Intent
Music is given high priority at Frosterley Primary School with all staff taking responsibility to develop a music curriculum that is creative, exciting and ambitious for all pupils. We want the music lessons to be fun and inspiring, engaging all children regardless of need or ability. We want the children to feel confident expressing themselves, to develop their own appreciation of music through active listening and to have ample opportunities to perform within and beyond the school. All children are encouraged to build resilience particularly when learning to play a musical instrument, from standard classroom instruments to individual instrumental lessons with the visiting peripatetic staff. Musical opportunities in school include weekly class music lessons, school choir and violin club. We are developing links with schools in the cluster (Weardale and Teesdale) as well as links with local community groups to actively promote music within and beyond the school.
Implementation
We use a range of resources to deliver Music. Music at Frosterley is very much a subject within its own right. It is a skills based subject, a practical subject and very much a doing subject. We develop a bespoke scheme of work which offers a progressive skills based curriculum as well as some topic-based activities to develop children’s learning in music. We have adopted the DCC progression map ensuring consistent and progressive musical development. This not only ensures coverage of the National Curriculum for music but also allows flexibility to take music beyond the national expectations. Fundamental skills are developed within the EYFS with daily singing and musical exploration. In Key Stage 1, there is a strong emphasis on teaching pulse, rhythm and melody – the building blocks of Music education. By Key Stage 2, pupils are ready to develop their knowledge of musical notation through composition and instrumentation. Musical terminology is a key element of teaching across all years. Singing and performance is encouraged consistently throughout the school.
Medium term plans ensure children experience many examples of music styles and genres from different times and places. These are explored through active listening, performing and composing. Teaching music at Frosterley is inclusive and through a range of whole class, group and individual activities, all children have opportunities to explore sounds, listen actively, compose and perform.
Impact
As music is a practical subject, assessment will include observing, discussing and recording the children. Teachers will make a professional judgement of progress made for each child against the National Curriculum programmes of study and the DCC progression map. Teachers complete a termly assessment tracker identifying pupils who have not met or exceeded expectations and will identify strategies to be used the following term to ensure all pupils experience challenge and reach their potential. Musically talented pupils flourish at Frosterley being exposed to a plethora of opportunities extending their musical knowledge and skills. At Frosterley, we promote a cyclical learning experience in Music rather than a journey with a destination. Therefore, we aim to deliver a broad range of experiences covering a wide range of musical genres, instrumentation and performance at an appropriate level for each individual child. The Subject Leader for Music is involved in teaching Music, supporting colleagues and monitoring the quality of music provision throughout the school.
