Our Music Curriculum enhances and deepens the positive connections that inspire our children to harmonise and bond together. Our creative and inclusive musical skills promote development of confidence, collaboration, exploration and resilience.  Enhancement of social and cultural values through expression, performance, improvisation, composition and comparison; encourage everyone to find their voice, rhythm and dynamic; as they discover their individual pitch. We use a combination of the Model Music Curriculum, Charanga, music tuition and other resources to carefully plan our studies and lessons, creating our own individually tailored Pennine Way Music Curriculum. 

Music Curriculum Intent

Pennine Way Primary School aims to use music to inspire and motivate children, and play an important role in their personal development. Music can also help children develop a greater appreciation of the world we live in, by understanding different cultures and societies through music.

We aim to deliver a broad and balanced music curriculum which enables pupils to perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres and gaining knowledge of different traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians. Our children will learn to sing and use their voices. They will create and compose music on their own and alongside their peers and have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument and progress to the next level of musical excellence. They will understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.

Music Curriculum Implementation

In order to ensure a good level of implementation, staff are supported through verbal discussions to help them use the appropriate schemes of work; this helps guarantee a good music curriculum is being taught throughout the school.  The music coverage is routinely reviewed within school to develop staff understanding and knowledge. Our staff teach lessons using the national curriculum and Charanga music scheme to make sure children progress and learn musical knowledge which is then shown within the work they produce. Music is taught as a discrete subject and is also incorporated into other subject areas to aid learning.

The Charanga Music Scheme ensures that skills are taught in order, developing throughout the year groups, and are revisited and embedded throughout every year; each term’s lessons work through each of the key musical concepts. In addition to this, children have access to learn different musical instruments including xylophone, glockenspiel, recorder and guitar. The music curriculum is accessible for all children across the school. Many children with SEND, notably those with learning or behavioural difficulties, may be very responsive to music and it allows them a language through which to make sense of their emotions.  Skills are built upon each lesson so children have the opportunity to experience the key concepts. We liaise with other schools in the cluster to share and receive ideas that would benefit the teaching and learning in the school. Children are given the opportunity to perform music in a range of contexts, including Christmas productions, choirs and musical festivals co-ordinated by the cluster.

Music Curriculum Map

Our Curriculum Map for Music gives an overview of which studies are covered in each term and year group, as well as when we plan to have specific musical instrument tuition for the children, e.g. guitars for years 4 and 5. A range of music genres and styles are covered throughout each year group via the studies to provide the pupils with the opportunity to have as broad a range of musical experiences as possible.

Music Curriculum Knowledge, Skills and Vocabulary Progression

Our Curriculum Knowledge, Skills and Vocabulary Progression document for Music show the progression of knowledge and skills within each year group and study. For all year groups, except years 4 and 5, three Music studies are completed each year in addition to choir, singing assemblies and other music opportunities in a range of curriculum areas. Year 4 and 5 have a guitar tutor throughout the year, therefore this is classed as a year study.  

The knowledge and skills are further broken down into 5 different sections: Musicianship, Listening, Singing, Composing and Improvising, and Performing. Please see below for further detail about these sections. 

Musicianship – This is where the children learn the basic fundamentals of music and playing a musical instrument. 

Listening – Listening to music is fundamental to music understanding. By learning to listen critically, pupils will not only expand their musical horizons but also gain a deeper understanding of how music is constructed and the impact it can have on the listener. Listening to a broad range of music also helps develop other areas of musical activity including composing and performing. 

Singing – Aspects of singing are warms up, breathing, posture, dynamics, phrasing, context and vocal health. 

Composing and improvising – This is the creative process, with its wide horizons of possibility, gives pupils an opportunity to contribute to musical culture in unique and valuable ways. As pupils travel through the Key Stages, they will develop the craft of creating melodies and fashioning thee into short pieces. 

Performing – Creating opportunities to celebrate, share and experience music of all kinds will consolidate the learning within the MMC. This will include developing stagecraft, the encouragement of peer feedback and seeking out opportunities for collaboration.