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Curriculum Intent

Through our teaching of Music, we aim to:

  • Make the Music curriculum accessible to all pupils
  • Make Music enjoyable for our children
  • Ensure that Music is at the heart of our community
  • Develop, in our pupils, a confident attitude to listening and appraising, performing, composing and improvising

We aim to help our children to:

  • Know and understand how sounds are created and organised into musical structures
  • Know how music is made through a variety of instruments;
  • Know how music is influenced by the time, place and purpose for which it was written
  • Know how music is composed and written down
  • Develop the interrelated skills of reading, performing, composing and appreciation of music
  • Enjoy and appreciate a wide variety of musical styles
  • Make and quantify judgements about the quality of music
  • Enjoy singing and sing in tune

Key Aims

Our key aims are to:

  • Enrich the lives of children and young people through singing
  • Explore our own voice
  • Develop good breath control
  • Develop confidence and communication skills
  • Support other areas of the curriculum through singing
  • Develop team and social skills
  • Develop listening and internalizing skills
  • Develop good posture
  • Improve memory skills
  • Learn to control sounds by exercising the singing voice
  • Develop vocal technique
  • Extend the vocal range
  • Develop articulation and diction
  • Create and develop musical ideas through the singing voice
  • Develop co-ordination skills through movement and actions
  • Develop a love of singing

Gordon Primary School actively promotes high-quality Music education for all children; the efforts to seek enrichment opportunities aim to be recognised through the achievement of the Music Mark award; the commitment to the arts is reflected in the school’s drive towards Artsmark. Music is a unique form of communication; a universal language that can enrich our lives: music can inspire and motivate; it is capable of raising the spirits, reducing stress and building imagination and empathy.

Music is a unique form of personal expression and it can play an important part in the personal development of an individual. It reflects our culture and society and, as such, the teaching and learning of music enables children to better understand the world they live in. Besides being a creative and enjoyable activity, Music can be a highly academic and demanding subject with many acknowledged benefits including:

  • The development of language and reasoning
  • Improved coordination, memory and fine-tuned auditory skills
  • Emotional development
  • Improved mathematical skills such as pattern recognition
  • The building of intellectual curiosity and imagination
  • Increased engagement and sense of achievement
  • Improved levels of creativity and self-confidence
  • The development of risk-taking, teamwork, spatial intelligence and discipline

Planning

Class teachers create medium- and short-term plans for Music which, where appropriate, relate to the termly learning journeys for each year group. Each year group produce daily lesson planning for Music or, when using Charanga, annotates the plans to personalise them for their own classes.

Teaching and Learning

We aim to ensure that music is an enjoyable learning experience. We encourage children to participate in a variety of musical experiences through which we aim to build up the confidence of all children. Our teaching focuses on developing:

  • an ability to sing in tune and with other people
  • the skills of recognising pulse and pitch
  • an ability to play instruments with control and sensitivity
  • working with others to make music, recognising how individuals combine together to make sounds
  • knowledge of musical notation and how to compose music

Breadth of Study

A breadth of study will be achieved in class by:

  • Enabling pupils to take part in musical activities which ensure a progression of knowledge, concepts, and attitudes
  • Giving opportunities which develop composing and improvising, performing, listening and appraising skills
  • Giving opportunities for pupils to use and understand staff and other musical notations
  • Planning for Music lessons which are embedded into the learning journey themes and link with other areas of the curriculum, where appropriate and, in particular, the other expressive arts
  • Ensuring that weekly Music lessons are implemented in classrooms each term
  • Enabling pupils to work individually, in small groups, and as a class
  • Giving pupils opportunities to use information technology, with access to relevant computer programmes
  • Giving opportunities for pupils to listen to a range of high-quality live and recorded music from different cultures and traditions and from great composers and musicians
  • Helping children develop an understanding of the history of Music and how it reflects the time and place in which it was written

A breadth of study will be achieved beyond the classroom by:

  • Providing opportunities for children to develop singing skills by performing in weekly singing assemblies, class Music lessons and performances
  • Providing extensive enrichment opportunities which enable pupils to work with professional musicians and experience world-class performance in London’s renowned performance spaces
  • Providing opportunities to work with an ever-widening range of arts organisations such as the BBC Proms, BBC Ten Pieces, the local music hub and the London Symphony Orchestra
  • Enabling pupils to develop leadership skills in arts subjects through the delivery of whole-school, cross-curricular Music projects
  • Developing staff confidence in the teaching of Music through regular INSET and support and through the provision of non-specialist-friendly schemes such as Charanga
  • Assessing progress with musical skills on a termly basis, and recording children’s attainment using our own developed Music Progression Document and Target Tracker

Music in the Early Years Foundation Stage

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum is informed by the EYFS statutory framework (2012) with additional guidance regarding its implementation from Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage and is underpinned by the Early Learning Goals. Our EYFS team uses Music education to support each child’s personal and social development as well fostering knowledge, skills and understanding across the Foundation Stage curriculum.

In the recommendations for Early Years music-making commissioned by Sound Connections and published in 2012, Linda Bance of the London Early Years Music Network identified four guiding principles which should shape practice in Early Years settings. These are:

  • Every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured
  • Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships
  • Children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers
  • Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates. The framework covers the education and care of all children in Early Years provision, including children with special educational needs and disabilities

In the Early Years Statutory Framework there are seven prime learning areas, which are essential for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning. The areas build children’s capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive, both personally and academically. They provide a context for learning and for applying essential knowledge and skills:

  • Communication and language
  • Physical development
  • Personal and social development
  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • Understanding the World
  • Expressive Arts and Design

Our Early Years team considers the individual needs, interests and stage of development of each child in its care, and uses this information to plan a challenging and enjoyable experience in all of the areas of learning and development. Music teaching in the EYFS is implemented through carefully planned-for, purposeful play in addition to a combination of child-initiated, in-the-moment experiences and adult-led learning opportunities. Children learn by leading their own play and by taking part in play that is guided by adults.

Singing

Gordon Primary School is committed to giving every child and young person the opportunity to sing. Singing is a healthy activity and helps individuals express themselves, take part in music-making activities with little or no musical experience, and is a beneficial activity for those with respiratory conditions such as asthma as it improves lung capacity and blood flow.

We believe that singing together strengthens our community. Singing can be a social activity which promotes team work, self-confidence and self-worth within the individual. It is the most natural means of expressing emotions and is a fundamental form of human expression. We believe that everyone should discover their voice in school as part of their educational and cultural entitlement. Singing and aural development should be at the heart of all Music lessons, including instrumental lessons.

Studies have shown that Music improves outcomes for children in other areas of the curriculum including mathematical, reading and language skills. Singing is an integral element of Music education which all children and young people can enjoy without the outlay of purchasing a musical instrument.  Singing can be uplifting and good for children’s wellbeing.

Instrumental Tuition

Peripatetic music teaching is provided by Redbridge Music Service. The bulk of the tuition fees are paid by the school but parents are expected to arrange the hire of the instrument from the music service and make a small contribution toward tuition as a sign of commitment and support. Instrumental tuition takes place during the school day and is taught to individuals or small groups. There is a growing variety of instrumental tuition on offer including violin, flute, clarinet, guitar.

The Redbridge Music Service teachers assess their pupils and provide an annual written report for parents. Additionally, the school offers whole-class tuition in ukulele, recorder and glockenspiel. Pupils taking part in these lessons and who are learning any of the instruments offered, are given an opportunity to perform in music showcase assemblies. Their achievements are praised and celebrated, not just in the assemblies, but beyond the school, for example through the school newsletter and website. 

Outcomes for Children

Children will be:

  • Provided with the opportunity to take part in a school choir
  • Encouraged to attend regular rehearsals so that progress in singing is made
  • Given the opportunity to perform together in concerts, festivals and showcases
  • Encouraged to take part in inter-school and borough-wide singing events
  • Signposted to other singing opportunities where appropriate outside school, such as the choirs organised by the Music hub

Outcomes for Teachers

Teachers will:

  • Have the opportunity to access high-quality CPD in singing
  • Engage with experts in the field of Music and work alongside experienced practitioners so that they develop skills to lead singing in the classroom
  • Ensure that singing is at the heart of the Music curriculum

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