Music
“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” – Plato
Music Lead - Mrs Cathy Brokenshire
We are proud to be a Music Mark School! We were nominated for this in recognition of the high-quality curriculum and enrichment at St Dennis Primary Academy!
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 aim is to provide a music curriculum that will enable each and every child to reach their full potential in music, encourage children to develop an enjoyment and sense of positive wellbeing by a shared love of singing, composing and performing, and provide children with as many opportunities as possible to perform in front of an audience.
We aim to incorporate music into all areas of the curriculum as we understand the potential of music to make a
significant contribution to children’s development: increasing confidence and self-esteem, developing leadership, team working, concentration and problem-solving skills.
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.
Impact
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.
Music 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
http://cornwallmusiceducationhub.org/ensembles-choirs/cornwall-county-choirs/
Many children who learn to play in our St Dennis school band often join local youth Brass bands
http://stdennisband.co.uk/youth-band
https://bodmintownband.wixsite.com/bodmin-town-band/youth-band
Music Learning can continue at home using Charanga’s Yumu
https://charanga.com/site/home-learning/
Music Technology software