Music 

Music-Dec 2021

Curriculum Intent

Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. A 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. As pupils progress, they will develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination. 

In line with the principles of our curriculum at Christchurch Infant School, we believe that music will support purposeful and engaging learning. Opportunities for first hand experiences will be taken wherever possible. We aim for the children in our school to have the opportunities to immerse themselves in music, whether performing, listening or evaluating it. Music is inclusive for all, and achieved through a well-planned approach. Those children that show a ‘flair’ for music can be signposted to extra-curricular activities provided by the Dorset County Council Music Hub and / or the SoundStorm Music Education Agency. 

Implementation 

To promote the progression of skills through the school, we have adopted a programme of study titled ‘Charanga’. This programme is used to deliver discrete music teaching within the class’s timetable of learning. In Early Years classes, this comprises a 30-minute session every two weeks and in Key Stage One a weekly session lasting 30 - 45 minutes. Children across the school also attend a regular singing assembly practice called the ‘Sing Along’.

Music is integral to each classroom and is often part of the day through PE warm ups, daily ‘routine’ songs, songs linked to the topic and use of recorded music.

Twenty minutes every other week in Key Stage 1 and weekly for Foundation is allocated for the ‘Sing Along’, essentially a ‘Hymn Practice’ in year group bases in the hall led by the Music Subject Leader. Although primarily used for the specific teaching of songs to match assembly themes, it also aims to increase generalist teacher expertise and confidence supporting the children and the teachers in using their voices expressively and to understand some of the inter-related dimensions of music such as pitch, duration, dynamics and tempo. 

The class teaching of music is taught from the ‘Charanga Musical School’ scheme provided by SoundStorm Music Education Hub to develop learning in small steps with an appropriate level of challenge. Early Years follows Charanga also, in addition to planning from a topic-based approach.  See the curriculum map below for further details of the different units. In 2021-2022, in KS1, we are exploring the Charanga Units from the Model Music Curriculum Scheme.

In addition to regularly planned curriculum time for music, children may also have some additional musical experiences throughout the year. This will include:

• listening to and evaluating music across a wide range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians during the beginnings and ends of assemblies. 
• singing as a whole school as part of End of Year assemblies or during religious festivals such as Easter, Harvest and Christmas performances.
• Year 2 carols in the local community at Christmas,(a local care home and Elderly Lunch clubs), the visiting musicians and band to lead the Carol Singing in a Community Carol Concert for the Year 2 pupils and the Year 2 leaving song for parents at the end of the Summer term.
• an opportunity in KS1 to join an extra-curricular club such as choir club.
• taking part in CPD for teachers (Charanga refresher training), school projects such as a Musician in Residence and visiting live professional musicians as part of being a member of the SoundStorm Music Education Hub by using their expertise and resources where possible. 
• local community / pyramid schools’ event such as the Primary Singalong in the Summer term at Christchurch Junior School in liaison with Twynham School.
• Arts Week, which happens annually in the Summer term. A whole school song and Year Group songs are learnt and performed in a final celebration on the Friday in the playground. 
• Exciting termly opportunities in liaison with Christchurch Junior School. Currently this comprises of:

• Year 2 in the Autumn term with joint performances to each other of carols learnt and joint singing of carols together at Christmas. 
• Year 1 in the Spring term with a Junior school concert to perform their instruments to us from a variety of their groups, bands and soloists.
• Early Years in the Summer term with a collaboration with the Y6s to share music making together with the large percussion instruments at the Junior school. 
• taking part in the biennial Christchurch Priory Music and Arts Festival Schools Workshop for the Year 2 pupils. 

Impact

The formative assessment of music is a continual process, in which covers all areas of music and provides continuity and progression. The teacher makes his / her own assessment through observation of a child’s participation and abilities in relation to the learning objectives. Records may be kept in the form of:

• teacher / teacher assistant observation notes
• recorded performances
• scores made in the form of writing, notation, pictures or symbols

In the Early Years, assessment will occur through a combination of practical tasks, adult observations and use of questioning. Ongoing observations are undertaken by both teachers and TAs and recorded on Tapestry and through written notes during Charanga.  Teachers will record the attainment of the Early Learning Goals at the end of the Summer Term as part of the Expressive Arts and Design areas of learning in the Foundation Stage Profile. This will identify whether a child is Emerging, Expected or Exceeding in the area of ‘Being Imaginative and Expressive’. 

In Key Stage 1, formative assessment takes place as the children progress through the steps within the Charanga music scheme. Reference is made to the expectations as detailed in the subject content of the 2014 National Curriculum and the Progression of Skills document. Notes are to be recorded which can be used in order to complete the termly assessment grid, an annual written report to parents at the end of the Summer Term and to pass on to the next teacher. 

The subject leader will monitor the subject of Music through class observations when identified within the Key Priorities of the school, scrutiny of Learning books, electronic video and photographic assessment evidence on the school’s computer network and also by talking to pupils and staff.  This will take place at different times in the year, though most noticeably where Music is identified as an area for development on the School Improvement Plan.