Music

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.

At Hartley Primary Academy the intention is that children gain a firm understanding of what music is through listening, singing, playing, evaluating, analysing, and composing across a wide variety of historical periods, styles, traditions, and musical genres. Our objective is to develop a curiosity for the subject, as well as an understanding and acceptance of the validity and importance of all types of music, and an unbiased respect for the role that music may wish to be expressed in any person’s life. As part of the PYP curriculum we see our curriculum is transdisciplinary and as such we are committed to ensuring children understand the value and importance of music in the wider community, and are able to use their musical skills, knowledge, and experiences to involve themselves in music, in a variety of different contexts. 

It is our intention that all students are also given the opportunity to learn to play an instrument and in doing so understand the different principles of each method of creating notes, as well as how to read basic music notation. From February 2023, Reception children will play tuned and untuned percussion instruments; children in Key Stage One will learn to play the recorder; children in Key Stage Two will learn to play the ukulele.

They also learn how to compose focussing on different dimensions of music, which in turn feeds their understanding when listening, playing, or analysing music. Composing or performing using body percussion and vocal sounds is also part of the curriculum, which develops the understanding of musical elements without the added complexity of an instrument. 

Our PYP curriculum is transdisciplinary and provides maximum inspiration to our students/musicians. The music curriculum, which is formed from the 'Sing Up' scheme of work ensures students sing, listen, play, perform and evaluate different styles and genres of music progressively throughout their time at school with us. 

These aspects are linked to all areas of the curriculum and are embedded in the classroom lessons as well as weekly singing assemblies, various concerts and performances and the learning of instruments. The elements of music are taught in the classroom so that children are able to use the language of music to dissect it, and understand how it is made, played, appreciated and analysed. 

Staff will be given CPD opportunities throughout the school year to develop their teaching of music through staff meeting time in order to get the most impact from our lessons. 

Whilst in school, children have access to a varied programme, which allows students to discover areas of strength, as well as areas they might like to improve upon. The integral nature of music and the learner creates an enormously rich palette from which a student may access fundamental learner profiles such as: being reflective, a communicator, open minded and a risk taker. They will also develop the attitudes of being curious, creative, confident, enthusiastic and have an appreciation for the music they both listen to and create themselves. Music will also develop an understanding of culture and history, both in relation to students individually, as well as ethnicities from across the world. Children are able to enjoy music, in as many ways as they choose- either as listener, creator or performer. They can dissect music and comprehend its parts. They can sing and feel a pulse. They have an understanding of how to further develop skills less known to them, should they ever develop an interest in their lives.