Gledhow Primary School
A Policy Document for Music
‘Music is so much a part of the background of every day life that it tends to be taken for granted. Yet, for many people it is a powerful focus for creative energy, and one which both stimulates and guides the imagination. Music education aims to develop aesthetic sensitivity and creative ability in all pupils.’
John Stephens, co-editor with George Pratt of ‘Teaching Music in the National Curriculum’ (Heinemann), 1995
General Aim and Philosophy
The aim of music teaching at Gledhow is to provide enjoyable experiences that will develop the children’s skills within and beyond the requirements of the National Curriculum. This will enable them to foster an understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of a wide range of music; and the motivation and confidence to be involved in playing and performing music which will carry them through to the next stage of learning and into their adult lives.
Objectives
Music is recognised by the National Curriculum orders as a practical activity and the children’s enjoyment and understanding will be developed through a coherent and holistic approach to the activities of performing, composing, listening and appraising.
At each stage of the pupils’ school career they will be given appropriate activities that will provide opportunities to acquire skills and knowledge to:
· allow them to develop their full musical potential.
· develop confidence and promote opportunities to share the experience of creating and performing to a range of audiences.
· develop the understanding and appreciation of music from different cultures and times.
Planning, Assessment, Recording and Reporting
Gledhow’s scheme of work (Appendix A) for Music provides progressive activities based on the development of understanding of the musical elements and skills as detailed in the National Curriculum.
Throughout the delivery of the music curriculum, on-going formative assessments should be made in order to identify what should be done next to build on current achievement. It is not necessary to make formal assessments of every pupil on every task but a summative assessment should be made at the end of each unit. Observing a pupil’s musical behaviour and listening to their music and the way in which they talk about music should support assessments. Level Descriptors set out the standard of performance expected.
It would be helpful to keep a limited amount of examples of any tangible work produced with teacher comments on the effectiveness of the activity. These could then be kept in topic files or added to a file of digital recordings and photographs as evidence of work throughout school.
Delivery
Music is recognised by the National Curriculum orders as a practical activity and the children’s enjoyment, listening and the application of their knowledge and understanding should be developed through a coherent and holistic approach to the interrelated skills of performing, composing and appraising.
Music lessons will be delivered by the Music Co-ordinator or by the class teacher in a series of discrete lessons but with links to topics or other areas of the curriculum whenever possible (Appendix B).
In Year 4 all children learn an instrument – the ukulele – in class lessons.
At the Foundation Stage Music comes under the umbrella heading of ‘Creative Development’ and provides opportunities to experience and respond to musical stimuli. Musical experiences should generally form an integral part of the children’s environment.
There should usually be one timetabled class music session each week in addition to any year group singing practices that may be deemed appropriate for example, when preparing for special performances.
Teaching methods are not prescribed but the experiences given to the children should provide opportunities to respond as individuals, in pairs, in groups and as a whole class.
The Enhanced Curriculum
External providers give our pupils the opportunity to learn guitar, upper string, brass and woodwind instruments during school time. Whenever possible the After School Activities Club and lunchtime clubs offer opportunities for more musical activities such as ukulele groups, ocarina, keyboard and choirs.
The children will be given opportunities to take part in performances and to attend concerts at other venues. Professional musicians are periodically invited to school to demonstrate different instruments and musical skills or to lead workshops.
Access to the curriculum – Equal Opportunities
Access to the Music curriculum should be appropriate for all pupils regardless of social, ethnic and cultural origins, gender and physical and mental ability. Activities will be differentiated and adapted so that there are equal opportunities for challenge and for all to succeed.
Musically gifted pupils will be encouraged to take up opportunities to develop their skills within school and through other providers e.g. Artforms and local high schools.
Management and Support
The Co-ordinator is responsible for co-ordinating activities and resources and providing expertise. He / she should have knowledge of current trends and developments and support other staff by arranging appropriate CPD or by planning discussions, team teaching or providing demonstration lessons as and when appropriate.
Resources for Learning
Resources to support the delivery of music will be organised, updated and repaired through the Music Co-ordinator who will submit an annual budget plan.
Use of Information and Communication Technology
Pupils should be given opportunities to apply and develop their ICT capability through the use of ICT tools to support their learning e.g. by using recording equipment to recall sounds and identify and make improvements, use software designed to explore sounds, use software for personal research, use a keyboard to explore sound.
Monitoring and Reviewing the policy
The policy and scheme of work will be monitored throughout its delivery and adjustments made as appropriate.
A formal review will take place every two years.
Review Date / Reviewer / Staff Meeting Review Date / Governors ratified Date / Uploaded toMy Schools
February 2013 / Joy Burrows
Appendix A
Scheme of Work for Music
The school broadly follows the music scheme, Music Express (A & C Black) but it is augmented by additional activities as and when appropriate.
Music Express has been selected as it fulfils the requirements of the Music National Curriculum and is based on the structure of the exploration-based units of the QCA scheme of work, including the on-going skills units (1, 8 and 15). It is user friendly, well planned and does not require the teacher to be able to read music.
The scheme provides a steady progression plan within each year group and from one year to the next, ensuring consistent musical development.
Each of the six units in each year group are divided into six detailed lesson plans, fitting neatly into the school’s curriculum delivery cycle. The planning provides three activities per lesson that may be taught in one longer music lesson, or over two or three shorter lessons to suit the class timetable.
Opportunities are identified throughout for evaluating the children’s work and monitoring their progress. Levels 1 to 5 objectives and outcomes for each of the six units are outlined below/ overleaf.
Exploring: / A Sounds / B Duration / C Pulse and Rhythm / D Pitch / E Instruments & Symbols / F Timbre, Tempo & DynamicsObjectives / Outcomes
LEVEL 1 / 1. 1. To recognise and explore
2. how sounds are made and changed.
3. / Children identify different sound sources, make sounds and listen carefully. / Can recognise long and short sounds and make longer and shorter sounds with their voices. / Can identify the beat in different pieces of music and join in at faster and slower tempi (speeds). / Can follow pitch movement with their hands and use high, low and middle voices. / Can identify a range of percussion instruments and the way their sound can be changed. / Can identify how different sounds can describe different images.
4. 2. To use their voices in
5. different ways. / Can make sounds and identify how they have been made. / Know the difference between and can make long and short sounds with their voice. / Can chant or sing, identifying the beat in different pieces of music and join in at faster or slower tempi. / Is aware of changes in pitch and can match the pitch given by the leader (teacher or pupil). / X / Can use their voice in different ways (timbre) to sing expressively.
6. 3. To identify simple
7. repeated patterns.
8. / Can repeat simple sounds. / Can create firework sounds that are short and long using voice/ instruments. / Can identify the rhythm of the words and perform them to a given beat. / Can play and sing phrases from dot pitch notation. / To identify simple repeated patterns from a pictorial score / Can select appropriate body percussion sounds to respond to a graphic score.
9. 4. To repeat short rhythmic and melodic patterns. / Can use instruments to copy the leader’s rhythmic pattern. / Can create a sequence of long and short sounds. / Can recall and perform simple rhythm patterns to a steady beat. / Can create or choose sounds in response to a given stimulus e.g. The Jack and the Beanstalk story. / Follow graphic symbols to identify how to play rhythm and melody patterns e.g, getting louder/quieter. / Can choose repeated instrumental sounds to accompany a song.
10. 5. To recognise well-defined changes in sounds. / Can make and select sounds to reflect the mood of the story. / Can identify long and short sounds in music. / Can use some known rhythm patterns to create own performance to a steady beat. / Can listen to recordings of class sound stories and decide which changes could be made to improve the performance. / Can identify different sounds by matching movements to given sounds. / Can contribute ideas and sounds as part of a class composition.
11. 6. To respond to different moods of music.
12. / Can identify and talk about sounds that describe a scene. / Can create a sequence of long and short sounds / Begins to internalise and create own rhythm patterns. / X / Can choose sounds and instruments to reflect different moods/ characters. / X
13. 7. To apply knowledge and understanding. / Can play instruments in different ways to reflect a mood e.g. tambourine, claves, wood blocks and triangle / Can follow instructions about how & when to play classroom instruments. / Can read simple rhythms. / Can sing a melody accurately at their own pitch. / Can help to create a composition and devise own symbols as part of a class score. / Can use knowledge of tempo and dynamics to suggest changes to the class composition.
LEVEL 2 / 1. 1. To explore how sounds can
2. be organised.
3. / Can select and make sounds to reflect the mood of a story/scene. / Can recognise, make and control long and short sounds in response to symbols, using voice. / Can confidently identify the beat in different pieces of music and join in at faster and slower tempi (speeds). / Can identify and follow changes in pitch using body movements or sounds. / Can identify a wider range of percussion instruments (approx. 10) and the way their sound can be changed. / Can describe different images created by changing the dynamics (volume) of music.
4. 2. To sing with a sense of shape of the melody. / X / Can use the voice to good effect when singing. / Can join in singing with an understanding of the verse and chorus or call and response. / Can sing/ play a melody, moving up or down following changes in pitch. / X / Can use voices to sing expressively.
5. 3. To perform simple rhythm patterns, keeping
6. to the pulse. / Can handle and play instruments with control. / Can identify, learn and perform word rhythms and perform to a steady pulse. / Can identify the rhythm of the words and can recall and perform longer rhythm patterns to a steady beat. / Can perform different pitch rhythm patterns on percussion instruments. / Can perform simple rhythm patterns together. / Can change the dynamics (volume) of instruments to reflect the mood of the music.
7. 4. To order sounds within a simple structure. / Can choose and order sounds to create a music story. / Can use classroom instruments to play appropriate long and short sounds as an accompaniment. / Can accompany a song by playing a beat or a rhythm pattern. / Can play / sing their group’s part following a pictorial representation of the order of the music. / Can perform together and follow instructions which combine musical elements. / Can take part in a small group to provide an accompaniment of layered sounds.
8. 5. To represent sounds with symbols. / X / Can use picture symbols to identify instrumental parts. / Can recognise symbols to represent the beat or the rhythm. / Can recognise that symbols represent sounds and can sing / play phrases from notation. / Can contribute to the creation of a class composition and suggest/ create symbols as part of a class score / X
9. 6. To improve their work. / Can suggest ways to improve sounds in response to a story. / Can suggest ways to improve their accompaniment. / Can evaluate the class performance and suggest ways to improve it. / Can perform and record their performance and discuss how to improve it prior to performing for others / Can make improvement to their own and others’ work. / Can make improvement to own and others’ work.