Music Intent

At Heathfield Infant school we believe music is accessible to all. We want children to develop a love of music through being exposed to different types of music: genres, composers, styles of music at various points during the day and academic year. We wish them to experience the sounds of different instruments through demonstrations and real-life experiences where possible. We want to inspire our children to be creative by exposing them to high quality teaching. We give our children the ability to learn about the different dimensions and develop skills to and plan, practice, perform and evaluate their own and others work, and showcase these to parents where possible. At Heathfields, we want the children to develop the skills to be confident communicators, where they share ideas, plan independently and collaboratively, begin to understand notation, practice and feel confident performing and sharing their work and skills with others to develop a love of learning in Music. At Heathfields, there is a clear learning journey across year groups that ensures there is progression in skills and knowledge over the time a child is with us. We use Sing up as a programme to ensure coverage and opportunities but also embrace specialists to visit and clubs/concerts.

Wilnecote Junior School has an inclusive music programme for all children within the school curriculum and extra-curricular. Every year group has music lessons delivered by a specialist musician every week throughout the year. Each child takes part in a music assembly each week with focuses on aural training, singing technique and part singing. Children develop a deeper understanding of music, developing their performing skills and therefore developing a love of music.

Due to an increase in self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement children are engaged and inspired and have a love of music. All children follow the Kodaly principal of music teaching.

Music Implementation

At Heathfields Infant School, we deliver the music curriculum through both class music lessons and a weekly whole school singing. Singing is inclusive to all through the use of signing and both singing skills are taught. Music lessons focus on listening to high quality stimuli to explore the different dimensions and skills of music and develop them using singing and instruments, with opportunities to apply the knowledge through composition and performance.

The children at Heathfields participate in school performances such as a Harvest assembly, a Christmas sing along, Easter assembly and an end of year assembly by Year 2. We also provide opportunities for the children to experience live music by inviting performers into school where possible, and visit a theatre for a performance.

At Heathfields, music is strongly linked with other curriculum areas such as PE, Art and Science. Planning follows a curriculum map that specify the skills progression throughout the school. Year group planning builds on previous knowledge and skills to ensure each child progresses during their time with us from their various starting points. Year group planning is allowing children to gain knowledge, master skills, plan, prepare and perform.

At Wilnecote Junior, the specialist teacher will deliver a high-quality focused curriculum to each year group throughout the year in our specialist music room. The planning for this focuses on both the national curriculum/the new Model Music Curriculum and the Associated Board of Music aural and theory assessments, which is supported by SingUp resources. The Dalcroze and Kodaly methods are also incorporated into the planning. Entrust music service also provide individual instrumental lessons. They follow the Entrust instrumental programme covering violin, guitar saxophone, clarinet and flute. We also have a specialist piano teacher in two days a week. Our children take part in regular concerts attended by their parents and carers.

Impact

We can judge the success of our music curriculum in the following ways:

· Love of music in various forms, the desire to listen to, perform and inspire curiosity in different genres and instruments seen through increased levels of participation.
- Pupil conferencing shows children happy, engaged, creative, enthusiastic and motivated to do well and challenged.
- Learning walks by subject leaders, senior leadership team, governors or external visitors – shows evidence of our intent in action and progress.
- Appreciation of how music can contribute to mood, relaxation, mental health and wellbeing.
- High quality performances are shared with fellow pupils, parents and visitors.

We strive to ensure that our children‘s attainment is in line with or exceeds their potential when we consider the varied starting points of all of our children. The direct impact on our children can be:

· Developing children’s language and reasoning

· Mastering the use of memory to perform

· A desire to improve and master their work

· Increased co-ordination

· A sense of achievement

· A keen interest and engagement with school

· Emotional development

· Pattern recognition

· Fine-tuned auditory skills

· Building imagination and intellectual curiosity

· Relaxation

· Creative thinking

· Developing spatial-intelligence

· Teamwork

· Responsible risk-taking and dealing with fear of performance

· Self-confidence

National curriculum in England: music programmes of study - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)