Music
“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” – Plato
Music Lead - Mrs Sarah Parekh
Intent
‘A high-quality music education should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement.’ (Department of Education, National Curriculum)
At St Dennis Primary Academy, our intent is to deliver a comprehensive music curriculum that empowers every child to reach their full potential as musicians. We are committed to fostering a deep appreciation for music, encouraging students to experience joy and a sense of well-being through singing, composing, and performing. Our curriculum is designed to provide numerous opportunities for children to showcase their talents in front of an audience, thereby enhancing their confidence and sense of achievement.
We recognise the transformative power of music and strive to integrate it across all areas of the curriculum. By doing so, we aim to harness music's potential to significantly contribute to children's holistic development. Our approach not only enhances musical skills but also promotes essential life skills such as leadership, teamwork, concentration, and problem-solving.
Through our music education, we aspire to cultivate a vibrant community of young musicians who are not only skilled but also confident, creative, and ready to embrace the challenges of the future.
Implementation
Our curriculum is centred around ‘Charanga’, a music-based scheme, ensuring the children are involved in activities which develop their skills of listening, singing, playing, analysing, evaluating and composing. They also have an opportunity to develop an understanding of musical terms and notation.
Each Charanga unit of work comprises the of strands of musical learning which correspond with the National Curriculum for music:
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
Through the Charanga scheme, musical activities are based around a song and musical games embed the interrelated dimensions of music. But singing is at the heart of all of our musical learning, as well as playing instruments to accompany the song to be learnt (tuned/un-tuned classroom percussion). A sound-before-symbol approach is used but scores provide children with an understanding of notation. Throughout the Charanga units, they improvise with the song, using voices and instruments and compose with the song using instruments.
Performing and sharing happen throughout a Charanga unit with children working towards an end performance.
In our music teaching at St Dennis Primary Academy we:
- Ensure that children are introduced to a wide variety of historical periods, styles, traditions, and musical genres.
- Are committed to ensuring children understand the value and importance of music in the wider community and take every opportunity to share our music-making with others in our locality.
- Aim to incorporate music into all areas of the curriculum as we understand its potential in contributing to the ‘whole’ child.
- Work collaboratively with music providers such as Cornwall Music Hub and other music tutors to share expertise.
- Provide opportunities for as many children as possible to learn to play an instrument through First Access, Rock Steady and guitar lessons.
- Allow children to express their feelings and emotions through music.
- Plan for children’s good musical progression of knowledge and skills across the school using the National Curriculum, Charanga Music Scheme and the Model Music Curriculum.
- Work collaboratively as whole class, in the choir, school band or class group to work as a group and evaluate and improve performances.
- Use digital software to compose our own music and develop music technology skills.
We also have a new musician that we learn about in assembly each half term. We learn about the artisit, listen to their music and learn to sing some of their songs. This year we have learnt about Bob Marley, The Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel.
Visit our Collective Workship page to learn more.
SEND
At St Dennis Primary Academy, we believe that every child deserves access to a high-quality music education that meets their individual needs. Our music curriculum is designed to be inclusive and adaptable, ensuring that all students can participate and thrive in their musical journey. Here are some key adaptations we implement:
Differentiated Instruction
We tailor our teaching methods to accommodate various learning styles and abilities. This includes providing different levels of complexity in musical tasks, allowing students to engage with the material at their own pace.
Use of Technology
We incorporate technology to enhance learning experiences. Tools such as music composition software and online resources allow students to explore music creation in innovative ways, catering to those who may benefit from visual or auditory aids.
Multi-Sensory Approaches
Our curriculum employs multi-sensory strategies to engage all learners. This includes using visual aids, tactile instruments, and movement activities to help students connect with music in diverse ways.
Flexible Grouping
We utilise flexible grouping strategies, allowing students to work in pairs or small groups based on their interests and abilities. This promotes collaboration and peer support, fostering a sense of community within the classroom.
Individual Support
For students with specific needs, we provide tailored support, including one-on-one instruction or small group sessions. This ensures that every child receives the guidance they need to succeed in their musical pursuits.
Cultural Inclusivity
We celebrate diversity by incorporating a wide range of musical genres and cultural traditions into our curriculum. This not only enriches students' musical experiences but also fosters an appreciation for different cultures and perspectives.
Performance Opportunities
We offer various performance opportunities, from class showcases to school concerts, ensuring that all students can share their musical talents in a supportive environment. This helps build confidence and a sense of accomplishment.
Feedback and Reflection
We encourage regular feedback and self-reflection, allowing students to assess their progress and set personal goals. This practice promotes a growth mindset and empowers students to take ownership of their learning.
By implementing these adaptations, we strive to create an inclusive and engaging music education environment at St Dennis Primary Academy. Our goal is to inspire a lifelong love of music in every child, helping them develop their unique talents and skills
Enrichment
At St Dennis Primary Academy, we believe that music education extends beyond the classroom, enriching the lives of our students in profound ways. We enhance the core curriculum by providing students with diverse opportunities to explore, create, and perform music in a supportive and inspiring environment. This includes a wide variety of clubs as well as work with visiting musicians and music tuition.
Impact
At St Dennis Primary Academy, our music education program has a profound and lasting impact on our students, shaping not only their musical abilities but also their personal and social development. Through a comprehensive and engaging music curriculum, we aim to achieve the following outcomes:
- Enhanced Musical Skills
- Increased Confidence and Self-Esteem
- Improved Social Skills
- Cognitive Development
- Emotional Well-Being
- Cultural Awareness
- Lifelong Love of Music
Opportunities to perform to own class, whole school, parents or within our local environment ensure our children understand the significance and place of music within the wider world and that these excite and inspire children’s thirst for knowledge and participation in the subject and foster a deep sense of well-being. Music offers lifelong opportunities for the development of imagination, sensitivity, inventiveness, risk-taking and enjoyment. Musical activity, alone or with others, contributes to our children’s developing creativity and self-esteem.
Sharing the philosophy of Cornwall Music Hub, we will champion, celebrate and develop Cornwall’s rich music heritage and through inclusive, dynamic and innovative learning, will inspire children and young people to achieve their musical potential.
We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:
- Formative assessing of children’s understanding of topic (including vocabulary) before, during and after a unit is taught through a range of methods.
- We are currently working on a form of summative assessment
- Images and videos of the children’s practical learning
- Interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice)
- Annual reporting to parents of standards across the curriculum
How does music promote British Values?
In our music lessons at St Dennis, children from a very young age, learn about the need to establish a clear set of rules when listening, performing and composing: working together as a team, taking turns with the instruments, listening when someone is playing and deciding on whose ideas are going to be used in a composition.
Children are encouraged to make choices about the music they like to listen to or choose to perform and are respected for their individual preferences.
Children are encouraged to appreciate the fact that music from all cultures and traditions around the world develops and contributes positively to British music. Children are taught songs that reflect our strong heritage in Britain as well as those which are important to our local traditions in Cornwall.
How does music promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural development?
At St Dennis we encourage this aspect of the curriculum through the experience and emotion of listening and responding to music, composition and performance. We encourage our pupils to express their feelings verbally when responding to a piece of music. Where pupils are sensitive about expressing their feelings, we support them appropriately so that they have the confidence to do so. Spiritual skills are further developed by encouraging children to be inspired and creative, such as in the Year 1 ‘Your imagination’ unit.
We encourage our children at St Dennis to engage in critical discussions of musical performances both from other students and visiting artists. Where there is a specific cultural or social reference that is explicit in a piece of music, we encourage our children to reflect upon this. Where children have presented their own work, we ensure fair and objective assessment and evaluation of their composition. Improving on performances requires self-discipline, resilience and commitment as shown by performing arts club when rehearsing for the TPAT Musical showcase.
Children engage in group tasks to encourage a sense of unity and collaboration, enabling them to be aware of their own individual abilities and strengths. We also encourage the skills of independence and resilience. Where they are required to express their feelings, students are encouraged to do this sensitively with an awareness of the needs of others. Our choirs, the school band and guitar group all require children to contribute to a joint performance, as part of a team.
By listening to a wide range of styles and genres in music, we encourage respect and a deep appreciation of cultures around the world. This philosophy also underpins our selection of music for assemblies and performances. We encourage children to create their own music, incorporating different musical influences in their own compositions, such as in Year 3 where they study Reggae. We use a wide variety of instruments from around the world including brass band instrments, African Djemba drums and Latin American Samba to enrich our cultural experiences.
How to help at home
All children who are interested in music are encouraged to embrace this enthusiasm further by being involved in musical activities outside of school, examples of these include
Many children who learn to play in our St Dennis school band often join local youth Brass bands
Music Academy | St Dennis Band
Music Learning can continue at home using Charanga’s Yumu
https://charanga.com/site/home-learning/
Music Technology software