Intent - we are creating Musicians by...

At Wolsey House Primary School, it is our intent that we make music an enjoyable learning experience. We want children to develop a curiosity for the subject through ensuring they understand the value and importance of music in the wider community and are able to use their musical skills, knowledge and experiences to involve themselves in music in a variety of different contexts. We encourage children to participate in a variety of musical experiences through which we aim to build up the confidence of all our children. Our teaching focuses on developing the children’s ability to understand rhythm and follow a beat. Through singing songs, children learn about the structure and organisation of music. We teach them to listen and to appreciate different forms of music. Children develop descriptive language skills in music lessons when learning about how music can represent different feelings, emotions and narratives. We also teach technical vocabulary and as the children progress through the school they build up an awareness of musical notation aiming for children to be able to read music and perform. 

Implementation - this is how we teach Music

The music curriculum at Wolsey House ensures students sing, listen, play, perform and evaluate. This is embedded in the weekly classroom activities as well as the weekly singing assemblies, various concerts and performances and the learning of instruments through the WCET in Year 4. The school  follows the Charanga Musical School Scheme which provides teachers with week-by-week lesson support for each year group in the school. It is ideal for specialist and non-specialist teachers and provides lesson plans, assessment, clear progression, and engaging and exciting whiteboard resources to support every lesson. The Scheme supports all the requirements of the national curriculum. The elements of music are taught in the classroom lessons so that children are able to use some of the language of music to dissect it, and understand how it is made, played, appreciated and analysed. All musical learning in the Charanga scheme is built around the Interrelated Dimensions of Music: pulse, rhythm, pitch, tempo, dynamics, timbre, texture, structure and notation. These dimensions are at the centre of all the learning. From Year 1 to Year 6, the learning consists of six half-termly Units of Work. The final unit in each year - Reflect, Rewind and Replay - allows for revision and more extension activities.

Impact - this is what the children have learnt - the knowledge and skills in Music

Whilst in school, children have access to a varied programme of musical genres which allows them to discover areas of strength as well as areas they might like to improve upon. The integral nature of music and the learner creates a wide variety of opportunities from which a student may access fundamental abilities such as: achievement, self-confidence, interaction with and awareness of others and self-reflection. Music will also develop an understanding and appreciation of culture and history, both in relation to students individually, as well as different faiths from across the world. Children are able to enjoy music in as many ways as they choose- either as listener, creator or performer. They can dissect the structure of music and its integral parts. They can sing with confidence and enjoyment and feel and keep a pulse. They have an understanding of how to further develop skills less known to them, should they ever develop an interest in their lives.