Music

Music Curriculum Planning 2023 24

''Music is powerful. As people listen to it, they can be affected. They respond." Ray Charles

Music is led by Mrs Evans. Our Music Curriculum Plan 2023 24 can be found at the bottom of this page.

Intent
At Wrenbury Primary School, we strive to ensure children develop a sense of belonging, of place and of themselves. Music gives us a powerful way to foster all three of these; sharing and appreciating music together, learning the skills and knowledge to compose and perform as an ensemble and developing children's musical appreciation and enjoyment to help develop an understanding of their own emotions and tastes.
We aim to inspire a love of music and extend children's talent as musicians.
We aim to develop a curiosity for the subject, as well as an understanding and acceptance of the validity and importance of all types of music, and an unbiased respect for the role that music may wish to be expressed in any person's life.

We teach following the National Curriculum for music, ensuring that all pupils:
-Perform, listen to, review and evaluate music
-Are taught to sing, create and compose music
-Understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated.

Children at Wrenbury 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.

Coverage and progression in music is woven into our annual Learning Journey overviews for each Base using the Charanga Music Scheme as a tool to support quality teaching and learning. Music lessons are planned discretely into termly overviews and are delivered as part of a wider learning journey for the term. Alongside this, children are taught singing as a whole-school ensemble through singing assemblies and perform regularly through seasonal performances for harvest, Christmas, Easter and at the end of the school year. Our curriculum is enriched through external tutors providing specialist tuition, such as brass tuition, for classes. Some children take up extra 1-2-1 instrument tuition within school across a range of instruments, including guitar, piano and violin. Mrs Evans leads a music assembly each week.

Assessment in music is teacher-led and ongoing and follows the school's curriculum progression overview. Teachers use a range of practical approaches to assessment such as questioning, observation and discussion throughout teaching as well as assessing performance and compositions. Evidence of work in music is recorded in individual learning journey books and on working displays within the classroom and across the school.

Monitoring is carried out by the music subject lead during subject leadership time. We use termly planning overviews, pupil and teacher interviews and evidence from learning journeys along with performances to ensure curriculum coverage, monitor pupil learning and ensure progression in line with the subject development plan. Where possible, observations of teaching and learning walks are carried out when music is being taught. Findings are recorded in monitoring forms, with successes, areas for development and short-term actions shared at the following staff meeting or individually with relevant staff. Longer term actions are recorded by the music subject lead with a set review date to be included as part of an action plan.

Most instruments for class use are securely stored in School House. All teachers are responsible for retrieval, safe use and return of any used resources neatly to the correct area. Staff should report any broken or damaged instruments to the music lead. Resources will be monitored and suggestions to replace or update music resources should be raised with the computing lead who will discuss any purchases with the budget holder.

All teachers are responsible for explaining how to use instruments safely and carefully. Heavy, cumbersome or fragile instruments should be carried around school under supervision of adults, following correct guidance on heavy lifting. When using voice, children and adults should correctly warm-up their voices and be taught and use the correct breathing technique to avoid strain, illness or injury. Songs chosen to sing should also carefully consider children's level of vocal development, pitch and range. If staff are unsure regarding the safe teaching of music, they should speak to the music lead who can signpost to further support.

2023-24
Christmas song – Little Wrens – performance
Christmas – Nativity – singing/performance YR and KS1
Christmas Carol Service – singing/performance KS2
Brass tuition for Base 3 / Y3
Play with the Halle Orchestra – Base 3
1:1 Tuition: Violin, piano, keyboard, guitar