Music

Intent

At Pembury Primary School, we value and celebrate music. Our pupils will learn that music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. We aim to inspire children to cultivate a love of music and to develop their talent as musicians to increase self-confidence and creativity. We provide a diverse range of opportunities to enable personal expression and emotional development. Children will develop their critical skills, auditory learning and increase working memory, allowing them to compose and listen to music with increasing awareness to make musical judgements. Children will be encouraged to be actively involved in different forms of music making: as an individual, small group or large ensemble. Through performances, children will showcase their talent and increase their awareness of others whilst performing.

Implementation

Our curriculum is informed by the National Curriculum and delivered through the Charanga scheme of work to ensure the progressive development of musical concepts, knowledge and skills.

Each unit of work has an on-going musical learning focus and lessons usually follow a specific learning sequence:

1. Listening and Appraising

2. Musical Activities
            a. Warm-up Games
            b. Optional Flexible Games
            c. Singing
            d. Playing instruments
            e. Improvisation
            f. Composition

3. Performing

Charanga units of work enable children to understand musical concepts through a repetition-based approach to learning. Learning about the same musical concept through different musical activities enables a more secure, deeper learning and mastery of musical skills.

There are opportunities for children to learn instruments taught by class teachers or music specialists. Recorders and glockenspiels are taught throughout the school. Year 4 has a year of WCT (Whole Class Teaching) funded by Kent Music. These lessons incorporate learning to play as well as musical notation and singing. There are also numerous individual and small group lesson opportunities for strings, brass, woodwind, percussion and guitar.

Most children are involved in Christmas plays or carol concerts and there is a Year 6 production at the end of the year. We hold a biennial whole school music event showcasing the skilled players in our school.

Impact

Children will

• 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 use their voices;
• learn to create and compose music on their own and with others;
• have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument;
• use technology appropriately;
• understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the interrelated dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.