Music

‘Music can change the world because it can change people.’

Bono

As teachers of music we will…

…teach subject specific music lessons enabling all children to learn the knowledge and skills required to be a ‘musician’. We teach using the National Curriculum and use the Wakefield Music Service progression map to effectively plan progression from Early Years to the end of KS1. Across school, we use the Wakefield Charanga Music Scheme. The Wakefield Music Service further enhance our music teaching by providing high quality teaching for our pupils such as Samba and Ukulele. Lessons are taught using the three core aspects of music which are perform, explore and compose and listen, reflect and appraise.

Perform – Singing and playing

Children have the opportunity to sing and play using their voices, bodies and a range of instruments. They have the opportunity to play a range of tuned and untuned instruments including junk percussion and the ocarina and ukulele. They have regular opportunity to perform during lessons and beyond and also have the opportunity to watch performances by other musicians.

Explore and Compose – Playing and exploring

Children have the opportunity to play and explore during music lessons. They explore sound for example pitch, tempo and compose their own musical pieces using their voice, instuments and composing their own simple score.

Listen, reflect and appraise – Creating and thinking critically

Children have the opportunity to listen to a range of different types and genres of music including musical instruments being played. Through this they are encouraged to discuss how the music conveys feelings and meaning. Children will make links with other art forms such as dance and respond to music through movement.

Subject specific music vocabulary is taught and children are encouraged to use this when performing, exploring and composing and listening, reflecting and appraising.

We are keen that our children receive first hand and high quality opportunities through the wider curriculum on offer and music is further enhanced through visitors and visits such as live performances by our Church Brass Band, the Wakefield Music Service Band and through our African drumming demonstration and lessons.

Children are provided with a wealth of opportunities beyond the classroom and are keen to become members of the School Choir and attend a range of after school clubs including boomwhackers, recorders and ocarina and performing arts. Through regular internal and external performances children are becoming confident performers and musicians. For example, the School Choir participate and compete in the annual Pontefract music festival.

National Curriculum 2014

In music, pupils will have the opportunity to learn 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.

Pupils will be able to develop their skills as musicians by:

• listening to a range of musical pieces
• forming their own opinions
• reviewing and evaluating
• creating and composing
• performing to others
• using tuned and untuned instruments
• considering how music makes them feel
• understanding the important events and people.