Button Lane Primary School

Music

Music Lead - Mrs Prosol

Intent 

We believe that music is a way for children to express themselves through singing, composing and performing. Our pupils should have plentiful opportunities to explore their musicality and develop skills, finding a way to enjoy music that suits their interests. Learning about different composers, genres, instruments and cultures enriches their view on the world and instils values that they will carry with them throughout life.

We aim to deliver a creative, varied, and engaging programme of high quality classroom music that sets out the knowledge, skills and understanding to be gained by all pupils at each stage of learning. We offer pupils opportunities to learn multiple instruments through whole class teaching during their time at Button Lane and develop individual talent by offering small group tuition, leading to ABRSM grades.

Our Music curriculum takes an integrated approach to musical learning which is progressive and meets the requirements of the National Curriculum for Music and many of the suggested approaches of the Model Music Curriculum.

Implementation

Our Music Curriculum

Beginning in Early Years, children learn and sing songs and rhymes that relate to ‘Personal, Social and Emotional Development’ and ‘Understanding the World’.

In Key Stage 1, pupils develop their singing, listening and composing skills through units that focus on developing memory, call and echo/response, chants, rap and rhymes. Pupils also begin learning a tuned instrument at the end of Year 2.

In Key Stage 2, children have multiple opportunities to learn a range of tuned instruments through both whole-class and small group teaching, with some pupils completing graded exams. Through classroom music, pupils build on the skills of singing, listening, composing and performing through a variety of genres and historical and cultural contexts including; World Folk, Classical, Rap, Jazz, Gospel, the American civil rights movement and WW1. Pupils deepen their understanding of staff notation, scales and the interrelated dimensions of music: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture and structure.

Instrumental Tuition

At Button Lane Primary School, pupils have multiple opportunities to access instrumental tuition throughout their education. Mr Sanderson, a peripatetic teacher from One Education Music, provides first access and wider opportunities for children across our school.

Year 2 - Whole Class Tin Whistle tuition 

Year 3 - Whole Class Tin Whistle tuition

Year 4 - Whole Class Violin and Guitar tuition

Year 5 - Whole Class Ukulele tuition

Year 6 - Whole Class Samba & Rock Band 

Inclusive Music Class for pupils with SEN - One term per year throughout KS2 

Violin and Guitar Grades - Small groups for Year 4 upwards throughout the year 

Impact

Assessment is used as a tool to inform our teaching and learning and to measure the impact of the curriculum we have created. We vary our approach to assessment to ensure it is tailored towards each subject. It takes place purposefully and meaningfully at key points across the year.

We assess Music in the following ways:

• Observations and formative assessment take place during Music
• Weekly reviews to assess prior knowledge and starting points at the beginning of each lesson 
• Moderation within school using the pupils books, observations and end of unit projects/outcomes using clear descriptors 
• Pupil Voice

Conversations between subject leaders and class teachers take place to ensure that standards across the curriculum are monitored and reported annually to staff,  parent’s and  governors