Intent:
At Palmer, 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.
We are committed to developing 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.
We aim to provide children with the opportunity to progress to the next level of their creative excellence.
Implementation:
During music lessons children will be given opportunities to learn music specific vocabulary in a meaningful context. During the lesson children will be given opportunities to apply skill and given chance for collaboration through composition.
Teachers plan for music lessons to be fun and inspiring, engaging the children with songs, lyrics and movement. We strive to ensure our children to feel able and reflective and expressive, developing their own appreciation of music with the opportunities we provide as a school through opportunities to listen and appraise varied compositions.
All children are actively encouraged and given the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument, from standard classroom instruments to individual instrumental lessons with the visiting peripatetic staff.
Music within school offers whole class Ukelele lessons (as a part of our connection with Berkshire Maestros), School Choir, Young Voices, rocksteady group provision, and close links with the local community.
As music is a practical subject, assessment may be done by focussing on a small group at a time on certain tasks or skills, observing the children, discussing their work or self/group/teacher evaluation against criteria from the National Curriculum programmes of study and end of year expectations.
The progression grid provided by the subject leader ensures children are accessing work at age related expectations, with regular opportunities to be challenged through higher-level objectives.
Children are assessed according to age related expectations in line with curriculum requirements. This is done in line with the school assessment calendar. This information is recorded and monitored by the co-ordinator.
Impact:
The impact of our music curriculum is measured in a variety of ways: through pupil voice, we know that pupils show a developed understanding of the methods and skills of musicians at an age appropriate level from Early Years to Year 6.Pupils can articulate the key vocabulary, composers, time periods and offer thoughtful reflections and appraisals of music.
Through lesson monitoring and pupils’ work, the impact of the curriculum can be seen in pupils’ skills to listen, appraise, compose and perform their own pieces and those of others. Children work towards a ‘final piece’ which showcases the skills and knowledge pupils have acquired. As a result, pupils achieve well in music.
Useful Documents:
MMC Progression of Knowledge and Skills Years 1-6
PRIMARY national curriculum Music