Statement of Curriculum Intent - Music
The Big Ideas / Key Concepts for Music are:
- Expression
- Appreciation
- Technique
The overarching aim of the Music curriculum at Duxford Cof E Community Primary School is to make it an enjoyable learning experience for children to gain a firm understanding of what music is through listening, singing, playing, evaluating, analysing and composing across a wide variety of historical periods, styles, traditions and musical genres including the works of great composers and musicians.
Our aim is that children leave this school:
- With a love of music
- Understanding how music is created, produced and communicated including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notation.
- Able to perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions.
- Able to use their voices to create and compose music on their own and with others.
- Having the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence.
- Ensuring music lessons are fun and inspiring, engaging the children with songs, lyrics and movement.
- Ensuring a wide exposure to different genres of music.
- Empowering the children to feel able, reflective and expressive in developing their own appreciation of music.
- Providing lots of practical opportunities to explore and develop as musicians and singers, including school performances in front of an audience.
- Dancing and moving to music to help children build motor skills while allowing the to practice self-expression.
- Engaging in a range of whole class, group and individual activities which provide opportunities to explore sounds, listen actively, compose and perform.
- Allowing for the development and progression in learning.
- Using the music scheme - Charanga, which complements the National Curriculum and scaffolds the learning opportunities throughout the Key Stages.
- Individual instrumental lessons offered with the visiting peripatetic staff.
Teaching should ensure children are actively involved in a wide range of musical opportunities and exploration of music styles. Children develop their singing voices, using body percussion and whole-body actions, and learning to handle and play classroom instruments effectively to create and express their own and others' music. Through a range of whole class, group and individual activities, children have opportunities to explore sound, listen actively, compose and perform. There should be regular review of prior learning at the start of each lesson. Key vocabulary should be actively taught and definitions learned by children. Lessons should be planned so that children learn important information in a logical sequence and that lessons are learning not 'doing'. Teaching should be supported by trips, visits and real experiences wherever possible and these should be placed towards the middle/end of the teaching sequence, once knowledge has been learned. Wherever possible, video, audio clips, photographs and drawings should be used.
Progression through the subject is planned to ensure that the content of the Charanga Scheme of work is taught in a logical way that builds on previous knowledge and skills.
Curriculum progression is as follows: See subject curriculum plan.
We ensure that this curriculum links with other areas of curriculum by providing experiences and opportunities that both support and develop knowledge, language and skill.
