Intent
At North Lancing Primary School, we aim to develop a love for and appreciation of music, which will enrich all our pupils’ lives. We believe that participation in music provides valuable creative, social and cultural experiences for our pupils, and encourages them to practise the five core values of our school: Independence, collaboration, resilience, perseverance and individuality.
It is our aim to ensure that music is an enjoyable learning experience. Singing, music making and listening to music play a significant part in nurturing the pupils’ emotional health and well-being. We encourage children to participate in a variety of musical experiences through which we aim to increase the confidence of all children.
Implementation
All the classes in the school are taught by our specialist music teacher in our well-equipped music room. Children in Years 1-6 have a weekly class music lesson with our specialist music teacher. In addition to music being a regular part of their EYFS Curriculum, the Reception classes are taught music once a fortnight by our specialist music teacher.
In class music lessons, the children engage in a wide range of differentiated musical activities, including performing (singing and playing instruments), composing, listening and responding to a wide range of music, and learning about the interrelated dimensions of music (musical elements). As they progress through the school, the children learn to understand and use appropriate musical vocabulary.
Knowledge progression (National Curriculum for Music), is delivered through the use of the carefully sequenced units of work in the ‘LCP Music Scheme’. Over the course of the scheme, the children are taught to sing fluently and expressively, play tuned and un-tuned instruments accurately and with control, and gain an understanding and knowledge of using traditional notation and other musical notations. They learn to recognise the interrelated dimensions of music (musical elements) – pitch, duration, tempo, timbre, structure, texture and dynamics – and use these expressively in their own improvisations and compositions. Where appropriate, links are made with other areas of the curriculum. In particular, children enjoy responding to music through dance, movement and drawing.
To supplement the use of the ‘LCP Music Scheme’, children gain an understanding about the history of music (and some of the great composers) by listening and responding to pieces of music from the ‘Classical 100’ website.
In addition to songs in the ‘LCP Music Scheme’, the children enjoy learning and performing a range of songs from the ‘Out of the Ark Music’ publishers.
In particular, singing is treasured by the children at North Lancing Primary School, and the children enjoy singing together in regular Upper and Lower School singing assemblies and performances throughout the school year. Children in Years 3-6 have the opportunity to attend the after-school Choir Club.
Across the school, children are offered the opportunity to learn an instrument with a peripatetic music teacher (West Sussex Music Associate Teacher). We currently offer instrumental tuition on the piano, recorder, flute, clarinet and saxophone.
All the children in Year 6 are given free recorder tuition with our specialist music teacher, as part of their class music lessons. The ‘Recorder from the Beginning’ tuition book is used to increase their knowledge of reading traditional staff notation.
Impact
As a result of the music curriculum, children at North Lancing Primary School develop a love of music and an increased understanding of the impact that music can have on their own and others’ lives.
The positive impact of the music curriculum is evident in children’s engagement and progress made in class music lessons. The children demonstrate progression of knowledge and skills, which they continuously build on and embed. As an integral part of class music lessons, children receive continuous verbal feedback about their progress and ways to improve, and are invited to discuss their progress, too. Formal and informal lesson observations and learning walks also provide opportunities for children’s engagement and progress in music to be observed, too.
In addition to the confidence and progress gained in class music lessons, by the time the children reach the end of Year 6, they have gained much confidence by taking part in a variety of larger school music and drama performances, eg, singing assemblies, class assemblies, Christmas concerts and productions and performances at Summer Fairs. At the end of their time at North Lancing Primary School, the children’s musical journey culminates in their participation in the Year 6 Summer Music and Drama Production.