“Music is all around us. It is the soundtrack to our lives. Music connects us through people and places in our ever-changing world. It is creative, collaborative, celebratory and challenging…..The sheer joy of music making can feed the soul of a school community…”
Model Music Curriculum, 2021
View our school Music Development Plan.
Intent and vision
“We love our neighbour just as Jesus Christ loves us.” (Luke 10 25ff)
Our school vision encourages pupils to love and respect their neighbours: in their class, their school, their community and across the globe. Our music curriculum gives our pupils a platform to express their thoughts and feelings, to learn collaboratively and to hear music from a diverse range of times and cultures. Within school, these opportunities thus allow pupils to ‘love their neighbour’ by showing respect for and appreciation of one another’s unique skills, talents and ideas. On a wider scale, our music curriculum broadens pupils’ understanding of the role music has and continues to play in shaping global cultures and societies.
Implementation
All pupils in school have discrete weekly music lessons delivered by their class teacher. Pupils also develop their singing skills during a weekly singing assembly lead by the music lead.
Our school follows the ‘Charanga’ Music scheme. Pupils learn music through a balanced programme of musical activities including: general musicianship, singing, playing musical instruments, listening and appraising music performed from a variety of styles, genres and historical time periods, composing, improvising, and in key stage 2, using music technology and learning to read staff notation. It is a spiral curriculum format with all musical activities (musicianship, singing, instrumental, improvising and listening) being revisited on a half-termly basis.
In year 3/4, all pupils receive one long term of tuition on the recorder, including learning to read staff notation. Private instrumental tuition is available through iRock band lessons.
Throughout the school year, pupils have opportunities to showcase their musical skills. At a school level, this includes events such as the carol concert, the upper key stage 2 play and termly iRock concerts; at a community level this includes events such as the Community Orchard Wassail, singing carols for the Reaching Out coffee morning and taking part in wider events such the OCMS Christmas ‘Big Sing’ and ‘Sing Up Day’.
Impact
Pupils will develop the confidence in themselves as musicians to allow them to contribute to the musical life of the school.
Pupils will be able to express themselves through singing, performing, composing, playing instruments and in their response to listening to music.
They will have the technical vocabulary skills needed to appraise music and evaluate their performances and compositions.
They will develop an understanding of and respect for music from a range of cultures and traditions, enabling them to become a global citizen in the future.
Additional information: National Curriculum – Music
