Music

Music is Life. That’s why our hearts have beats ’ Cecily Morgan

Intent

At The Colleton we believe that music can inspire and motivate children and play an important role in their personal development. It can help children develop a greater appreciation of the world we live in, by understanding different cultures and societies. We aim to provide a music curriculum which builds on our children’s natural early creative experiences, whilst using music as a tool to foster connections within the brain which will improve memory and co-ordination.

The teaching and implementation of the music curriculum at The Colleton aims to:

• promote the enjoyment and benefit of music to mental well-being, physical health, creativity and positive self esteem
• foster a natural curiosity about music and provide opportunities for pupils to be creative, to demonstrate their talents, and to have fun
• provide all children with the opportunity to sing, play musical instruments and create their own music
• develop skills in performing, improvising, singing and appraising
• encourage participation in live performances within their teams, creating communication, team building, mutual respect and confidence, as well as memories that last a lifetime
• develop their musicianship through recognising forms of notation and the interrelated dimensions of music
• allow children to explain their feelings and preferences towards different styles of music
• develop a knowledge of great musicians, composers and trail blazers from history, as well as timeless music that crosses the generations
• build confidence when performing to an audience

 Implementation

Our progressive music curriculum is based on the golden threads of: Listening and Appraising, Singing, Playing, Improvising and Composing and Diversity

Each golden thread enables the development of a key area of learning through a progression of skills linked to the National Curriculum. These are repeated and built on as children move through the school so that they are able to make links with their previous learning experiences.

In addition to curriculum music, our children are also given opportunities to perform to an audience within school and the wider community. They may also participate in local events, such The Addington Summer Singing event and WASMA music festival.

In the Early Years Foundation Stage children start learning to sing traditional rhymes and songs as well as being introduced to a range of styles of music. They begin to learn about rhythm using body percussion and untuned percussion instruments. Throughout their time at The Colleton, music is taught making cross curricular links wherever possible which provides a meaningful context to develop the teaching of music skills, knowledge and vocabulary. We will deliver our curriculum by teaching children how to:

• Listen and appraise music of different styles and genres, time periods, composers and musicians.
• Sing – understanding the importance of developing a good posture, breathing techniques, articulation and projection of voices.
• Clap, move and dance using the rhythm and pulse of the music.
• use notation, improvise, compose and perform
• play both tuned and un-tuned instruments
• understand and use technical vocabulary in music such as rhythm, pulse, pitch, tempo

Music is taught regularly in the team and during whole school singing assemblies.  In addition to this, during Year 4 the children experience learning to play an instrument supported by a music specialist teacher.

Our music curriculum is further enhanced by extra-curricular opportunities such as private peripatetic music lessons.  These are available during the school day. Our children are offered opportunities to perform regularly inside and outside school in the wider community.

Impact

By the end of their time with us, our children will:

• have developed a life-long love of music and the many associated benefits that music-participation brings
• feel inspired to continue music further whether that is through listening to a wide variety of music and composers, learning an instrument or singing.
• have learned, improved and embedded a range of musical skills
• have developed a greater awareness of a broad range of musicians and composers and be able to listen to and talk about their preferences for a particular piece of music, giving the reasons why
• be able to perform with increased confidence, control, accuracy and expression as a solo or part of an ensemble using their voice or other musical instruments
• be able to compose their own music in a variety of formats and enjoy experimenting

The curriculum coordinator monitors this by:

• reviewing curriculum coverage and adjusting or adapting according to the needs of the children
• having pupil discussions and evaluating their progression of skills and vocabulary when sharing ideas and knowledge
• capturing evidence of learning and performances in floor books including photos and videos, performances.

Teachers will continually assess children’s progression of skills and knowledge during music lessons ensuring all children are supported and challenged appropriately to develop their musicality.