Music

Intent

At Altofts Junior School, we believe that music should be an enjoyable learning experience. We feel it is important to provide children with a high-quality music education, which nurtures, inspires and engages children to develop a love of music and develop their talents as musicians. This, in turn, helps to increase pupils’ self- esteem and emotional well-being, creativity and sense of achievement.

We also aim to inspire and nurture our children as performers providing them with opportunities to display their musical talents and recognise their achievements by allowing them to share their enjoyment with the school community.

Throughout school, children will learn about different historical periods and genres of music through: listening and appraising music, singing and playing, improvising, composing and performing. This will allow children to learn about music from a range cultures different from their own.

Children will understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, through the inter dimensions of pitch, duration, tempo timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations

Implementation

At Altofts Junior School, music teaching delivers the requirements of the National Curriculum through use of the Charanga scheme of work. Teachers are able to plan and deliver inclusive lessons for all children to access the musical curriculum in a fun and engaging way aiming to foster a passion for music in children of all abilities. Charanga lessons are sequenced to provide children with the opportunities to review, remember, deepen and apply their understanding of music as well as embed the interrelated dimensions of music.

Each term is dedicated to key people in the history of music. This is taught in the weekly singing assemblies and exposes children, to not only performers but also producers and directors. This is to highlight future career possibilities.

Alongside our curriculum provision for music, children also have the opportunity to participate in additional small group music teaching by being able to learn a musical instrument with peripatetic teachers organised by Wakefield Music Service.

Pupils also have the opportunity to join the school choir, which takes part in the Young Voices Concert.

Impact

The impact of Music is demonstrated through lesson observations, reference to the Charanga assessment criteria, as well as musical performances by both individuals and groups of children.

Throughout the children’s time at Altofts Junior School, their musical knowledge, skills and understanding are built upon each year. The units are sequenced so that skills that are revisited, embedded and mastered over time.  Pupils will develop musical skills and gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of the different aspects of the Music curriculum, as well as developing their confidence, creativity and interaction and awareness of others.

The impact of the curriculum is monitored through a combination of discussion with pupils and staff and lesson observations in order to enhance the quality of the curriculum and highlight areas for further development.