Music
The school provides a number of opportunities for children to take part in extra-curricular music including participation in the choir with performances in school and other local venues, school productions and solo and ensemble performances to other members of the school. Lessons are available from peripatetic teachers on piano, guitar, violin, woodwind or brass instruments, as well as the opportunity to join a band with RockSteady.
Pupils’ achievements are celebrated in display and performance opportunities. All pupils are encouraged to participate in and enjoy music lessons regardless of race, culture, gender, ability or physical limitations. We celebrate the musical abilities of all pupils, including those with a particular musical talent, through regular performances.
Curriculum Intent
Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon. (The National Curriculum)
At The Hill Primary School, we aim to follow the specifications of the National Curriculum; providing a broad, balanced and differentiated curriculum and ensuring the progressive development of musical concepts, knowledge and skills. We believe that music plays an integral role in helping children to feel part of a community, therefore we provide opportunities for all children to create, play, perform and enjoy music both in class and to an audience. Through assemblies and key stage and year group performances, children display their talent and their understanding of performing with awareness of others. Lessons enable children to develop their skills, appreciate a wide variety of music and begin to appraise a range of musical genres.
The aims of our Music curriculum are to develop pupils who:
- Enjoy and have an appreciation for music.
- Listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, cultures, styles and traditions.
- Can sing and use their voices to create different effects.
- Create and compose music, both on their own and with others.
- Use a range of musical language.
- Make judgements and express personal preferences about the quality and style of music.
- Take part in performances with an awareness of audience
Implementation
Music teaching at The Hill delivers the requirements of the National Curriculum through use of the Charanga scheme of work. Teachers follow the suggested scheme of work, although adaptations can be made using the ‘freestyle’ element of the package to substitute units deemed to be more appropriate for thematic learning in other curriculum areas. In some year groups, this is also supplemented by cross-curricular units, including the BBC Ten Pieces unit on The Planet Suite. This enables us to develop children’s natural curiosity and link out music teaching to their own interests. Music lessons are broken down into half-termly units and an emphasis is placed on musical vocabulary, allowing children to talk about pieces of music using the correct terminology.
Each unit of work has an on-going musical learning focus and lessons usually follow a specific learning sequence:
- Listen and Appraise
- Musical Activities (including pulse and rhythm)
- Singing and Voice
- Playing instruments
- Improvisation / Composition
- Perform and Share
Our progression model follows a structured learning sequence to ensure all interrelated elements of music are covered and implemented.
Within the EYFS setting, music is an integral part of children’s learning journey. Rhyme and rhythm are utilised throughout the learning of phonics, handwriting and mathematics. Children learn a wide range of songs and rhymes and develop skills for performing together. Singing and music making opportunities are used frequently to embed learning, develop musical awareness and to demonstrate how music can be used to express feelings. They also follow the Charanga scheme of work to enable all children to participate in structured games and activities which develop their musical understanding and skills.
Children in Year 4 benefit from whole class specialist teaching, delivered by a member of Berkshire Maestros, during which they receive whole class tuition on a brass instrument. These lessons allow children the opportunity to learn to play an instrument as part of an ensemble and to engender a love of music learning. Throughout the sessions the interrelated elements of music are developed. The Music Service also use elements of Charanga in their sessions. Performance is at the heart of musical teaching and learning at The Hill and pupils participate in a range of performances during their school ‘career’. These include nativities (KS1), sharing assemblies (EYFS-Y6) and a Leavers performance (Year 6). Pupils also take part in Harvest assemblies and singing assemblies. Pupils who are confident are encouraged to perform in solo performances. Parents are invited and welcomed to watch all of these performances whether at school or outside of school. These performances develop resilience and build confidence in pupils of all ages and abilities. We also encourage children to critique their own and other children’s performances, developing mutual respect within and across year groups.
Alongside our curriculum provision for music, pupils also have the opportunity to participate in additional 1:1 music teaching by being offered the opportunity to learn a musical instrument with peripatetic teachers. Our peripatetic music teaching is organised by Berkshire Maestros. As part of our offer for PP children, instrumental lessons are provided free of charge.
At The Hill, we also recognise that staff have musical abilities that can be utilised to supplement our musical curriculum. Pupils are encouraged to join the school choir and to participate in the regular concerts both in school and in the local community. There are two school choirs: the KS2 choir is operates after school on a weekly basis, with the average number of pupils being in the range of 40-60; the KS1 choir (for Y1 and Y2) operates at lunchtime on a weekly basis, with the average number of pupils being in the range of 30-40. Pupils in the school choirs focus on singing in unison, developing complex harmonies, solo performances and having fun!
Impact
Our music Curriculum is planned to demonstrate progression and build on and embed current skills. We focus on progression of knowledge and skills in the different musical components and teaching of vocabulary also forms part of the units of work. If children are achieving the knowledge and skills in lessons, then they are deemed to be making good or better progress.
We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:
- Pupil discussions and interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice).
- Photo and video evidence of the pupils practical learning.
- Use of the assessment tools provided within the Charanga scheme.
- Dedicated music leader time.
The impact of our music curriculum is also measured in the number of children using their own instruments in class lessons, the uptake of our music after school clubs and uptake of additional music 1:1 teaching.
For more information about our curriculum please contact the office on admin@hill.reading.sch.uk
