Music Intent
The Music National Curriculum aims to ensure that all pupils:
- Perform, listen to, review and evaluate music
- Be taught to sing, create and compose music
- Understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated.
All children will learn to sing with increased confidence using a wide range of musical styles. This will lead to performances in a variety of contexts. They will listen to a variety of music from different periods and genres. They will also have the opportunity to learn some musical notation which will develop through the Key Stage. Also they will use musical instruments as available. Composing will also develop throughout the Key Stage.
Implementation
The music curriculum at Sutton Primary ensures children listen, sing, play, perform and evaluate. This is embedded in the classroom music lessons as well as the weekly singing assemblies, various concerts and performances and the learning of instruments. Children can learn instruments mainly recorder and piano via the private music teachers who visit the school. In class there is access to percussion instruments as well as the opportunity to learn the ukuleles later in their schooling.
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. They also learn how to compose focussing 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. The BBC Ten Pieces resources are the main ones used throughout the school to support teaching as well as the various singing resources available for example Sing Up.
There will be singing for Harvest, Christmas, Easter and KS2 production incorporated within the scheme with complexity increasing through the Key Stage. This gives the opportunity to perform to each other but also to members of the wider community
The opportunity to go on trips like the Primary Proms or having visits of professional musicians to school show children how engaging and fun music performance can be.
Impact
Children are able to enjoy music in a range of ways, either as listener, creator or performer.
- Performances in church and school productions will show how well the children have learnt the singing aspect. They can sing and feel a pulse and enjoy the feeling of togetherness created by singing together as a whole school. This is also viewed by parents, governors, other teachers.
- Music will also develop an understanding of culture and history and musical choices can be linked to topics studied within the curriculum where appropriate
- Children have the option to access instrumental lessons within the school which allows children to develop their interest in music and develop. Whole class music using percussion and ukuleles is also possible during KS2.
- For composing the ability to perform to the rest of the class will show success and evaluating the work will show how to improve.
- Through the child’s journey at Sutton Primary their musical skills and understanding are built on year on year, from singing simple songs from memory and performing simple rhythm patterns in KS1, to more advanced techniques skills, and understanding in lower KS2, further developing in upper KS2.
