Music

Vision for Music at Longmoor

Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. Our music curriculum aims to engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music.

Our music curriculum allows children to perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians. They will learn to sing and to use their voices and to create and compose music on their own and with others. Children will have the opportunity to play different musical instruments, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence. Our curriculum ensures that pupils will understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.

How have we designed our Music curriculum?

The intention of the Kapow Primary music scheme is first and foremost to help children to feel that they are musical, and to develop a life-long love of music. We focus on developing the skills, knowledge and understanding that children need in order to become confident performers, composers, and listeners. Our curriculum introduces children to music from all around the world and across generations, teaching children to respect and appreciate the music of all traditions and communities.

Our scheme of work enables pupils to meet the end of key stage attainment targets outlined in the National curriculum and the aims of the scheme align with those in the National curriculum.

Our music curriculum takes a holistic approach to music, in which the individual strands below are woven together to create engaging and enriching learning experiences:

Disciplinary knowledge (“knowing that”)

• Listening and evaluating
• Notation

Procedural knowledge (“knowing how”)

• Creating sound
• Improvising and composing
• Performing

Each five-lesson 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.

Our scheme follows the spiral curriculum model where previous skills and knowledge are returned to and built upon.

• Cyclical: Pupils return to the same skills and knowledge again and again during their time in our school.
• Increasing depth: Each time a skill or area of knowledge is revisited it is covered with greater depth.
• Prior knowledge: Upon returning to a skill, prior knowledge is utilised so pupils can build upon previous foundations, rather than starting again.

Children progress in terms of tackling more complex tasks and doing more simple tasks better, as well as developing understanding and knowledge of the history of music, staff, and other musical notations. The interrelated dimensions of music are revisited throughout units, allowing children to recognise, name and demonstrate them and use these expressively in their own improvisations and compositions.

Interrelated dimensions of music

• Pitch
• Duration
• Tempo
• Timbre
• Structure
• Texture
• Dynamics

Our Nursery follows the Charanga scheme, whereby children can begin to learn the fundamental knowledge and skills required for music in Reception. This is largely focused on listening to and learning simple songs and nursery rhymes, with opportunities to explore rhythm, timbre and pitch.

How do we teach Music at Longmoor?

In each lesson, pupils will actively participate in musical activities drawn from a range of styles and traditions, developing their musical skills and their understanding of how music works. Lessons incorporate a range of teaching strategies from independent tasks, paired and group work as well as improvisation and teacher-led performances. Lessons are ‘hands-on’ and incorporate movement and dance elements, as well as making cross curricular links with other areas of learning.

Every lesson begins with the ‘Recap and recall’ section, which is intended to allow pupils retrieval practice of key knowledge relevant to the upcoming lesson. This section also provides teachers with an opportunity to make informal judgements about whether pupils have retained prior learning and are ready to move on.  Before the “Main Event”, an attention grabber is utilised to engage and enthuse children in the main learning of the lesson. “Wrapping Up” often allows for some element of performance and for constructive feedback to be given by peers.

Within each unit, lessons must be taught in order as they build upon one another and musical outcomes rely on this sequencing. Within and across year groups, units are taught in the order suggested on this long-term plan to ensure progression of knowledge and skills.

What subject-specific adaptations are made in Music?

Differentiated guidance is available for every lesson to ensure that lessons can be accessed by all pupils and opportunities to stretch pupils’ learning are available when required. Knowledge organisers for each unit support pupils in building a foundation of factual knowledge by encouraging recall of key facts and vocabulary.

All children have the ability to play an active part in music making and music is an avenue where many of our SEN pupils can really shine and thrive. For pupils with sensory needs, the level of noise within lessons can sometimes create challenges. Teachers think carefully about the position of learners, group children accordingly and when required, ear defenders may be worn. Teachers model and demonstrate, encouraging children who require more support to imitate. Recap and recall at the beginning of each lesson is particularly beneficial to learners with SEND and content can be broken into smaller steps and simplified where necessary. Children are provided with guided time to practise and this time can be increased depending on the needs of the learners.

Each lesson provides teachers with specific guidance for adaptive teaching, including those working at a greater depth; those pupils who are learning at instruments outside of the curriculum can draw upon their extended knowledge and skills and put this into practice on their instruments within lessons.

How is Music assessed?

Each lesson contains the ‘Assessing progress and understanding’ section which helps teachers to identify those pupils who are secure in their learning or working at a greater depth in each lesson. These assessments can then be recorded on our Weekly Trackers which supports the teacher in identifying gaps in learning amongst the class or for individual pupils.

Each unit of work assesses children’s understanding and retention of key knowledge using an assessment quiz with multiple choice questions and one open-ended question. Quizzes feature audio clips to ensure that pupils are able to apply their knowledge. Assessment quizzes offer teachers valuable summative records, serving as evidence of pupil progression throughout the year and as they transition between key stages. Recording pupils during practice and performance sessions is also beneficial in teacher/self/peer assessment. These recordings allow teachers to review performances or group practice at their convenience, focusing on different pupils to identify strengths and areas for improvement. Additionally, such recordings provide a useful documentation of progression over time.