Music

At St John's CE (VC) Primary School we want every child to be happy and enthusiastic learners of Music, and to be eager to achieve their very best in order to fulfil their God-given talents. We firmly believe that the recipe for success is high-quality first-wave teaching in Music, which is central to the life of our happy, caring school.

Intent – What we are trying to achieve?

• Our principal aim is that children leave St John's CE (VC) Primary  School with a wide range of happy and rich memories in Music formed through interesting and exciting experiences driven through vehicles that enhance a child’s awareness of their own abilities and strengths as a learner; thus ensuring that children see learning in music as an ongoing process, not a one-off event.
• · Our high-quality music education will 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.
• Children will meet the National Curriculum expectations in music, which will be taught by highly-qualified staff who will support children to develop skills which in turn will enable them to develop a deeper understanding of the subject.
• Children will develop self-confidence and teamwork skills through performance in class and in our orchestra. They will have opportunities to sing as a class, in smaller groups and as a school community.
• Children will have the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument, progressing from the recorder (which will be taught as a class) to an orchestral or band instrument delivered by specialist teachers.
• Children will learn to read and write staff notation, increasing their understanding of rhythmic and melodic notation.
• Children will understand how Catholic virtues and British Values relate to music through a study of music from different faiths and cultures.
• Children will listen to, review and evaluate a range of music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including contemporary music and the works of great composers and musicians using subject-specific vocabulary relating to the musical elements; instrumentation, metre, rhythm, pitch, dynamics, tempo, texture, structure and melody.
• Where possible, children will use music technology to compose simple rhythms and melodies.
• Opportunities will exist for children of all ages to experience learning beyond the classroom. This will allow them to enrich their knowledge by, for example, attending performances by professional musicians and participating in school productions as well as County performance initiatives.
• Other opportunities might include visits to concerts, meeting musicians, professional musicians visiting schools to work with pupils, and musicians from other schools sharing their expertise with staff and children.

Implementation – How do we translate our vision into practice?

• The curriculum hours in music are non-negotiable and will be followed by all staff in the school. Fixed timetables will be set before the academic year and monitored by the Senior Leadership Team of the school.
• Subject specialists from our partner secondary school are and will continue to be, integral to the planning process. St John's CE (VC) Primary utilises a specialist music teacher to teach music in Key Stage Two; Key Stage One music is taught by one of our own experienced staff.  This will aid the transition to Key Stage 3. There are also opportunities for children to learn band and orchestra instruments in private lessons through a variety of specialist teachers who visit the school on a weekly basis.
• Where necessary, staff will receive training in music.
• The subject leader for music will meet the SLT on a monthly basis to evaluate provision and, where necessary, highlight staff training needs and meet all aspects of the job description.
• Carefully designed schemes of learning in music ensure consistency and progress of all learners.
• High-quality teaching responds to the needs of children. Spaced learning is a key focus of all formative and summative assessments with teachers actively marking work in lessons in order to identify misconceptions early.
• High-quality input from experts and educational resources complement the delivery of specialist learning admirably. Children understand how music is used in the wider world including in careers.

Assessment

The Charanga Music scheme is followed and the assessment, cultural and personal development logs are used to formally record an overview of the progress of each child.  High-quality teaching responds to the needs of children. Spiral learning is a key focus of all formative and summative assessments. (See below)

Cultural Capital

• Children will learn about key figures from Music history such as Chopin, Debussy, Miles Davis, Byrd, Verdi, Paul McCartney, and Adele (see overview below). 
• Children join the choir club run by Mrs. Stone our Music leader to practice singing.

They will also experience the following during Key Stage 1 and 2:

• Meeting and talking to musicians
• Concert performances both in and out of school
• Playing a variety of musical instruments
• Singing in the choir
• Performing at large venues such as local music venues and theatres with other choirs
• Singing in church

Music plays a full part in the life of our school. We are very proud of our orchestra which performs at all services as well as other events throughout the year. Children are given opportunities to sing, listen to music and begin to learn how to make their own music.  All classes in KS2 have a weekly lesson with a specialist music teacher, Miss West. Children in Nursery and Reception enjoy a weekly session with Music and Rhyme.

Impact – What is the impact of our curriculum on the students?

• Children are happy learners of Music.  They experience a wide-ranging number of learning challenges in the art and know appropriate responses to them.
• Through Music, children deepen their appreciation of their faith and fulfil their God-given talents
• Visits within Music have enriched the lives of the children and they are able to discuss how the experience impacted their knowledge and understanding.
• Children of all abilities and backgrounds achieve well in Music, reflected in outstanding progress that reveals a clear learning journey.  Children talk enthusiastically about their learning in Music and are eager to further their learning in the next stages of their education.
• There is a proven track record of outstanding outcomes as shown in pupils’ musical ability, their music books, and their enjoyment of the subject. These indicators reflect the impact of deep learning.
• Clear outcomes focus and guide all Music development plans and drive improvement.
• Fundamental British Values are evident in Music and children understand how Music can celebrate difference
• Through wider reading of music, children will gain an appreciation and understanding of the background and historical context of music and of the lives and interactions of the composers.  Through this exposure, children will produce work that is influenced by the best of the best.