Intent- Music at Parkfield

“Music has healing power. It has the ability to take people out of themselves for a few hours.” — Elton John

Research to inform practice: The Striking the right note report (2023) highlighted the significant variation in the quality of music education in the schools visited. Nonetheless, since the time of their previous subject report in 2012, many school leaders, particularly in primary schools, have taken important steps to give music a more prominent place on the curriculum. Many pupils now have regular opportunities to learn music.

Music is an established, valued and integral part of the school curriculum and is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. (Striking the right note: the music subject report: 2023) Our aim is for all children, regardless of background or circumstance, to access a broad and balanced music curriculum which will allow them to develop their creativity and a life-long appreciation of music through the key skills of listening, performing and composing. Our high-quality music education engages and inspires pupils to develop a critical engagement with music and to progress as practical musicians as they move through the school. It also promotes self-confidence and sense of achievement.

The national curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils: 

• 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 to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence 
• Understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.

Implementation

EYFS 

Our music programme of study begins in EYFS. The EYFS framework is structured very differently to the National Curriculum as it is organised across seven areas of learning rather than subject areas.  The most relevant Early Years outcomes for music are taken from: Being Imaginative and Expressive, where children work towards their Early Learning Goals which are the prerequisite skills for music within the National Curriculum. There is a strong focus upon the characteristics of effective learning which include Playing and Exploring, Active Learning and Creating and Thinking Critically. Children are encouraged to invent, adapt and recount narratives and stories with peers and their teacher; sing a range of well-known nursery rhymes and songs and perform songs, rhymes, poems and stories with others, and – when appropriate – try to move in time with music.

Key Stage 1 and 2 

At Parkfield we have based our curriculum around the Model Music Curriculum guidance. The Model Music Curriculum is a non-statutory resource that provides a practical framework through which the statutory requirements of the curriculum can be met. Our music specialist plans and delivers our music curriculum.  All children have a music lesson each week so that exposure is frequent and consistent.  The aim of the Model Music Curriculum is to ensure a universal provision of music education, for all pupils in all schools. In time and resources, this provision is as follows:

• EYFS receive a 20-minute explicit music lesson every week.
• At Key Stages 1 and 2, pupils should receive a minimum of one hour of teaching a week
• In Years 3 or 4, it is recommended that each class should start a whole-class instrumental programme lasting a minimum of one term (Year 4) This is supported by specialist music teachers. At Parkfield Year 4 pupils learn cornet for half a year.
• Across Key Stage 1 and 2 children gain experience of using a variety of rhythmic and melodic instruments, such as: unpitched and pitched percussion, keyboards, ukuleles, recorders, cornets and music technology using chrome books.

• In addition, every child participates in a 20-minute singing practice assembly every week.  Year 6 are currently receiving music technology/song writing lessons delivered by a teacher from Castle School as part of the Castle in the Community outreach programme. 

The music curriculum has been carefully planned to ensure that it is broad and balanced and that it promotes progression right across the school. There are four key skills: singing, composing, listening and performing. Each skill builds year on year- please refer to skills coverage below.

Singing

Through good vocal production, careful listening and well-developed sense of pitch, pupils should be able to sing in harmony and with musical delivery by the end of Year 6. Many aspects of good singing and good singing teaching are processes that will develop slowly over time. The following principles are embedded into our singing curriculum::

• Warm ups will help pupils use their voices safely. There are many places to find good examples of vocal warm ups, and they will typically include vocalising, sirening and simple scales, as well as games to energise pupils.
• Breathing. Increasing control of airflow will help pupils to sing longer phrases, adjust dynamics, improve tuning and phrase melodies expressively.
• Posture. A relaxed but stable stance (soft knees) sets the body up to produce an unforced but well-focused sound. Pupils, especially younger pupils, will often want to move to the music and this helps to facilitate that.
• Dynamics. When appropriate, class singing should include a dynamic range as a key expressive tool. Confident singing will often be loud but need not tip over into shouting.
• Phrasing gives shape to melodic lines. Through small dynamic changes, it helps emphasise important syllables and create musical interest in the melody.
• Context. Music can often be brought to life by considering the context in which it was written, or by discussing the meaning of any words.
• Vocal health. Warming up before singing, staying hydrated, resting voices, particularly when there is lots of singing to do, keeping vocal muscles relaxed.

Listening

Listening to music is fundamental to musical understanding. By learning to listen critically, pupils will not only expand their musical horizons but also gain a deeper understanding of how music is constructed and the impact it can have on the listener. Listening to a broad range of music also helps develop other areas of musical activity, including composing and performing. Music is one of the central building blocks of any culture and the shared knowledge of music is crucial cultural capital in understanding where we came from and our place in the world. We aim for children to be knowledgeable about the breadth of musical genres in the world today.

Composing

The creative process, with its wide horizons of possibility, gives pupils an opportunity to contribute to musical culture in unique and valuable ways. As pupils travel through the Key Stages, they will develop the craft of creating melodies and fashioning these into short pieces. Familiarity with music in a range of styles and genres is crucial for developing the aural understanding needed to compose music. Our yearly planning ensures that music listened to and performed is linked and that both of these activities inform pupils’ composition. The development of a reliable musical memory is a valuable skill for performers and composers. As an integral part of composition work, pupils should practise recalling, e.g., melodic shapes, harmonic sequences, rhythmic patterns and sections of their compositions.

Performing

Creating opportunities to celebrate, share and experience music of all kinds consolidates the learning within the Model Music Curriculum. The following principles of performance apply across all Key Stages:

• Develop stagecraft. Develop a sense of confidence and ownership regardless of the size or nature of the stage or performing/recording space; engage with an audience; respect fellow performers and acknowledge applause.
• Consider the programme. The sequence of items should maximise impact and maintain audience engagement. Aim for a clear beginning, middle and end for any performance activity.
• Encourage peer feedback. Create an environment where pupils can constructively express their thoughts on performances. This is a valuable way to develop listening skills and musical vocabulary.
• Seek out opportunities for collaboration. If more than one class or group is performing, is there an additional item they can present together?

Special Educational Needs

Music has a rare and unique ability to bring people together; music making can make a whole class, school and community feel connected to others and part of something bigger. Potential areas of difficulty are identified and addressed. Lessons are planned to address potential areas of difficulty and to remove barriers to pupil achievement, by many forms of adaptive teaching- where appropriate- and this may include 1:1 support. Adaptive teaching methods include: widget song pintables, peer scaffolding, differentiated versions of performances etc.

How do we assess? 

• Assessment takes many forms, which includes both formative and summative assessments. 
• Each session begins with a recap to ensure that prior knowledge has been retained and can be built upon. 
• Each session also ends with a plenary (bringing the learning together) designed to consolidate learning. 
• Informal ongoing teacher assessment and peer assessment.
• Progress and achievement is recorded at the end of each topic. These assessments are based upon the learning outcomes which are linked to the National Curriculum Programmes of Study and linear threads/key concepts/key skills.

Cultural Capital

We pride ourselves on providing both equal and equitable opportunities in music. We have numerous extra-curricular music activities on offer at Parkfield including three choirs, an orchestra and four recorder groups. All Year 4 pupils have an opportunity to learn brass. We have nine visiting instrumental teachers who provide individual and small group tuition throughout the week on piano, drums, guitar, ukulele, flute, clarinet, oboe, saxophone, violin, brass and voice. All children have the opportunity to perform in concerts and events throughout the school year. These include the Harvest Festival, EYFS Nativity, Year 1 Christmas Concert and Year 2 Nativity. The KS2 Carol Service, Community Concert at Castle School (Year 5 & 6 choir), EYFS Summer Show, KS1 and KS2 Summer Concert and Last Night of the Proms. In addition to all of the above, Year 6 instrumentalists also perform an instrumental recital in February in St John’s Church. To ensure equity, pupil premium children are able to choose musical instrument tuition for 12 weeks of the academic year.

Impact

By the end of their time at Parkfield, as musicians, the children will be:

• Successful learners who can perform both on their own and with others and have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument.  
• Confident individuals who can create and compose music for a range of purposes both on their own and with others and have the opportunity to use technology appropriately.  

Responsible citizens who can listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of genres, styles and historical periods and have the opportunity to explore the music of great composers and musicians.