‘To compose, perform and appreciate music’

Intent:

At Holt Farm Junior School we want to nurture an environment of music, where each child can grow and flourish in performance, composition and is able to appreciate a wide range of musical styles. We aim to encourage a curiosity for the subject that brings the world together in a universal language. We recognise that all of our pupils come with varied tastes and different backgrounds. We want to encourage them to explore different ways of expression that exist around the world from different periods in history through to the present day. Through this, we are committed to inspire our children as they grow in confidence and express themselves in a creative way.

We hope that by the end of Year 6, our children will have discovered new ways and the confidence to express themselves in a creative way.

Implementation:

The music curriculum highlights that children should be taught to sing and play musically, with both increasing confidence and control. In addition, the curriculum states that children should develop an understanding of musical composition, through the exploration of both organising and manipulating ideas within music.

At Holt Farm Junior School we teach music using the online music scheme ‘Charanga’ which itself follows the National Curriculum. This enables all staff to have an increasing confidence of planning within this subject. Also, all children will benefit from a continued flow of progression, while developing their musical skills and knowledge in composition, as well as their performance and appreciation of music elements. This programme ensures that all children can access all elements of the National Curriculum.

Within lessons, the ‘interrelated dimensions of music’ are both taught and reviewed using a variety of different activities, so that children are then able to apply them when listening to a range of musical genres. This helps each child to begin to understand how music is put together in different ways, and the reasons why it is, so that they are then able to appreciate a greater range of musical styles and periods.

In the classroom, children can learn how to play the glockenspiel alongside a range of untuned percussion. While diving deeper into music and exploring the elements (dissecting the parts) the children, themselves, are able to become composers, drawing on their experiences of both listening and appraising, in order to compose and improvise using their own ideas.

It is not only in the classroom that music is taught. Many other musical activities are taking place within the school such as: Weekly singing assemblies, instrumental tuition and choir. Each year group is encouraged to have an event during the year, where the children can perform, demonstrating their skills as musicians in during their productions, in workshops and other musical events. The Young Voices Concert at the O2 and the Music Festival are two events which have lead to an enrichment of the subject for the children outside of our classrooms.

ASSESSMENT: Teachers will use their professional judgement to determine whether a child is working within age-related expectations, above or below at the end of each term. Each unit is assessed against a variety of assessment strands broken down from the National Curriculum. Assessment happens throughout the lesson through observation of children’s skills and progression and questioning to extend and deepen their thinking. Regular opportunities are used whereby children evaluate music which also informs assessment judgements. Furthermore, throughout each unit children are given opportunities to both self and peer assess their work. From this, children review and are challenged to act on their evaluations to move their learning forwards thus developing increasing accuracy and fluency. Teachers film parts of their lessons and film at other performance opportunities in order to help with the final judgement across the strands. This information is used to inform future planning, guided support and to extend learning.

Intended Impact:

Music encourages children to develop a greater understanding of the way their world works and their own position in it through culture, traditions and history. With exposure to a greater range of styles, children grow and flourish in self expression and performance. They can also develop a wider understanding of empathy and respect towards others opinions through discussion - listening and appreciating not only their thoughts but those of others too. Through Music at Holt Farm Junior School pupils will:

• enjoy a range of different and practical music experiences.

• confidently apply the knowledge and skills that they have to adapt their compositions and performance in order to vary techniques and create mood.

• understand how they have been successful and know ways they could develop their skills further through feedback and self/peer assessment opportunities.

• gain an understanding of how music is pieced together with the interrelated dimensions while developing a range of musical vocabulary and skills that they use to build upon year on year.

• challenged and supported so that they can achieve in all Music lessons.

• leave school having discovered new ways to express themselves and have found the confidence to capably express themselves in a creative way.

• all have opportunities to perform in both solo and ensemble contexts outside of the classroom setting.

• be able to take up the opportunity to have individual music tuition if desired.

• be able to broaden their skills and experiences in the future