Music

Curriculum Intent:

Music is a universal language which embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. At Manor music lessons are fun and engaging. Our children are given the chance to learn songs, be creative, learn how to play and explore a variety of instruments and reflect and appreciate Music. During Music lessons and whole school celebrations, our children will be given opportunities to learn Music specific vocabulary in a meaningful context. All of our children will be given the chance to apply skill and given chance for collaboration through singing, listening, composition and performance.


Implementation:

Music teaching at Manor 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 their learning journey enquiry questions in other curriculum areas.

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

LINK TO CHARANGA: https://charanga.com/site/

Children are also given opportunities to explore music learning through their curriculum learning journeys, and points of shared celebration and performances in the school year.

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.

At Manor the children have access to weekly singing assemblies run by the school’s Music Coordinator. The children have opportunities to listen to other professional musicians and experience assemblies which celebrate music and different genres of music.

Whilst at Manor, the children will have opportunities to perform, take part in and experience celebrations within the school community. In Year 3 all children will also have the opportunity to take part in whole class recorder sessions.

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).

  • Governor monitoring with the Music Coordinator.

  • Annual reporting and tracking of standards across the curriculum.

  • Photo and video evidence of the pupils’ practical learning and performances.

  • 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 uptake of our music after school clubs and uptake of additional music 1:1 teaching.



National Curriculum:

The musical progression through KS1 and KS2 is demonstrated in the below links. The instrumental work is differentiated allowing children to move through the relevant parts as they need to.


NC link

Key Stage 1

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 interrelated dimensions of music

  • Key stage 2

Pupils should be taught to sing and play musically with increasing confidence and control. They should develop an understanding of musical composition, organising and manipulating ideas within musical structures and reproducing sounds from aural memory.

Pupils should be taught to:

  • 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 interrelated 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 traditions and from great composers and musicians

  • develop an understanding of the history of music



Progression of skills