Intent

Music is an important contribution to the life of our school and should be celebrated, promoted and encouraged. Music is a unique way of communicating and is a vehicle for personal expression, and it can play an important part in one’s personal development. At Stratton Primary, we follow the the 2014 National Curriculum and the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework.

 Through the weekly teaching of music Stratton Primary School aims to:  

• Inspire, engage and motivate children to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians.
• Provide opportunities for all children to develop the interrelated skills of singing, composing, play instruments, performing, improvising, evaluating and appreciating music, alongside developing their musical skills.
• Through regular opportunities of listening to and participating in a wide range of music from different cultures and time periods, the children will begin to make judgements and share their thoughts of the music. E.g. How it makes them feel, be able to compare and discuss the different elements they have heard, and share their knowledge.
• Develop the child, as a whole, through engagement in musical activity.
• Ensure all pupils are able to access weekly musical activities and lessons.
• Explore and understand how sounds are made and can be organised into musical structures.
• Develop and nurture pupils’ sense of self and allow them opportunity to explore their own abilities and achieve.

Implementation

A high quality music curriculum is provided throughout the school.

Teaching and Learning

Our school follows the programmes of study as set out in the National Curriculum which aims to ensure 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
• 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
• 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.  
• Planning is supported by SPS skills progression, vocabulary and curriculum map documents
• There is an expectation that music is timetabled and taught to each class (Y1-Y6) for at least 40 minutes a week.
• In addition to this 40 minutes, there is an expectation of a further short music appreciation session on most days, when children can discuss and listen to a variety of music (some taken from the MMC).
• For children Y1-Y6, there will be a 10 minute singing assembly each week.
• We will follow Charanga as our main scheme with each year group. We supplement Charanga, to give variety, with a unit from BBC Ten Pieces, a Christmas/Harvest performance and the MMC playlist.
• There is an expectation that each year group will learn a musical instrument for a term or half a term in their class music lessons.

Y1 – hand bells

Y2 – boom whackers

Y3 – glockenspiels

Y4 – recorders

Y5 – drums 

Y6 – ukuleles

Performance is an integral part of music. As well as the Christmas/Harvest performances, we encourage performances to peer groups, buddy classes the school community, parents etc.

A list of children who learn musical instruments with peripatetic teachers will be shared with class teachers. These children can share their skills in the class music lessons alongside their peers and class learning.

There will be regular reminders to children and parents, both with performances and updates on the newsletters/website about the music lessons and places available. Always encouraging PP children to have lessons, due to the reduction in prices.

We provide opportunities throughout the year for budding musicians to perform for the school community. This included solo and ensemble performances as part of assemblies and concerts. This recognises their achievements and celebrates their success.

Impact

The children at Stratton Primary School will experience a broad variety of musical performances from different cultures, opportunities to learn a variety of instruments and develop their knowledge and skills of reading and understanding musical pieces.

Over their time at Stratton Primary School, our pupils will be given the skills, opportunities and knowledge to understand the impact that music can have on all our lives and all cultures, including the Cornish culture, and how it can play an integral role in our emotional wellbeing. We aim to give children high aspirations which will enable them to foster a lifelong love for music and the confidence to continue to play and enjoy music into their adult lives and forever.

 “The incredible music made us want to get up and dance!” Y6 children after hearing a visiting quartet of musicians.

Super singing, with gusto, of ‘Cornwall My Home’ a member of the public at the Storm Tower opening in Bude where the Y2 children performed.

‘I wish I could do this, every week’. A Year 2 child commented after attending the Y2 African Drumming Club.