Music

Music curriculum statement

Our school vision
The Lord says, ‘I will instruct you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye
on you.’ Psalm 32:8

We live our vision with three dynamics at the heart: Living, Learning & Flourishing together.
We live as role models and advocate good choices
We learn in all we do with a loving eye upon us
We flourish in the way we go, within school and into the world beyond
Our five Core Values are: Kindness – Koinonia – Compassion – Responsibility – Forgiveness
Through a positive, caring environment, we provide the opportunity for every child to reach
their full potential. We embrace Christian values and ensure all children are ready for their
next steps. This statement sets out how we do this in Music.
INTENT
At Great Massingham and Harpley Primary Schools Federation, we believe Music is a unique way
of communicating that can inspire and motivate children. It is a vehicle for personal expression,
and it can play an important part in the personal development of people. Music reflects the
culture and society we LIVE in, and so the teaching and learning of music enables children to
better understand the world they live in. Besides being a creative and enjoyable activity, music
can also be a highly academic and demanding subject. It also plays an important part in helping
children feel part of a community. We provide opportunities for all children to create, play,
perform and enjoy music, to develop the skills, to appreciate a wide variety of musical forms,
and to begin to make judgements about the quality of music.

The objectives of teaching music in our school are to enable children to LEARN to :
 know and understand how sounds are made and then organised into musical structures;
 know how music is made through a variety of instruments;
 know how music is composed and written down;
 know how music is influenced by the time, place and purpose for which it was written;
 develop the interrelated skills of performing, composing and appreciating music.

We make music an enjoyable learning experience. We encourage children to participate in a
variety of musical experiences through which we aim to build up the confidence of all children.
At Key Stage Two, music is predominantly taught by a Peripatetic County Music Teacher.
Singing lies at the heart of good music teaching. Our teaching focuses on developing the
children’s ability to sing in tune and with other people. Through singing songs, children learn
about the structure and organisation of music. We teach them to listen to and appreciate
different forms of music. As children get older, we expect them to maintain their concentration
for longer, and to listen to more extended pieces of music. Children develop descriptive skills in
music lessons when learning about how music can represent feelings and emotions. We teach
children to make music together, to understand musical notation, and to compose pieces.
This is of paramount importance in supporting our children to FLOURISH in the next stages of
their learning.

IMPLEMENT
Teacher’s plan using the National curriculum for music as the basis for its curriculum planning.
As members of the Norfolk Music Hub, our teachers have access to the Charanga online Music
resource. While there are opportunities for children of all abilities to develop their skills and
knowledge in each teaching unit, the progression planned into the scheme of work means that
the children are increasingly challenged as they move through the school.
Effective provision is in place to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities
(SEND) ensuring equality of access and flourishing. This may involve additional small targeted
support, nurture groups and at times re-structuring the learning environment.
We teach music in reception classes as an integral part of the topic work covered during the
year. As the reception class is part of the Early Years Foundation Stage of the National
Curriculum, we relate the musical aspects of the children’s work to the objectives set out in the
Early Learning Goals (ELGs) which underpin the curriculum planning for children aged three to
five. Music contributes to a child’s personal and social development. Counting songs foster a

child’s mathematical ability, and songs from different cultures increase a child’s knowledge and
understanding of the world.
We believe that music enriches the lives of people, and so we wish to involve as many children as
possible in musical activities. We provide opportunities throughout the year for budding
musicians to perform for the school community. This includes solo and ensemble performances
as part of assemblies and concerts. This recognises their achievements and celebrates their
success.
In addition to the weekly Music lesson, Children are offered the opportunity to study a musical
instrument with peripatetic teachers. Peripatetic music teaching is provided by independent
music teachers. Parents who want their children to participate must pay the additional music
lesson fees on a termly basis. These lessons are normally taught to individuals or small groups of
children who have chosen to learn one of a variety of instruments, such as the guitar, drums or
piano. This is in addition to the normal music teaching of the school, but usually takes place
during curriculum time.

IMPACT
We will know our Music Curriculum is having the desired impact on our children when:
 they can talk enthusiastically about their Music lessons
 pupils can explain the key vocabulary and use it appropriately in lessons;
Children demonstrate their ability in music in a variety of different ways. Teachers will assess
children’s work in music by making informal judgements as they observe them during lessons. On
completion of a piece of work, the teacher assesses the work and gives oral or written feedback
as necessary to inform future progress. Older pupils are encouraged to make judgements about
how they can improve their own work. At the end of a unit of work, the teacher makes a
summary judgement about the work of each pupil in relation to the National Curriculum, and
records these assessments.