CHRIST CHURCH CE (VA) JUNIOR SCHOOL
Music
School Vision
‘We seek to transform the lives of our children within a Christian environment, nurturing the wellbeing of each child, promoting the highest academic achievement and instilling a lifelong love of learning.’
I alone know the plans I have for you; plans for the future you hope for. Jeremiah 29:11
God’s plans for us are limitless. He knows us best and plans for us to reach our unique and individual potential, shaped in the palm of His hand. This potential may reveal itself when we least expect it, just like God’s love being revealed to us. We believe that we are shaping children, not just in the present, but also for the future – enabling them to be global citizens in God’s rapidly changing world, celebrating life in all its fullness.
Intent
The National Curriculum for music 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.
At Christ Church CE (VA) Junior school, our intention is that children gain a firm understanding of what music is and means to them and to others. This is achieved through listening, singing, playing, evaluating, analysing, and composing across a wide variety of historical periods, styles, traditions, and musical genres. Our teaching also focusses on developing the children’s ability to sing in tune and with other people and to play tuned and untuned instruments with increasing control, fluency and expression.
Our objective is to develop a curiosity for Music, as well as an understanding and acceptance of the strength and importance of all types of music, and an unbiased respect for the ways that music may be expressed in any person’s life. We are committed to ensuring children understand the value and importance of music in the wider community, appreciating cultural differences and significances and that children are able to use their musical skills, knowledge, and experiences to involve themselves in music, in a variety of different contexts. Wherever possible, cross curricular links are formed. Children will be asked to think about Black History, civil rights, gender equality, the environment, racism respect, hope, friendship and much more. Teachers make it explicit to the children that they are learning music skills and encourage them to think like ‘Musicians’.
Our Music curriculum covers the skills outlined in the National Curriculum through broad, focussed and inspiring units of work. A curriculum coverage document maps out when each year group is completing a specific unit of work and reflects in detail how each element of music is covered throughout the year groups.
A progression map is used in order to ensure knowledge, skills and vocabulary build year on year. This ensures that by the end of year 6 pupils have a wealth of knowledge and skills to aid in their future studies. These progression grids build on prior learning.
Implementation
The music curriculum ensures students sing, listen, play, perform and evaluate. This is embedded in the classroom activities as well as seasonal singing assemblies, Church visits, various concerts and performances and through the learning of instruments. The elements of music are taught in the classroom lessons so that children can use some of the language of music to dissect it, and understand how it is made, played, appreciated and analysed.
We use Charanga (an online resource) to support our music teaching as it is a very clear and comprehensive scheme of work which covers all the National Curriculum requirements in a full and progressive wat. Instrumental learning (playing the recorder, glockenspiel and xylophone) is taught explicitly and progressively using the Charanga units of work. In Junipers (Year 3-4), children are given the opportunity to have weekly ukulele lessons, carried out by Calderdale Music Trust.
In the classroom students learn how to play an instrument, from a variety of instrument groups including; percussion, and string. In doing so, they understand the different principle of each method of creating notes, as well as how to read basic music notation. They also learn how to compose, focusing on the 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 long-term plan sets out the Music units which are to be taught throughout the year and ensures that the requirements of the National Curriculum are fully met. Children are encouraged to form their own opinions on music based on what they have experienced and are able to use the musical knowledge that they have developed to justify and discuss their opinions.
Impact
Whilst in school, children have access to a varied programme, including Ukulele lessons, which allows students 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 student 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 students individually, as well as ethnicities from across the world. Children can 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 a musical interest in their lives.
We help motivate children to participate in a variety of activities that are is appealing and enjoyable. From our lessons, our children learn to appreciate and understand differences in opinion and the importance of individuality.