PURPOSE (Why?)

As the DFE says, the power of music should not be underestimated:

‘Music is all around us. It is the soundtrack to our lives. Music connects us through people and places in our ever-changing world. It is creative, collaborative, celebratory and challenging. In our schools, music can bring communities together through the shared endeavor of whole-school singing, ensemble playing, experimenting with the creative process and, through the love of listening to friends and fellow pupils, performing. The sheer joy of music making can feed the soul of a school community, enriching each student while strengthening the shared bonds of support and trust which make a great school.’ Model Music Curriculum: Key Stages 1 to 2 (March 2021)

At Langold Dyscarr, we want our pupils to appreciate what a powerful, unique form of communication music is.  We want them to experience how it can change the way they feel, think and act, and to see how it transcends different cultures, abilities and generations.  Listening to, and making, music fulfils an instinctive human need for self-expression and creativity.  It stimulates responses on both an emotional and intellectual level.  Experiencing this creative and emotional outlet, both as an individual and as a shared experience in ensemble work will ensure our pupils and the wider community lives are enriched.  It will bring pupils together and make them feel connected to their class, school and community and others as part of something bigger.  This will support their wellbeing not only now but also in their future lives.  We highlight the potential opportunities for making music as a future career or hobby and we demonstrate the importance of music as a lifelong source of pleasure.

INTENT

Our Music Curriculum is based around the programs of study in The National Curriculum for Music for KS1 and KS2, while incorporating themes from the Charanga English Model Music Curriculum, and BBC 10 Pieces where appropriate. The KUSP ladder ensures year on year progression and coverage of all music aspects with an element of greater depth to provide age appropriate challenge to those who are working at a higher level. Teachers understand what skills they need to teach using the KUSP ladders and the whole school overview highlights which Charanga units will provide the best learning context for those skills. Pupils will then year on year gain a broad and balanced collective of musical elements across the 4 sections of music (singing, listening, composing and performing) which are now followed more closely with end of year expectations. We aim to lay the foundations of musical knowledge and skills for the children to build on as they move on to KS3.

In EYFS, the daily routine provides opportunities for the children to experience music through song and dance.  The pupils are taught to use their voices musically and to play tuned and untuned instruments with expression.  They are encouraged to experiment with these elements of music in a variety of contexts.  The children also listen to a range of musical styles in order to develop their skills in listening with concentration.

In KS1 children will:

• listen to a variety of music, talk about the music style, recognise the sounds of some band and orchestral instruments, identify and represent rhythm through dance
• sing as part of a choir, to control dynamics using their voices. This will include learning the importance of warming up to use their voice safely, learning to control their breathing and posture
• explore ways of representing high and low sounds, using symbols and notation
• play tuned instruments e.g. recorder in C Major, F major, G Major, D major and D minor and improvise to create a musical conversation
• compose their own rhythm patterns and melodies using notation
• perform songs, composed patterns and melodies using instruments

In KS2 children will:

• listen to, appreciate and respond to a variety of music and identify the style, structure using references to musical elements and styles of music e.g. jazz, orchestral, gospel etc., recognise the timing of the music, identify the various sections of an orchestra
• sing as part of a choir, identifying a range of songs and their rhythm, phrasing, pitch and style. Use their voices to sing expressively with attention to breathing, phrasing, dynamics and articulation
• explore standard notation, identify stave, treble clef and time signature, read, respond to and recognise various notes
• play melodies on tuned percussion, melodic instruments or keyboards, following staff notation and use notes within an octave range making decisions on dynamic range (fortissimo, pianissimo, mezzo forte, mezzo piano)
• explore improvisation within a major scale, improvise over a groove, responding to the beat, creating melodic shape with varied dynamics and articulation
• compose melodic phrases incorporating rhythmic variety and interest in response to known music or video stimulus, use dynamics and simple variety, create melodies using various notes and pentatonic scale
• create, rehearse and perform a variety of music from memory for a specific event, include arrangements combing range of instruments, perform as a choir to a wider audience, understand the musical, cultural and historical contexts, evaluate performances and explain how the performance communicated the piece of music

KS1 and KS2 children have the option to attend weekly choir rehearsals.  KS2 Choir provides another opportunity to perform in the community and Young Voices.  Langold also take part in a Worksop Music Festival along with other local schools, where the KS2 children perform at The Crossing in Worksop.

MPLEMENTATION

Music is taught in weekly lessons – following the long-term plan for Langold Dyscarr Community School. Each lesson will be linked to the Programs of study set out in this document. Every lesson will build on the skills previously learnt in the unit, but also will build on previous units of work.

Children will be encouraged to actively participate in lessons which will be designed to inspire and engage their interest and improve their knowledge of a wide variety of music genres and develop their musical skills over time. This will also be developed through music played at the beginning of assemblies, which will have a different era of music each half term and showcase a composer each week – this will be shared with the children.

EYFS

At Langold Dyscarr music is taught daily through daily routines including, Nursery Rhymes, singing, Phase 1 Phonics, dancing, exploring rhythms using body percussion and instruments and regular opportunities to perform to an audience.  Music is an integral part of everything that the children do each day and many of the early skills of listening, rhythm and pattern are learnt while doing everyday tasks and routines.

KS1 and KS2

From Year 1 to Year 6, teachers follow the lesson plans from Charanga English Model Music Curriculum and is supplemented with BBC 10 pieces when it makes links to wider subjects the pupils are studying e.g. the planets.  Each Charanga unit has a musical focus and a subject link.  Each lesson begins with a warm up, which makes use of voices or body percussion in response to a visual/ aural stimulus or a reminder of previously taught skills, then a recall of previous lessons.  The main part of the lesson involves the children either creating sounds or arranging a collection of sounds, be they vocal or instrumental.  The conclusion of the lesson then comprises of a performance of the children’s composition.  Each lesson builds upon the previous lesson and units provide an opportunity for the children to revisit and develop musical skills.  The final unit is an opportunity to assess the children’s progress.

Teachers take opportunities to make links between the music lesson and other lessons taking place in their classrooms, thus providing the children with a context for their musical learning.  Class teachers follow the lesson plans in order to ensure continuity.  Teachers use “know more, remember more” to make the children aware of the skills they already have before then building upon these skills and developing their learning.  Where possible, and where relevant, teachers provide an opportunity for the children to share their learning, performing to their peers or to their parents.

Music is also widely celebrated through weekly singing assemblies, performances (nursery rhyme challenge, chorale poetry, Harvest, Christingle, nativity, DART celebration, Y5_6 show, Langold’s got Talent) where knowledge children have acquired in music will be linked to their performances.

IMPACT

The children have grown in confidence and skill, moving from performing as individuals and in small groups to their peers, through to performing in larger ensemble pieces to their parents. The skills the children have learnt are demonstrated through their performances which are now being recorded or performed to an audience e.g. parents.

Each year group also has a final assessment unit; a performance with set of objectives with which to assess the children every half term.  Children who are “working towards” and at “greater depth” are recorded in order to track progression and provide intervention where appropriate.  Teachers make use of “know more, remember more” in order to consolidate the children’s understanding.  Children are also encouraged to discuss their experiences and feelings, particularly with regard to musical appreciation and performance.  By discussing what they can hear, they become aware of their increasing accuracy in aural perception.  They also become aware of the emotional impact that music can have.  This is particularly powerful when maintaining their own well-being.  These discussions can then lead to suggesting performance opportunities for children who show interest in the school choir or who have instrumental lessons outside of school.

Curriculum Leads monitor provision, planning, teaching, progress and attainment at various points during each year.