Music at Ferham Primary School 

 

At Ferham Primary School, we believe that Music plays a valuable and significant role in children’s education and creates a universal language for our school community. We are dedicated to ensuring that every child is given a high-quality music education which will engage, inspire and develop a love of music, to hone musical talent and as a result build on self-confidence. Through our curriculum, children are given the opportunity to build on their musical vocabulary, perform, listen and evaluate as well as look in depth at the inter-related dimensions within music.  

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Curriculum Intent 

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Our Music curriculum follows the Charanga curriculum and has several aims: 

• make Music learning inspiring and engaging 

• expose children to a wide range of musical artists and genres which enables them to develop their cultural capital 

• introduce and develop vocabulary related to music, which can then be used to evaluate and discuss their own and others’ music. 

• perform and share music they have learnt or created. 

• ensure a clear progression of knowledge, skills and understanding which meets all the requirements of the statutory National Curriculum for Music. 

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Curriculum Implementation

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The structure of a Music lesson is adapted to the year group and the lesson.  

Each unit of work builds in the three core strands of listening and appraising, exploring and creating and performing and sharing.  

In EYFS, the children begin to listen to different music. They are encouraged to find the pulse, use their imaginations and dance and enjoy what they are listening to. They sing along with nursery rhymes and other songs. As the school year progresses, untuned instruments, particularly percussion, are introduced and children create and follow different beats.  

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In KS1 and KS2, the children develop the abilities to appraise different pieces of music making comparisons about the interrelated dimensions of music. The children then take part in musical activities that allow them to explore the interrelated dimensions of music. This includes introducing tuned musical instruments to allow the children to copy and build on what they have listened to as well as using their voices. School has acquired a class set of glockenspiels for this particular reason. Children are given opportunities to both improvise and compose their own pieces of music that is shared and performed.  

Music is made accessible to SEND children by the use of first-hand experiences of playing and listening to music. They may also benefit from working with their peers. 

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Curriculum Impact  

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We ascertain impact using assessment in three forms: assessment for learning; assessment as learning; and assessment of learning.   

In Music, assessment for learning is continuous as teachers adapt their teaching according to learners’ needs, based on immediate feedback in lessons. This may include extra practice activities, using adult or peer support, or alternative instruments.  

In Music, assessment as learning is throughout each lesson. Vocabulary retrieval is ongoing through the same progression of activities each lesson. For example, children have the opportunity to understand the same terms through appraising, practice games, learning songs and performing songs. Children are encouraged to use this vocabulary frequently throughout the lesson. These words will form the basis of working wall displays in school: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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In Music, assessment of learning takes place when pupils perform a final piece in which the teacher checks their proficiency on a key skills profile from those taught during each unit. Where skills are not yet embedded, they are revised and revisited. 

The quality of the impact of the teaching of Music is assured through regular and varied monitoring: learning walks, pupil voice, planning support and scrutiny. 

Parents will receive an overall annual assessment of their child’s learning in Music as part of a written report.