All Saints CE Primary School Music Curriculum

Intent

At All Saints CE Primary School, we aim to ensure that all children develop musical skills which progress from Nursery through to Year 6 and that all children have opportunities to perform, listen to, review, evaluate, create and compose music and explore a wide variety of historical periods, styles, traditions and musical genres.  We want children to enjoy and experience all types of music and be taught skills which are built on throughout their time in primary school.

Implementation

Our Music curriculum ensures children sing, listen to, play, perform and evaluate music each week. Nursery children and reception sing daily and learn nursery rhymes counting songs and days of the week.  They are introduced to a wide range of instruments and given the time to explore what sounds can be made. 

Our Music curriculum is embedded in the classroom through the structured music programme ‘Kapow’ which years Reception - Year 6 follow. The Kapow scheme of work ensures a wide exposure to different genres of music, with lots of practical opportunities to explore and develop as musicians and singers.

Following the Kapow music scheme ensures that there is steady progression both within each year and from one year to the next. By using Kapow as the basis of a scheme of work, we can ensure that they are fulfilling the aims for musical learning stated in the National Curriculum.  Music units usually follow a specific learning sequence:  Listen and Appraise; Musical Activities (including pulse and rhythm); Singing and Voice; Playing instruments; Composition; Perform and Share.  Assessment is embedded within the teaching sequence and they are opportunities for summative assessment at the end of each unit, as part of Perform and Share.

Singing is an important part of our Collective Worship and children learn to sing a range of songs from traditional hymns to inspirational songs which promote personal development and teach about values. Through the Out of the Arc music resource children participate in singing practices as a phase (KS1, Lower KS2 and Upper KS2) to learn new songs and build up a repertoire that will be used throughout the school year.

Reception and Key Stage 1 pupils perform a nativity at Christmas, which includes singing and dancing. All pupils perform a Carol service at All Saints Church. Year 6 pupils always round off the year with a musical production. Our choir meets weekly with our Music lead and they have had the opportunity to perform with other local schools at the National Choir at Wembley ‘Young Voices.’

Children are encouraged to participate in external music lesson provided in school and achievements in Music outside of school, such as gradings, are celebrated in Collective Worship.

Impact

All children have a variety of musical experiences within school and it enables children to access fundamental abilities such as achievement, self-confidence, interaction with and awareness of others and self-refection.  Music experience and appreciation also helps children to develop cross-curricular links of understanding the culture and history of different music around the world.