Intent
Music is all around us. It is the soundtrack to our lives. Music connects us through people and places in our ever-changing world. It is creative, collaborative, celebratory and challenging. In our schools, music can bring communities together through the shared endeavour of whole-school singing, ensemble playing, experimenting with the creative process and, through the love of listening to friends and fellow pupils, performing. The sheer joy of music making can feed the soul of a school community, enriching each student while strengthening the shared bonds of support and trust which make a great school.
At St Benedict’s Catholic Primary, we value Music as an integral part of our student’s education and their entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum. Music provides the opportunity to celebrate the children’s creative achievements as well as developing a love of a wide range of music. The social, emotional, moral and cultural development that Music can bring to our lives as a school and wider community is thoroughly embraced at St Benedict’s, making a major contribution to the development of our pupils.
Music is at the heart of human creativity, forming a strong relationship with the other creative subjects in the National Curriculum. A high quality Music curriculum should encourage the listening and appreciation of a wide range of music – regardless of personal opinion – to further inspire performance, composition and improvisation as well as the formal reading of notation. As pupils progress, they will develop the ability to listen critically but with empathy to different composers as well as their peers, supporting their confidence, mental health and wellbeing. Pupils will be taught how the inter-related dimensions of Music work together to be able to perform and compose, and how the context of music gives greater depth to its meaning and cultural wealth. They will be encouraged to question, reflect and become inspired through studying the compositions of great composers from around the world. Through their Musical experiences of listening, composing and performing, the children will develop a greater understanding of all aspects of Music, being encouraged to take pride in their own achievements and those of their peers. By studying select pieces of music from a wide range of eras, cultures and purposes, children will be helped to understand that there is no ‘right answer’ when interpreting a composition and that Music is a natural and very creative response to the world around us.
Implementation
The teaching and implementation of the Music curriculum at St Benedict’s Catholic Primary is based on the National Curriculum and, more recently, elements of the publication of the Model Music Curriculum (2021) and ensures a well-structured approach to this creative subject.
Pupils will be taught to listen critically and factually, as well as being given the opportunity to experiment with performance and composition. As the children progress through school, pupils will be introduced to formal notation to support their performance and composition, and to begin the transition to Music lessons at Secondary School. Continuity and progression will be ensured by access to a scheme of work (Charanga) as well as the support given by the Model Music Curriculum. Pupils will be given the opportunity to develop the inter-related dimensions of music throughout the Key Stages. A Music skills map supports teacher’s planning and ensures a development and progression of skills and knowledge across year groups.
As a school, we are currently using ‘Charanga’ scheme of work, provided by Tees Valley Music Service (our local Music Hub). Teachers are able to access detailed lesson plans and resources to help deliver lessons. This is complemented by weekly KS 2 school singing practises and the opportunity for keen singers in Year 6 to join the school choir, who perform weekly in assembly.
The Music curriculum is categorised into four areas:
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Singing
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Listening
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Composing
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Performing/Instrumental Performance
Impact
It is the responsibility of the Music co-ordinator to ensure the implementation of this policy, monitor standards, offer advice and support to staff, provide a model and promote excellence in children’s achievements. This will involve providing input at different times, including relevant CPD to staff. The co-ordinator will ensure that development priorities are reflected in the curriculum action plan.
Written outcomes in Music lessons can be difficult to produce when considering the naturally creative process that comes in listening, improvising and performing. Some elements of Music can be written, particularly when creating a graphic score, using notation or analysing a piece of Music. Evidence of this musical tasks will be found in Curriculum or, with a scriptural or other link, RE books when appropriate. All other evidence of Musical activities will be evidenced either through photographs, videos or audio recordings that will be stored on the school’s central system. Our overarching aim, however, is not simply to provide evidence of coverage, but to enrich children with a Music curriculum that excites, motivates and inspires our pupils to become enthusiastic musicians with a wide range of skills.
Informal ongoing assessment by the Class teacher is used. Progression in skills documents are used to assess the work of the children against, particularly in the understanding and implementation of year-group specific vocabulary and skills. Feedback on improvisations, performances and compositions will be given verbally, with advice on how to improve offered ‘on the spot’.
The formative assessment system sets out steps so that pupils reach or exceed the end of key stage expectations; judges whether pupils are on track to meet end of key stage expectations; pinpoints aspects of the curriculum where pupils are falling behind and recognises exceptional performance. It supports planning and
Useful Information
