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Music
CURRICULUM SCOPE
Valley Invicta Primary School at Kings Hill aims for all children to have access to high-quality, practical, and engaging musical experiences. We want all children to develop the self-confidence, skills, knowledge and understanding to promote a lifelong love of music, whilst also providing a secure foundation that enables them to take music further should they wish to.
Children will experience a wide variety of musical styles and cultures and they will gain an understanding of these through listening and appreciating with an increasingly critical ear. Children are encouraged to develop an awareness of rhythm, pitch, dynamics, timbre, tempo, structure and melody through singing, composition and playing of wind, string and percussion instruments. Children gain increased confidence that encourages participation in musical performances for a variety of purposes and audiences.
Learning about music and having the opportunity to play musical instruments and make music together is a vital part of a rich and rounded education. We consider how music plays a key role in brain development, helping to develop language, motor skills, emotional intelligence, and collaboration skills within the children at our school.
PEDAGOGY
“Music can change the world because it can change people” Bono
Music has unique powers that can inspire and motivate everyone. At our school, we provide opportunities for all children to listen, perform, compose and enjoy music, to develop their musical skills to appreciate a wide variety of musical genres.
The children at our school are predominantly taught by our Trust Music Specialist having between 30-60 minutes of music teaching each week. The children have access to a range of musical instruments and materials, some of which are shared across the other primary schools in the trust.
Our music curriculum is largely based on the scheme create by Sing Up, our music specialist uses this as basis for teaching the skills and knowledge outlined in the National Curriculum. In addition to several units from the scheme, we also prepare specific year groups for seasonal performances at Christmas, Spring and Summer.
Children have a weekly singing assembly with the music specialist where we work on bringing together the skills the children have learnt in music lessons in a larger context.
In KS1, children are taught to: use their voice expressively whilst learning songs and chants, learn to play a variety of percussion instruments, listen to and discuss music, and create their own music.
In KS2, children are taught to: improvise, compose, listen and appraise, write music and perform. In addition to this, they learn about the history of different musical styles.
Our year 3 children learn to play the Guitar, this allows children to develop musical skills through playing an instrument.
Beyond the curriculum, our children have many musical opportunities, one being to learn how to play a musical instrument. Peripatetic tutors offer a range of instrumental lessons during and after school hours. These children are then given chances to take graded exams and perform in school concerts.
Children who have a keen interest in singing have the chance to join the choir when they are in KS2. This gives children even more opportunities to perform during events at school and in the community. These include, Christmas Services, charity fundraisers, Spring Concert and the VIAT Summer Festival. In addition to this, children have the chance to perform at the Young Voices Concert at the O2 Arena. It is an amazing opportunity for children to learn how challenging choral pieces come together with practice, rehearsal and teamwork. The children who participate develop a strong sense of pride, comradeship and self-esteem.
IMPACT
Music at VIPS enables all learners to develop knowledge and skills across the whole music curriculum. Children's musical knowledge and understanding is assessed by questioning, listening and observation of performance as well as reviewing children’s written compositions.
Digital recordings play a very important role in assessing and keeping a record children’s progress in music. In Terms 1, 3 and 5, a progression snapshot is taken of each year group which gives our music specialist an opportunity to assess the children’s progress in all areas of the curriculum. In addition to this, informal recordings are taken regularly and kept in a portfolio to build a picture of the children’s time at VIPS. Both of these databases detail the pupils progress as thy journey through the school.
When children leave us in Year 6, they have enjoyed a rich tapestry of music education and are well-equipped with a secure and broad range of musical knowledge, skills and understanding which prepares them for their journey into secondary school music …and beyond! This will be evident through;
- Developing an understanding of culture and history, both in relation to students individually, as well as ethnicities from across the world.
- The ability to give precise written and verbal explanations, using musical terminology effectively, accurately and appropriately as well as discussing music and comprehend its parts.
- A passion for and commitment to a diverse range of musical activities.
- Children are able to enjoy music, in as many ways as they choose – either as a listener, creator or performer.
- Singing, feel a pulse, add rhythms and create melodies in a group and further develop these skills in the future and continue to enjoy and embrace music in their lives.
You can find out more in our Music Progression document.
You can read our Music Development Plan here.
For more information about our curriculum, please click here.
You can watch our video about Music across VIAT here:
