Thirsk Community Primary School

Learning

Curriculum

EYFS (including Nursery)

Inclusion

Assessment and Age Related Expectations

Music Curriculum Intent, Implementation and Impact

At Thirsk Community Primary School, we recognise the importance of music in every aspect of daily life. As well as ensuring full coverage of the National Curriculum, taught through the Music Express Scheme, we provide children with many extra-curricular activities to enhance their musical education.

Intent

At Thirsk Community Primary School, we intend to create endless opportunities for our children to develop the love and respect of music based around the four key elements to becoming a musician: performing, composing, transcribing and describing music. This will open the doors for children to have hobbies and even careers in the musical industries. From the moment they start school in Nursery, all the way until they leave us in Y6, we believe music brings life into our school, allowing children the chance to express themselves in new and inspiring ways.

At Thirsk Community Primary School, in conjunction with the Music Express Scheme and the aims of the National Curriculum, our music teaching offers opportunities for children to: 

perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians
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

understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations

The Music Express Scheme provides a structure and skill development for the music curriculum being taught throughout the school. 

At Thirsk Community Primary School: 

In Early years, children have access to, and are exposed to, music in every session (through the use of chants, songs, rhymes, musical instruments in the provision and as taught as part of their ‘theme’ when applicable).
The Music Express Scheme “has been created with a cross-curricular, topic-based approach of music teaching in mind" (Collins, Music Express, 2020)
Additional opportunities are provided in Music, such as glee club, fame club, recorder club, Young Voices concert, singing assembly, peripatetic music lessons, trip to the pantomime and enrichment weeks.

We ensure that the music curriculum we provide will give our children the confidence and motivation to continue to further develop their skills into the next stage of their education and life experiences. 

Statement of Implementation 

Teachers create a positive attitude to music learning within their classrooms and reinforce an expectation that all children are capable of achieving high standards in music. Our whole school approach to the teaching and learning of music through the Music Express Scheme involves the following; 

Music is taught discreetly
We build upon the learning and skill development of the previous years. As the children’s knowledge and understanding increases, and they become more proficient and confident in performing, composing, transcribing and describing
Teachers demonstrate how to use musical instruments and equipment, and the various musical skills in order to embed understanding

Statement of Impact 

 
The successful approach at Thirsk Community Primary results in a fun, engaging, high-quality music education, that provides children with the foundations for understanding the significance of music in the world. Through various workshops, trips and interactions with professional musicians, children have the understanding that music is an imperative element of our society and enhances many people’s lives. Children learn the possibilities for careers and hobbies in music as a result of our community links. Pupil voice is used to further develop the music curriculum, through questioning of pupil’s views and attitudes to music to support the children’s enjoyment and to motivate learners. As we introduce our new format of assessing the wider curriculum, children will be graded as emerging, expected or exceeding within objectives learnt through their topic. Other evidence is gathered through pictures, videos, transcriptions and children’s writing saved in a file on the Shared Area and evidenced in topic books or floor books.