections between ‘new’ and ‘old’ learning, solve problems and think critically to develop and improve their ideas.

IMPACT

Assessment in music

Each unit of music has an ongoing musical learning focus and a unit specific focus from Reception to Year 6.

• Ongoing musical learning includes building on children’s prior knowledge to develop new knowledge about how they can improve their skills in listening and appraising and musical activities such as games, singing, playing, improvising and composing, and performing. In reception we will always aim to build on children’s developmental needs and prior musical knowledge gained from their previous settings. This will ensure a continued progression within the ‘Expressive Arts’ area of learning as set out in the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage.
• Unit specific knowledge focuses on musical skills and concepts that may be discrete to a particular style or styles of music relevant to the unit.

During music lessons assessments are made focusing on the content and performance involving qualitative verbal feedback. Collective Worships, Concerts, Community Participation and Classroom Learning is digitally recorded when appropriate, uploaded and stored as digital evidence. Impact will be reviewed at the end of each academic year.

In addition, by following our music curriculum, from Reception to the end of Key Stage 2, our children will have developed a deep knowledge and understanding of music in their long-term memory. This will provide them with the foundation needed for a successful transition into the next stage of their education.

 

References

Durham Music Service – Primary Music Curriculum and Progress map

National Curriculum – Music Programmes of Study: Key stage 1 and 2

Charanga Online Music School – Scheme Overview and documentation

Askwith Primary School – North Yorkshire