Mrs S Groat (Infant School) and Mr J Holmes (Junior School) are our Music Curriculum Leaders.
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 are committed to ensuring children understand the value and importance of music in the wider community and are able to use their musical skills, knowledge, and experiences to involve themselves in music, in a variety of different contexts.
The music curriculum ensures children sing, listen, play, perform and evaluate. This is embedded in the classroom through planned music lessons as well as the weekly singing assemblies, various concerts and performances, musical clubs and teaching from specialist music teachers. The elements of music are taught in the classroom lessons so that children are able to use some of the language of music to dissect it, and understand how it is made, played, appreciated and analysed. In the classroom children learn key aspects of music through cross-curricular links. They also learn how to compose, focusing on different dimensions of music, which in turn feeds their understanding when listening, playing, or analysing music. Composing or performing using body percussion and vocal sounds is also part of the curriculum, which develops the understanding of musical elements without the added complexity of an instrument.
In the EYFS they explore musical instruments and develop their listening and performing skills. The children love to take part in group work where they create their own sound effects for stories and try out a wide range of percussion instruments through imaginative play and focused activities.
In KS1 the children develop specific skills and vocabulary to enhance their musical knowledge. Year 2 children learn African Drumming which is used to ensure that they are able to keep a steady beat and to explore rhythm.
In Key Stage 2 the children have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, such as the Recorder and Ukulele, through whole class lessons. We also enjoy strong links with the Amersham Music Centre whose expertise contribute to the children’s music education by providing peripatetic instrumental lessons. Each year we have a Music and Arts evening where selected children from all classes in KS 2 have the opportunity to show their talents in front of an audience.
Across the school each week the children have singing assembly where they learn about different styles of music and artists. They are also exposed to a range of music such as classical, pop or different countries national anthems at the beginning and end of each assembly.
Learning overviews have been created for every topic covered during the year (one per term). The plans identify:
Teachers refer to the EYFS curriculum, the National Curriculum Programmes of Study and Key Skills and other relevant guidance including our curriculum progressions. Topic guides are shared with parents to inform them of the learning that their child will experience that term.
Medium Term Planning
For Foundation Subjects, a sequence of core lesson objectives have been identified. Teachers are encouraged to be flexible, and may choose to stagger or block lessons as they feel is most appropriate to the needs and interests of their class.
Weekly Planning includes:
Our Distance Marking Sheets (DMS) allow space for annotation, which teachers use to make assessment notes and identify their guided groups for the following lessons.
Children have access to a varied programme, which allows them to discover areas of strength, as well as areas they might like to improve upon. The integral nature of music and the learner creates an enormously rich palette from which a child may access fundamental abilities such as: achievement, self-confidence, interaction with and awareness of others, and self-reflection. Music will also develop an understanding of culture and history, both in relation to children individually, as well as ethnicities from across the world. Children are able to enjoy music in as many ways as they choose – either as listener, creator or performer. They can dissect music and comprehend its parts. They can sing and feel a pulse. They have an understanding of how to further develop skills less known to them, should they ever develop an interest in their lives.
We strive to ensure that our children’s attainment and progress in foundation subjects is in line with or exceeding their potential when we consider the varied starting points of children. We measure this carefully using a range of materials, but always considering the expectations set. We have high aspirations and aim for all children to be academically and physically prepared for the next stage of their education and ready for life in Modern Britain and the wider world.