Music
'Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity' (National Curriculum 2014)
Our school British Values Statement can be found in our Key Policies section of the website.
Through the study of Music, children are encouraged to feel that they are musical and will begin to develop a life-long love of music. They will be given the tools to develop skills, knowledge and understanding necessary in order to perform confidently, compose accurately and listen attentively.
Through the use of the Kapow scheme the children are introduced to music from all around the world and across generations, teaching children to appreciate and respect the music of all traditions and communities.
Children will:
- Develop the musical skills of singing, playing tuned and untuned instruments, improvising and composing music, and listening and responding to music.
- Develop an understanding of the history and cultural context of the music that they listen to and learn how music can be written down.
- Gain transferable skills such as team-working, leadership, creative thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, and presentation and performance skills.
Threshold Concepts
Perform
This concept involves understanding that music is created to be performed.
Compose
This concept involves appreciating that music is created through a process which has a number of techniques.
Transcribe
This concept involves understanding that compositions need to be understood by others and that there are techniques and a language for communicating them.
Describe Music
This concept involves appreciating the features and effectiveness of musical elements.
Music is taught using the threshold concepts, which build progressively to deepen knowledge, understanding and build schemas. Music is mapped in accordance with the National Curriculum requirements, to ensure sufficient breadth of study.
Through the use of the Kapow Scheme we teach music with the following concepts threaded through our curriculum:
- Performing
- Listening
- Compositing
- The history of music
- The inter-related dimensions of music
Each unit combines these strands within a cross-curricular topic designed to capture pupils’ imagination and encourage them to explore music enthusiastically. Over the course of the scheme, children will be taught how to sing fluently and expressively and play tuned and untuned instruments accurately and with control. They will learn to recognise and name the interrelated dimensions of music – pitch, duration, tempo, timbre, structure, texture and dynamics – and use these expressively in their own improvisations and compositions.
The impact for the learners in music will be that children experience a well-planned and sequenced curriculum that can be mastered in the time available.
At Bridgewater Primary School, children will perform confidently in front of each other, their classes and wider audiences. They will play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using voice and playing instruments with increasing accuracy, control and expression
Children will be confident singers and musicians and will have a critical but appreciative ear when listening to music from a wide range of cultures and time periods. Learners will be confident and creative improvisers and composers, trialling their own ideas and ideas influenced by the repertoire they have experienced.
Pupil voice and performance will demonstrate that children are able to work together to compose, transcribe and perform their pieces. They will have a high-quality knowledge of a range of musical pieces and skills that are taught in an appropriate, well-spaced sequence.
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Assessment Methods to Reach Summative End-of-Year Judgement |
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To assess Music, we: Build Retrieval practice (RP) into each lesson to build links within and across the threshold concepts. Use Peer assessment/ self-assessment within lessons. Check outcomes against long-term planning. Put activities, when appropriate, in floor book and use the icon to indicate the Threshold Concept. Record our compositions, as appropriate and post them onto Seesaw/ access them via a QR code. |
Equal Opportunities
As an inclusive school, we believe that diversity needs to be embraced, celebrated and highlighted, both within the curriculum and through the culture of the school. As a result, children and stakeholders are represented fairly and accurately, with a focus on equity. Learners will have the opportunity to have access to a deep, enriching curriculum, which supports community cohesion and enables all pupils to develop and understand themselves as interconnected, global citizens. All children, regardless of gender, culture or disability are given the opportunity to study the curriculum. We acknowledge and plan for the specific needs of all learners.
In Music, this will be achieved by ensuring there are positive, diverse figures and cultures explored throughout the curriculum.
Music plays a vital role within our current community. In order for it to be inclusive, music should be reflective of the rich make up of society, to allow people from diverse backgrounds to thrive; people of different ages, genders, social, ethnic or cultural backgrounds, abilities, sexual orientation or faith. At Bridgewater Primary School, we endeavour to promote equality and diversity through our teaching to encourage a wider musical profession as our learners head out into the wider world.