Music at Hillmorton Primary School
Intent (Aims)
Our vision for music at Hillmorton Primary School is that we provide every child with high quality music experiences which engage and inspire them. We provide opportunities for all children to create, play, perform and enjoy music and to appreciate a variety of music styles. We aim for every child to leave Hillmorton Primary School with a range of musical skills, knowledge and an understanding and love of music which they can carry with them for the rest of their lives.
We aim to ensure that all children:
Enjoy and appreciate a wide variety of musical styles;
Explore how sounds are made, and how music is produced by a variety of instruments;
Develop imagination and creativity;
Build a sense of pulse and rhythm;
Understand a range of musical vocabulary;
Develop the interrelated skills of composition, improvisation, performance and appreciation;
Enjoy a wide range of songs and sing in tune;
Develop positive attitudes and to experience success and satisfaction in music.
Implementation (Teaching and Learning)
At Hillmorton Primary School we encourage children to participate in a variety of musical experiences through which we aim to build up the confidence of all children. We use the Charanga Scheme as the basis for our curriculum planning and provide whole class instrument tuition in years 3-6.
Singing is an integral part of our school life and our teaching focuses on developing the children's ability to sing in tune, developing their expression and ability to listen to others. Pupils’ understanding of music will be developed through activities which bring together the requirements of performing, composing, listening and appraising.
Children are taught to make music together with tuned and un-tuned instruments and to compose pieces. They are also taught to sing and play in time controlling the sound and pace. They are taught different ways to represent sounds graphically and symbolically.
Impact
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. Recordings are made of live musical performances for the children to use as self-assessment. On completion of a piece of work, the teacher will assess the work and give oral feedback. Older and more able pupils are encouraged to make judgements about how they can improve their own work. Specialist Music Teachers from Warwickshire Music Service undertake ongoing assessments and share results with class teachers. The Charanga Music Scheme (See scheme overview on website) contains an assessment framework which uses a Plan-Do-Check-Review approach and is supported by planning and assessment documentation. This enables teachers to assess whether children are working below, above or at the expected level at the end of each year.