Music

 

 

 

 

Harris Primary Academy Kenley 

 

Music 

 

“Music is about communication, creativity, and cooperation, and by studying music in schools, students have the opportunity to build on these skills, enrich their lives, and experience the world from a new perspective.” 

William J. Clinton 

 

Music is an art form that expresses ideas and emotions through sound, rhythm, melody or harmony. Music is a form of language which evokes movement and emotion.  Music engages the brain while stimulating neural pathways associated with higher forms of intelligence, memory and an improved mental health. 

 

A musician needs to be able to do the following: 

 

• Appraise music – say what they like and/or dislike about music. 

• Imitate – repeat sounds, rhythms, or notes. 

• Compose – have creative ideas to make their own patterns or musical phrases. 

• Improvise – use their own, and others’ creative ideas to invent musical ideas. 

• Perform – have confidence to become a performer. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At Harris Primary Academy Kenley, in our teaching of music we will cover: 

• Pitch, Duration, Dynamics, Tempo, Timbre, Texture and Structure, Composition, Performance 

• A range of styles of music 

• History of music 

 

Intent: Introduction, Vision and Philosophy 

 

The purpose of this document is to clarify the how, why, and what of music teaching at Harris Primary Academy Kenley. This is to be used by staff to clarify expectations, highlight the resources that we have at our disposal, and to ensure that a high-quality music curriculum is being taught to all. 

 

Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. A high-quality music education should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity, and sense of achievement. As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon. 

 

Music teaching at Kenley ensures that all pupils 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. They can learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others. They can have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence. Children should understand and explore how music is created, produced, and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.  

 

Implementation: What does Music look like at Harris Primary Academy Harris Primary Academy Kenley? 

 

Music is taught across the academy in different ways. The entire academy has access to the planning provided by the Harris Federation, as well as the programme SingUp, to support the teaching and learning of singing skills. Depending on the year group, the Federation planning provides schemes of work and activities for children to learn musical skills and pick new musical instruments. Music is to be taught for at least an hour, however split into two sessions (30 minutes for singing, using SingUp and 30 minutes for the Harris Federation planning).  

 

From EYFS to Year 6, the learning builds and progresses as the pupils become more proficient in using a wider range of instruments and instrumental techniques. Children increase their musical vocabulary through the range of different technical skills they are taught as well as the difficulty in the variety of pitches found in different songs. For example, children in Year 1 will be learning songs with only a few different pitch changes, whereas children in Year 6 will be learning more complex patterns of pitch, as well as singing in multiple parts and the use of instruments. 

 

Within the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, the pupils will: 

 

• Listen attentively, move to, and talk about 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. 

• Recognise and explore how sounds can be changed, sing simple songs from memory, recognise repeated sounds and sound patterns, and match movements to music. 

 

To develop teachers’ subject knowledge, staff will receive termly CPD and support from the subject leader and the Federation. The subject leader supports with, and provides feedback on, half-termly planning for music. In addition, the subject leader attends CPD training, run by the Federation experts in the subject, which provides an opportunity to share good practise. 

 

Impact: Evidence and Assessment 

 
Online Music PowerPoints evidence weekly music lessons, showing examples of learning for Years 1-6. Evidence of the progression in music is recorded each term by the teachers. Children are given the opportunity to demonstrate their learned skills by performing in front of others in a class or performance setting. It is important for children to have the experience of performing in front of a large group. The music lead monitors video recordings made throughout each unit of work- these videos demonstrate the skills and knowledge learnt in that half term. 

 

HF Curriculum Lead - Miss S French 

HPAK Music Lead - Mrs S Doku