Music

Music Development Plan 2024-2025

Intent

Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. It has the power to engage and inspire pupils, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. The music curriculum aims for children to perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions. They 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. All of this is done through looking at the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.

By the end of EYFS…

Children sing songs, make music, dance, and experiment with ways of changing them.
Children represent their own ideas, thoughts and feelings through music and dance.

By the end of KS1….

Pupils should be taught to:

use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes.
play tuned and un-tuned instruments musically.
listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high-quality live and recorded music.
experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the inter-related dimensions of music.

By the end of KS2…

Pupils should be taught to:

play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using their voices and playing musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression.
improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the inter-related dimensions of music.
listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory.
use and understand staff and other musical notations.
appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians.
develop an understanding of the history of music.

Implementation at our school

At Crondall, music is used creatively from Year R to Year 6 to enhance termly topics. This music is planned with the support of Hampshire music service. Children listen to the works of great composers as well as live performances, before using a variety of tuned and un-tuned instruments as well as iPads to compose their own pieces to convey a meaning or emotion. We have a recording studio which aids us in recording some of these pieces and demonstrates exactly how music is produced. Singing is a large part of our day as songs are used to teach concepts in a cross curricular way during lessons as well as during daily assemblies. Outside the curriculum, children are given further opportunities to develop their musicality. Each year, a group of children enter the Gremlin Dance Challenge and use music and rhythm to create a dance to convey a theme. This year we were proud to achieve the ‘Best Performance in Character’ award! Peripatetic music lessons are offered for children wishing to develop their music skills further in instruments such as the recorder, piano, violin or trombone. Future projects will see the whole school begin to develop their own school song and to for the gifted musicians to form a group to perform!

Impact

Best Performance in Character award at the Gremlin Dance Challenge 2019 and Best Concept award at the Gremlin Dance Challenge 2020

‘I love music. I really enjoyed it when Rev Tara brought in her accordion. It makes me want to learn it!’- Year 2 child

‘Music is so calming. I especially like playing the violin because it has a relaxing sound ‘– Year 3 child

‘We have lots of music clubs – sing and sign, boom whacker club and young voices’. – Year 4 child

‘Music creates pictures in your mind’ – Year 5 child

All children spoken to played a musical instrument - drums, piano, singing, violin, harp

How to support my child

Enjoy a variety of music and discuss their preferences.

Discuss what they can hear in a piece of music. Is it loud/quiet?

Is it fast/slow? Is it ‘spiky’ or ‘smooth’? Does it sound happy or sad?

Visit theatres, concerts or live performances where possible.

Allow your child to join a choir or learn a musical instrument.