Music

"Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand."

Stevie Wonder

Subject Leader: Vicky Bayliss

Subject Governor: Annabel Young

Music Curriculum Intent

Music is at the heart of Pinders Primary School, where we believe that everyone can be a musician. Our pupils learn that music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. It is our intent that we make music an inspiring and enjoyable learning experience which develops the children’s musical skills and knowledge. Music allows opportunity for personal expression and plays an important part in personal development and mental health and well-being. Our Music curriculum aims to promote the enthusiasm for, and the enjoyment of, music in all its forms. By engaging children in musical experiences, we offer our children opportunities to develop skills, attitudes and attributes that can support learning in other curriculum areas as well as developing life skills such as listening, the ability to concentrate, creativity, self-confidence and a sensitivity towards others.

To ensure our pupils have the best opportunity to acquire and nurture their musical talents and awareness, we invest in both specialist provision and the ‘Charanga’ program. This scheme teaches the children to listen and respond to a variety of musical genres, through the medium of singing, playing instruments, exploring form and composing their own musical creations. We teach significant people in music through our assemblies, covering music across different time periods, cultures and traditions. This supports children to understand the cultural capital of being open minded in their listening as well as knowledgeable about a breadth of musical genres in the world today. At Pinders Primary, music is beyond our curriculum, where singing is an integral part of school life. We take pride in our music achievements both in and out of school. As a link with our British Values, the school is annually chosen to be the sole children's choir to sing at the Mayor of Wakefield's service in Wakefield Cathedral. It is our intention for all pupils to leave Pinders Primary as performers and composers with a love of music for life.

Aims in teaching Music at Pinders Primary School:

We aim:

• To develop children's musical knowledge and skills.
• To foster a love of music in all pupils.
• To develop children's understanding, make musical judgements, apply their new learning, develop their aural memory, express themselves physically, emotionally and through discussion and create their own musical ideas.
• For children to become musicians who are able to share and perform using their music skills.

How is the content/theme chosen?

We invest in the 'Charanga' program which teaches children to listen and respond to a variety of musical genres, through the medium of singing, playing instruments, exploring form and composing their own musical creations. This program also gives teachers the confidence to teach music effectively. As well as 'Charanga', we teach significant composers/performers in music in our assemblies, which were chosen to cover a range of music across different time periods, cultures and traditions.

Our Statutory National Curriculum Programme for Music

How is the subject taught?

At Pinders Primary School, a clear and comprehensive scheme of work in line with the National Curriculum is in place. A two year long term rolling programme maps out the coverage of the discrete teaching and learning opportunities for children to use and explore a variety of musical skills and knowledge. At our school, we use the 'Charanga' program and have tailored this to meet the needs of our school. We teach music weekly so that skills can be built upon. 

Below is how we deliver a music lesson at Pinders Primary:

All children in Key Stage 2 in Pinders Primary are provided with lessons from a specialist music teacher in the ukulele (Lower Key Stage 2) and the djembe (Upper Key Stage 2). 

A selection of children also have specialist tuition weekly, learning either the violin or the trumpet.

How do we ensure progression of knowledge and skills?

At Pinders Primary School we have a comprehensive skills progression document, to ensure sequenced and appropriate content for specific year groups, as well as a build up of skills.

Progression Videos

Becoming a Musician

When children are learning about music through a discrete teaching session, they are explicitly told that today they are going to be 'musicians'. They are then reminded of the key skills that they will learn, use and develop within music.

Teaching Music in EYFS

Planning and teaching in EYFS is similar to that in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. The children are expected to develop a specific set of skills and knowledge appropriate to their age. This is often beyond the expectations that are set out in the end of year Early Learning Goals, as we prepare them with the skills they need for year 1.

As well as weekly 'Charanga' Music lessons where we discretely teach the knowledge and skills, children in EYFS are given the opportunity to continually practise and embed their music skills through the areas of provision set up in the indoor and outdoor learning environments.

Music and British Values

Reading in Music

Books are a central part of our Music curriculum and every new topic starts with a book.

Below is an overview of the books embedded into our Music curriculum.

How do we develop cultural capital in Music?

Cultural capital is the accumulation of knowledge, behaviours and skills that a child can draw upon and which demonstrates their cultural awareness, knowledge and competence; it is one of the key ingredients a pupil will draw upon to be successful in society, their career and the world of work.

Cultural capital is at the heart of our Music curriculum at Pinders Primary School. We ensure that throughout the children's musical education they can experience listening to and performing a wide variety of genres from different cultures. These include reggae, classical, jazz, rock, blues, pop, folk, hip-hop, ballads and many more. Each genre stems from a different part of the world and builds children’s knowledge and understanding of these places. We also learn about a variety of composers/performers from different genres and parts of the world in our assemblies.

Significant people in Music

Our curriculum provides our pupils with the opportunities to know about great composers/performers both in the past and present.

What does Music look like at Pinders Primary School?

Curriculum Documentation

Music research links

Parent support/links