Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School – Curriculum Intent for Music

We strive to nurture a love of learning through excellence in learning, pastoral care and faith formation.

Faith

Hope

Love

       Our curriculum:

• Fosters a sense of awe and wonder so that learners are engaged and enthused
• Promotes fundamental British Values and encourages respect for everyone, embracing and celebrating all backgrounds and differences, providing musical experiences that stimulate children’s curiosity and understanding of music throughout cultures/history.
• Sets high expectations for all pupils so that no child is left behind so that they have faith in themselves and develop a growth mindset to become inquisitive and resilient learners;
• Promotes an understanding and acceptance of the validity and importance of all types of music and a respect for the role of music for the wellbeing of all members of the school and wider community.

      Our curriculum:

• Maintains and stimulates pupil curiosity, interest and enjoyment;
• Provides opportunities for children to progress by creating and composing music both individually and collaboratively, challenging themselves and others;
• Encourages children to learn to work effectively with others and build good relationships through music making.
• Develops self-confidence through sharing and performing music;
• Is continually developed through research, effective CPD and reflective dialogue and practice.

       Our curriculum:

• Promotes self-motivation and ownership for life-long learning;
• Provides all children with the opportunity to express themselves through different mediums;
• Aims to develop physical and mental health where we love and celebrate our talents and gifts;
• Engages and inspires pupils to develop a love and appreciation of a range of music and demonstrate their talents as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement.

Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School – Curriculum Implementation Music

We strive to nurture a love of learning through excellence in learning, pastoral care and faith formation. 

We follow the national curriculum statutory requirements as the basis for our long term and medium term planning. The National Curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils:

Perform, listen to, review and evaluate music;   Be taught to sing, create and compose music;  

Understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated.

Each subject has a curriculum map which shows not only the knowledge and skills but how these are built upon each year.

Where possible, cross-curricular links are made to deepen the learning experience so that pupils ‘learn more, know more, remember more’ (Ofsted, 2019).

Music and our values lie at the heart of Sacred Heart so we want our children to show their understanding of those values through music to add enjoyment and enrichment for everyone within the community, thus enhancing personal and community wellbeing. Music is taught throughout the school with all pupils attending weekly music lessons led by a specialist teacher.

The curriculum is delivered in a creative, sequential, inclusive and engaging way with open-ended tasks through creative units of work, as well as drawing on clear and comprehensive Music schemes such as Charanga for valuable resources to offer to further pupil learning.  Music technology is incorporated within the curriculum with use of iPad’s Garageband and other interactive compositional resources.

Music encompasses a range of dimensions and skills developed throughout the curriculum across all year groups:

• Singing – Singing is a large part of Sacred Heart school life. It supports pupils' wellbeing, self-esteem and the school's ethos. Pupils have opportunities to sing during daily collective worship in school as well as at the Sacred Heart Church and other performances such as the Light up Raynes Park festival. 
• Inter-related dimensions of music – pulse, rhythm, dynamics, tempo, texture, structure, pitch, duration, timbre and musical notation.
• Listening Appraisal – Develop aural skills through listening to a range of musical genres, analysing music and expressing opinions to live and recorded music.
• Playing and performing – Develop practical skills using voices, body percussion and instruments, both tuned and untuned through a well-resourced music room. Instrumental learning encourages self-discipline, expression through sound, development of fine motor and coordination skills and problem solving skills, as well as cooperating and collaborating with others and reading musical notation. MMF support with ‘Wider Opportunities’ for class learning of instruments e.g. clarinet/trumpet which can then be consolidated through lessons with peripatetic teachers.
• Evaluating – through listening appraisal, individual and group work, application and review of all musical skills and knowledge.

Early Years and Foundation Stage: 

Focus on singing and movement, developing listening skills and physical coordination, memory and aural skills. 

Develop vocal skills through speaking, chanting and singing with actions. 

Key Stage 1:  Strong emphasis on singing and movement.  Introduction of tuned and un-tuned percussion instruments, including body percussion, and forms of musical and rhythmic notation.

• Strengthen aural skills through listening to a wider range of music and begin their understanding of music genres and identification of instruments. 

Key Stage 2:

• KS1 skills further strengthened, analysing music and the elements in greater depth, develop understanding and application of musical notation to practical aspects.
• Explore a wider range of musical genres, broaden musical vocabulary, play a wider range of instruments of increased complexities and develop rhythmic and notation skills further through playing and composing. 

Children regularly sing together as classes, Key Stages and as a whole school. Children love sharing their music through various performances with the community with enormous pride and sense of achievement:

EYFS and Key Stage 1 perform the Nativity, Key Stage 2 perform their Carol Service, Year 6 and choir performances.

Extra curricular opportunities have included: Year 5 representing the school as part of a large Merton Choir at The Royal Albert Hall, Year 6 wider worship opportunities at prestigious cathedrals; fundraising opportunities. 

Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School – Curriculum Impact Music

We strive to nurture a love of learning through excellence in learning, pastoral care and faith formation.

As a result of a broad musical curriculum, children are exposed to and are able to understand and appreciate a range of music across cultures and genres; explore a range of music through listening, playing or composing, using their voices, bodies and instruments; enhance their wellbeing through multiple avenues of music, share and discuss their opinions, thoughts and ideas. 

Children’s musical abilities strengthen year on year, broadening their skills and understanding from learning simple songs with actions and performing simple rhythms and feel a pulse in EYFS/Key Stage 1 to confidently playing and learning new instruments, compose and perform more complex rhythms and have a deeper understanding of musical notation and vocabulary and apply their knowledge across different strands in Key Stage 2. Children access a range of music across their curriculum which varies according to their skills and interests to maintain enjoyment. 

Progress and impact monitoring is carried out through observations, questioning, application of learned skills and performances and how children reflect, contribute to and share their musical ideas.