Music

Intent

 At Warley Primary, it is our intent that we make music an enjoyable learning experience. We want the music lessons to be fun and inspiring and to encourage children to participate in a variety of musical experiences through which we aim to build up the confidence of all children. We aim to provide a high quality music education that engages and inspires pupils to develop a love of music and nurtures their talent as musicians. 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. Pupils will understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations. We want the children to develop their own appreciation of music with the opportunities we provide as a school. All children are actively encouraged and given to learn to play a musical instrument, from standard classroom instruments to individual instrumental lessons with the visiting peripatetic staff.

Implementation

At Warley Primary, the music curriculum is taught by class teachers with additional access to Essex Music Services as part of the Key Stage 2 ‘Play-it!’ initiative. We access the Charanga scheme for our music teaching. Charanga offers a topic-based approach to support children’s learning in music. A steady progression plan has been built into Charanga, both within each year and from one year to the next, ensuring consistent musical development. By using Charanga as the basis of a scheme of work, we can ensure that they are fulfilling the aims for musical learning stated in the National Curriculum.

Charanga includes many examples of music styles and genres from different times and places. These are explored through the language of music via active listening, performing and composing activities, which enable understanding of the context and genre. Charanga provides a classroom-based, participatory and inclusive approach to music learning. Throughout the scheme, children are actively involved in using and developing their singing voices, using body percussion and whole body actions, and learning to handle and play classroom instruments effectively to create and express their own and others’ music. Through a range of whole class, group and individual activities, children have opportunities to explore sounds, listen actively, compose and perform.

Musical opportunities in school include weekly class music lessons, whole class recorder lessons, choir, music workshops, curriculum day, Sing Up Day, visits out in the local area to perform and weekly singing assemblies.

Please click on the link to view our Music Curriculum Overview.

Please find the Knowledge Progression Map here: Music Knowledge Progression Map

Please find the Skills Progression Map here: Music Skills Progression Map

Impact

As music is a practical subject, assessment is carried out by observing the children and discussing their work against criteria from the National Curriculum and end of year expectations.

We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

• Pupil discussions and interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice);
• Moderation staff meetings with opportunities for dialogue between teachers;
• Annual reporting and tracking of standards across the curriculum;
• Photographic evidence and images of the pupils’ practical learning;
• Video analysis through recording of performance in lessons.
• A reflection on standards achieved against the planned outcomes.

The impact of our music curriculum is also measured in the uptake of our music after school clubs and additional music 1:1 teaching.

Children are assessed according to age related expectations in line with curriculum requirements using Target Tracker. This is carried out in line with the school assessment calendar. This information is recorded and monitored by the co-ordinator. Music is monitored throughout all year groups using a variety of strategies such as book looks, lesson observations and pupil interviews.