Music education improves, develops and broadens the range of creative skills. This is incorporated into daily routines and inspires self-expression through a variety of mediums. 

INTENT

The National Curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Perform, listen to, review and evaluate music
• Be taught to sing, create and compose music
• Understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated.

Children are given many opportunities to engage in a wide range of musical experiences, including listening, singing, performing, evaluating and composing across a range of historical periods, cultural traditions, and musical genres. Our objective is to develop a love of music from EYFS to Year 6, to inspire creativity and an appreciation of a wide range of musical styles. We are committed to ensuring children develop an appreciation of the cultural and historical importance of music.

IMPLEMENTATION

Children participate in weekly class music lessons and singing assemblies. Rhymes and songs are used to reinforce learning in other curriculum areas. The elements of music are taught as part of classroom lessons, enabling pupils to analyse how music is created. They also learn how to compose, focusing on the different dimensions of music which develops understanding when listening, playing or analysing music. As part of the curriculum pupils are taught to play, perform, improvise, compose, listen to and appreciate music.

Each term, music from a different decade is played at various times throughout the day, thus embedding an appreciation for music within the daily routine as well as enhancing their understanding of the history of music. Specialist teachers teach a range of musical instruments. Teachers run a choir club throughout the year and children from both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 are given the opportunity to perform at a range of concerts in collaboration with Medway Music Association and Young Voices.  Annual productions for EYFS, KS1  and Year 6 are performed once a year and all children throughout the school perform concerts to their parents/carers.

IMPACT

Children will develop an understanding of the different components of musical structure and will be able to enjoy music as a listener, creators or performers.

Children will be able to identify music from different historical periods and discuss the similarities and differences of various musical genres.

Children will be confident when performing and will develop a sense of achievement from being part of the school choir or production.

MUSIC IN EACH STAGE

EYFS

Music is part of the Expressive Arts and Design Area of Learning of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum.

Our aim is to engage and inspire children to develop a love of music and their talents as musicians and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. Children engage in a wide range of activities including singing, playing tuned and untuned percussion instruments, listening to a range of music from different times and cultures and experimenting with composition. Music skills are further developed through our cross-curricular planning.

Within the EYFS, our children take part in regular musical activities both child-led and adult-led. This can help support children’s acquisition of language and communication. It can also aid their personal and social development, physical agility, well-being, imagination and creativity.

Music also helps to support our children’s communication and language. By tuning children into the rhythm of language, through music, we are helping them to hear the patterns of sounds that we know as words and phrases.

Our children have access to musical instruments both inside and outside and particularly enjoy exploring music using items they have created themselves.

Key Stage 1

Throughout KS1 pupils will progressively be taught the following:

• 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

Key Stage 2

Throughout KS2 pupils will progressively be taught the following:

• 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 tradition and from great composers and musicians
• Develop an understanding of the history of music