Music
“Music education can help spark a child's imagination or ignite a lifetime of passion.
When you provide a child with new worlds to explore and challenges to tackle,
the possibilities are endless. Music education should not be a privilege for a lucky few,
it should be a part of every child's world of possibility.”
Hillary Clinton
Intent
At Lime Walk Primary School, it is our intent that we make music an enjoyable learning experience. We encourage children to participate in musical experiences to build up the confidence of all children. Our teaching focuses on developing the children’s ability to understand musical terminology and features. In this way children can understand rhythm and pitch, follow a beat and explore the structure and organisation of music, as well as learning technical vocabulary for these elements.
We believe that every child should have the opportunity to develop their musical potential, experience listening to music from different cultures and eras and we aim to nurture and encourage musical development across the school.
Implementation
As a whole school approach, Music is taught as a discrete lesson following units from the Music Express scheme of work for each year group but also across the curriculum through making use of cross curricular opportunities to listen and respond to music. Areas of learning, such as times tables in maths, vocabulary in languages and movement in dance can all incorporate different elements of music. The scheme builds upon prior skills to ensure a full and comprehensive coverage of the National Curriculum. We ensure that skills taught in the scheme are reflected and built upon within our classrooms to continue to develop the musical understanding of every child as they progress through the key stages.
In EYFS, music is interwoven into daily routines and children have the opportunity to explore music in provision areas and develop ideas modelled by adults such as creating their own songs to well-known tunes. Children are encouraged to explore different everyday objects and the sounds that they can make as well as using these to make up rhythms and patterns. We welcome parents to our productions throughout the year to share the musical ability we have at our school.
• Through revisiting and consolidating skills, our lesson plans and resources help children build on prior knowledge alongside introducing new skills and challenge.
• Across both key stages, children have a range of opportunities to experience live musical performances and to take part in musical performances. Performances, such as Christmas plays and nativities and year group shows, class assemblies and celebration assemblies, demonstrate that music is important to the life of the school.
• A weekly singing assembly allows the children opportunities to develop their singing skills and gain an understanding of how ensembles work.
• Extra curricular activities also provide children with experience of making music.
Impact
Through the children’s journey at Lime Walk Primary School, their musical skills and understanding are built on year on year, from singing simple songs from memory and performing simple rhythm patterns in EYFS and KS1, to more advanced techniques skills, and understanding in lower KS2, further developing in upper KS2 where the children have the ability to read and follow a simple musical score. Throughout all of this, the child’s enjoyment of music is a key element, running alongside the taught musical skills and objectives.
• The impact of teaching music will be seen across the school with an increase in the profile of music.
• Whole-school and parental engagement will be improved through performances, extracurricular activities and opportunities suggested in lessons/overviews for wider learning.
• Participation in music develops wellbeing, promotes listening and develops concentration.
• Pupils are exposed to a wide range of musical genres and artists.
• Pupils and staff will be confident to explore their creativity through music and singing.
• The music subject leader will monitor the impact on pupil’s through a variety of activities including; work scrutiny, planning scrutiny, pupil voice, staff voice, parent voice and engagement in performances and relevant extra-curricular activities.