Music- Becoming Musicians!

MUSIC/ EXPRESSIVE ARTS AND DESIGN

Purpose of Study:

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. Across the Dunchurch Federation our aim is to deliver a Music curriculum that engages, inspires and challenges every child, with the music curriculum made up of singing, listening, composing and performing. Music is an active subject, and children will take an active part in lessons as much as possible. We encourage children to participate in a variety of musical experiences through which we aim to build up the confidence and musicality of every child.  Singing is at the heart of our curriculum, with songs and chants underpinning all areas of study. Repetition of techniques is vital to consolidate and gain confidence. Through singing songs, children learn about the structure and organisation of music. As they get older, children also learn to play and perform on the ukulele and glockenspiels. We teach children to listen, appreciate, and respond to different forms of music.  We also teach the children how to work with others to compose music and perform for an audience.

In KS1, all children take part in a weekly music lesson. Music and singing also forms part of daily collective worship.

All children in school have the opportunity to perform for an audience, including Christmas plays, end of year plays, assemblies and Harvest Festival.

The EYFS Learning Goals:

Pupils should be taught to:

• Sing a range of well-known nursery rhymes and songs.
• Perform songs, rhymes, poems and stories with others, and (when appropriate) try to move in time with music.

Children in the EYFS will listen and respond to a range of pieces of music such as nursery rhymes and songs written for children. The following musical pieces are those suggested by the Department for Education that may be listened to throughout KS1, with children having the opportunity to listen and respond to these. Music will also be listened to as part of our multicultural R.E. enrichment days.

KS1 Pupils should be taught: 

Pupils should be taught to:

• use their 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 range of high- quality live and recorded music
• experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the inter-related dimensions of music.

Our vision for music at Dunchurch is that we provide every child with high quality music experiences which engage and inspire them. We provide opportunities for all children to create, play, perform and enjoy music and to appreciate a variety of music styles. We aim for every child to leave our academy with a range of musical skills, knowledge and an understanding and love of music which they can carry with them for the rest of their lives. We have invested in the music scheme, Charanga, which enables pupils to meet end of key stage expectations outlined by the National Curriculum.

We aim to ensure that all children:

• Enjoy and appreciate a wide variety of musical styles;
• Explore how sounds are made, and how music is produced by a variety of instruments;
• Develop imagination and creativity;
• Build a sense of pulse and rhythm;
• Understand a range of musical vocabulary;
• Develop the interrelated skills of composition, improvisation, performance and appreciation;
• Enjoy a wide range of songs and sing in tune;
• Develop positive attitudes and to experience success and satisfaction in music.

Implementation

At Dunchurch Boughton Infant C of E Academy and Nursery we encourage children to participate in a variety of musical experiences through which we aim to build up the confidence of all children. We use the Charanga Scheme as the basis for our curriculum planning. Singing is an integral part of our school life and our teaching focuses on developing the children's ability to sing in tune, developing their expression and ability to listen to others. Pupils’ understanding of music will be developed through activities which bring together the requirements of performing, composing, listening and appraising. Children are taught to make music together with tuned and un-tuned instruments and to compose pieces. They are also taught to sing and play in time controlling the sound and pace. They are taught different ways to represent sounds graphically and symbolically.

Impact

Children demonstrate their ability in music in a variety of different ways. Teachers will assess children’s work in music by making informal judgements as they observe them during lessons. Recordings are made of live musical performances for the children to use as self-assessment.  On completion of a piece of work, the teacher will assess the work and give oral feedback. Older and more able pupils are encouraged to make judgements about how they can improve their own work. The Charanga Music Scheme contains an assessment framework which uses a Plan-Do-Check-Review approach and is supported by planning and assessment documentation. This enables teachers to assess whether children are working below, above or at the expected level at the end of each year.