Halton Community Combined School
Together, our community
inspires a love of learning and
enables children to find their voice.
Music
Subject leader: Mr Colin Horsfield
Intent:
At Halton, children gain an understanding of music through listening, singing, playing, evaluating, analysing and composing across a wide variety of historical periods, styles, traditional and musical genres. We are committed to developing a curiosity for the subject, as well as an understanding and acceptance of the validity and importance of all types of music, fostering an unbiased respect for the role that music may play in any person’s life. We attempt to ensure that children understand the value and importance of music in the wider community, and that they are able to use their musical skills, knowledge, and experiences to involve and express themselves through music in a variety of different contexts.
Implementation:
The music curriculum ensures children sing, listen, play, perform and evaluate. This is embedded in the classroom activities (Active Music Digital) as well as music of the month, the weekly singing assemblies, various concerts and performances and the learning of various musical instruments.
Musical elements are taught in the classroom lessons so that children are able to use the language of music to dissect it, and understand how and why it is made, played, appreciated, interpreted and analysed.
In the classroom children have access to instruments from all four main instrument groups of wind, strings, percussion and keyboards, enabling the pupils to understand the different principles behind each method of creating music, as well as how to read basic music notation. They also learn how to compose, focusing on different dimensions of music (e.g. rhythms, dynamics), which in turn feeds their understanding when listening, playing, or analysing music. Composing or performing using body percussion and vocal sounds is also part of the curriculum, which develops the understanding of musical elements without the added complexity of an instrument.
Progression through the units is monitored during the lessons and at the end of a unit, and prior and attained knowledge is checked through discussion, use of vocabulary (working wall vocabulary) pictures (of instruments for example) Children are encouraged to talk confidently about all aspects of music.
Impact:
Whilst at Halton School, children have access to a varied musical programme, 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 an enormously rich palette from which a child may access fundamental abilities such as: a sense of achievement, self-confidence, listening skills, interaction with and awareness of others, and self-reflection. Music will also develop an understanding of culture and history, both in relation to children individually, as well as ethnicities from across the world. Children are able to enjoy music in as many ways as they choose – either as a listener, creator or performer. They can dissect music and comprehend its parts. They have an understanding of how to further develop skills less known to them, should they become more interested in music of any form in their later lives.
As a school, we use the "Active Music" scheme to teach music in all year groups, with the exception of Year 3. "Active Music" is broken down into four key music areas: Rhythm and pulse, pitch, singing and instrumental. Each class works through the four separate areas with sequences of lessons planned to build on prior learning.
Please click on the link below to find out which skills are taught in which year group.
In June 2022 the Department for Education launched the new National Plan for Music. this document outlines the priorities set by the DfE for music education across the country.
Our action plan for music this year aims to address the key points from the National Plan.
1. For children to have the experience of listening to and watching live performances.
This will be done during whole school assemblies and to individual classes.
2. To have the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument.
Year 3 will receive ukulele lessons throughout the academic year. We will also continue to promote music lessons delivered by peripatetic music teachers.
3. To gain a greater knowledge of musical artists, composers and different musical genres.
We will continue to celebrate a 'Music of the Month' as a whole school to encourage and improve cultural capital in music.
Please click on the link below to view the National Plan for Music.
If you have any questions regarding Music, please contact Mr Horsfield via the school office.