Intent

At Holy Cross Catholic Primary School we understand that music can 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.

The school delivers a broad and balanced music curriculum, in line with national requirements, which enables pupils to:

• Perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians.
• Learn to sing and use their voices.
• Create and compose music on their own and alongside their peers.
• Have the opportunities to learn a musical instrument, use music technology, and progress to the next level of musical excellence.
• 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.

Implementation: 

We teach music in Reception classes as an integral part of the topic work

covered during the year. In the Early Years, music contributes to a child’s

development in the area of expressive arts and design. Key stage 1 and 2

children are taught music by their class teacher.

We use Charanga  (an on line resource) to support our music teaching as it is a

very clear and comprehensive scheme of work which covers all the national

curriculum requirements in a full and progressive way. Units consist of both songs and instrumental works. Instrumental learning (playing the glockenspiel and recorder) is taught explicitly and progressively using the Charanga units of work. Each year group completes 3 units of work per school year.

Across the school we choose pieces of music from the Charanga listening

centre to encourage active listening to music from different genres and eras. The listening centre also provides music which is selected for use in a variety of lessons and activities to create, mood, atmosphere and to aid

concentration.

Children throughout the school sing in assemblies and during collective worship times.

Singing plays a prominent part in all school productions at Christmas, Easter and

during the School year. Children also sing carols at Christmas time.

Outside of the classroom, children in KS2 have the opportunity to take part in tuition sessions. Peripatetic teachers come into school and teach individual guitar lessons to those children who wish to learn them. Children are also given the opportunity to sing or play an instrument solo or in small groups during school productions.

Teachers assess children’s work in music by making informal judgements as they

observe them during lessons.

Additional evidence may be gained during school performances or other relevant

events, and may be presented in the form of recordings or photographs. The

attainment of each child is indicated annually in the end of year report.

Impact

Children will retain knowledge that is pertinent to music and will have the opportunity to foster their instrumental flare and use this as a form of expression. Children will participate in wider musical activities, where they will gain wider audience performance experience. Opportunities for improved well -being and confidence will be increased.