Music

At Cronton CE Primary School our KEYS Curriculum is built around the National Curriculum, enriched to reflect the children and community we teach in. As a church school our Christian ethos and school values are the heart of everything we do.

We believe every child can be their BEST with our Vision statement reflecting this.

“I can do everything through God who gives me strength” Philippians 4:13

Key attributes of our Musicians at Cronton CE

Listening - a key skill in music to allow pupils to respond to the music they hear and perform alongside fellow musicians.

Perseverance - learning an instrument can be frustrating. It takes real resilience to stick at the practice, even though you know it will be difficult

Problem solving - music doesn't always have one, clear-cut answer. There are plenty of opportunities to find creative and unique solutions. 

Creativity - playing music is a wonderful way to express yourself. The way you approach and interpret your music is unique, only to you.

Thinking on the spot - Music requires you to repeatedly make split-second decisions. It forces you to think quickly on your toes.

Confidence - performing in front of others is an incredibly brave thing to do, whether it is an audience of one or a large group

Communication and team work - the ability to work as part of a team is vital, discussing ideas and supporting each other.

Intent

At Cronton CE we aim to foster an enjoyment and appreciation of music. This includes the development of an understanding of the interrelated dimensions of music: pitch, dynamics, duration, tempo, timbre, texture and structure. Furthermore, we aim to encourage self expression through music and to develop an awareness of the music of ours and other cultures including an awareness of a variety of musical styles.

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.

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.

Implementation

At Cronton CE we use Charanga to support our teaching of music across the school as these resources complement the National Curriculum requirements and scaffold the learning opportunities across Key Stages.  The Long Term Plan for Music shows how the Charanga units of work are used alongside History of Music units to ensure coverage of the National Curriculum throughout the school.  As shown on the Long Term Plan, children are exposed to wider musical opportunities such as taking part in the Nativity in KS1 and the Junior Production in KS2, as well as singing regularly in Whole School Worship.

Children in KS2 have a Music Timeline stuck into the back of music books which is referred to during lessons, to develop their understanding of the History of Music and where each song or piece of music studied fits within the History of Music.  The History of Music is also taught discreetly through 4 units across KS2 covering composers and musicians from the year 1000 to the present day.

In music, segregated learning objectives at the start of each lesson are not appropriate. Instead the interrelated dimensions of music weave through the units to encourage the development of musical skills as the learning progresses through listening and appraising, differing musical activities (including creating and exploring) and performing.

The Medium Term Plans for Music show the KEY knowledge, skills and vocabulary to be taught throughout the unit, as well as providing background knowledge related to the musical genre or style for the class teacher.

Lesson Structure

This lesson structure has been designed to ensure the children learn more and remember, combining recapping with learning new knowledge and allowing children to make links.

Lessons are delivered according to the following three strands:

• Listen and Appraise

At the start of each lesson children listen to and appraise a piece of music.  This may be the unit song or another song by the same artist / composer or of the same musical genre.  After listening to the piece of music, children are encouraged to discuss the piece using musical vocabulary and referring to the interrelated dimensions of music.  Suggestions for pieces of music to listen and appraise are provided in the Charanga resources.

• Musical Activities

All musical activities are based around the unit song, provided by Charanga.  The following musical activities are included:

• Games embed the Interrelated Dimensions of Music through repetition.
• Singing is at the heart of all the musical learning.
• Playing instruments with the song to be learnt - tuned/un-tuned classroom percussion. A sound-before-symbol approach is used but scores are provided as an understanding of notation is introduced to the children.
• Improvising with the song using voices and instruments.
• Composing with the song using instruments.

Not all musical activities are covered in every lesson, however Medium and Short Term Plans are designed in a way that covers all activities across the six week unit.

• Perform

At the end of each lesson a performance takes place in which the children can share their learning from the lesson.  A discussion should take place after each performance about what went well and what could be improved next time.  Each lesson works towards a final performance at the end of each unit which will take place in front of an audience.

Impact

Impact will be measured through assessment in the music lessons.  Children will be assessed against the key knowledge and skills as identified on Medium Term Plans.  Music is assessed formatively throughout the lessons, through the marking of music books and recording of performances.  The final end of unit performance can also be used as an assessment opportunity.