Music
As a universal and international language, music incorporates the highest forms of creativity and expression.
In teaching music, our aim is to sow the seeds of a lifetime enjoyment and appreciation of music of all genres. To nurture and develop the beginnings of musical skill, and artistic interest, whilst also acquiring a variety of transferable life skills including confidence and self-esteem, working with others to a shared goal, and developing a growth mindset.
Music is integrated into all parts of society and by developing some understanding about the impact music has on us, the children will see the purpose and importance of music in our everyday lives.
What is our aim for our music curriculum?
The national curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils: understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the interrelated dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians.
Singing can be used across the whole curriculum to enrich children’s learning, as well as forming part of school assemblies and singing for special occasions.
How is Music taught at Wescott?
At Wescott we use the Charanga music scheme throughout the school. It is centered around the three strands of music: listening and appraising, performing and composing. Through their music lessons, children develop an understanding of music history through the different genres and have the opportunity to perform and compose individual and in groups. Key vocabulary is built upon each year to enable the children to describe what they hear using the correct musical language e.g. pitch, dynamics, tempo).
Music lessons have a spiral approach to the curriculum. Skills are revisited throughout the key stages and are mastered over time. In music, progression can be shown by doing simple things better, as well as by doing more complex things. The lessons concentrate on ‘making music’, whether this is using voice, instruments or a combination of both. To develop musical understanding the skills needed to perform, listen critically to music, compose and improvise are taught in an integrated way, as these skills work best when they are combined.
In Foundation Stage...
Children are taught to:
•Listen attentively, move to and talk about music, expressing their feelings and responses.
•Watch and talk about dance and performance art, expressing their feelings and responses.
•Sing in a group or on their own, increasingly matching the pitch and following the melody.
•Explore and engage in music making and dance, performing solo or in groups.
•- Sing a range of well-known nursery rhymes and songs
•Perform songs, rhymes, poems and stories with others, and – when appropriate – try to move in time with music.
In Year One anD Two...
Children are taught to:
• use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes
• play tuned and untuned instruments musically
• listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high-quality live and recorded music
• experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the inter-related dimensions of music (interrelated dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations)
