Music Curriculum Vision

‘Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.’  (Plato)

‘Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity.’ (The National Curriculum)

Purpose and Intent

At Radipole Primary School, we understand the importance of having music in our lives, both as a listener and as a performer. Just as an author inspires the reader, we hope to foster a life-long love and understanding of music in all its forms. Through a range of curricular and extra-curricular opportunities, we enable the children to discover their voices as singers, gain the skills to play a variety of musical instruments, compose through an understanding of musical theory and become active listeners across a range of genres. In short, our intent is to empower pupils with the ability and confidence to create music for themselves and to gift them with the cultural capital of rich musical history.

Implementation and Realisation

Weekly Music Sessions

Radipole Primary School delivers the national music curriculum through the on-line Charanga scheme. Charanga is specifically designed for the teaching of music in primary schools and forms the spine of our weekly music sessions. Within each lesson, we provide a rich cannon of music from a range of genres and historical periods for the children to listen and respond to. We ensure that children learn to use the correct musical vocabulary when discussing these pieces (including an awareness of the dynamics of music) . As part of a group, the pupils will also learn to sing songs of cultural and historical significance, with the intention of performing them for the rest of the school. Most sessions will provide children with the opportunity to play a range of musical instruments (including body percussion) and continue to develop an understanding of basic musical notation. Radipole’s focus instrument is the glockenspiel as it is extremely accessible for the less-able, but at the same time has the potential to stretch the skills of those learning at greater depth. During our weekly music sessions, the children will also compose their own songs and instrumentals. They will learn to use a range of methods to record these pieces , including the use of digital programs. In terms of differentiation, although most of our lessons are built around whole class performances, teachers will use formative assessment to adapt the sessions to the group or individual’s needs. Typically, this might involve slowing the speed of a backing track to make it easier for the children to perform to, or using post-it notes to indicate or limit the notes that they are required to play.

Beyond the classroom

In addition to music lessons, all children at Radipole Primary School attend a weekly KS1 or KS2 singing assembly where the joy of singing is actively encouraged and promoted through a wide range of songs from different genres, countries and historical periods. Typically each singing assembly begins with a video of a live performance from a significant artist. This furthers our intention of gifting the children with the cultural capital of musical history and the sense that music itself can be a vibrant, active part of their lives. During these singing assemblies, every class will have a termly opportunity to perform one of the songs they have worked on in their music lessons. This not only provides them with a real purpose for learning the songs, but in sharing them, we establish a unique canon of music from a range of important singers and song writers. Much like our school reading spine, we hope that this access to musical cultural capital will be carried with them for the rest of their lives.

Impact and Evaluation

As children progress through the school, they develop a deep knowledge and appreciation of music and its place within the wider creative arts context. Through their growing understanding of music, children gain an appreciation of life in different societies, helping to develop a sense of other cultures. In addition to our singing assemblies, below are some of the other musical opportunities we offer at Radipole Primary School.

-The whole school perform a range of songs as part of their Nativity, Year performances or Leavers Performances.

-Children in Year 3, who have the opportunity to receive lessons from the Dorset Music Hub, to perform for parents and the school.

-All classes have evidence of listening to a wide range of music.

-The school choir is open to all in KS2 and they perform at a number of events throughout the year.

-Additional music clubs to share their skills and passion at regular intervals e.g handbells club, ukulele band.

-Children are able to take part in the Dorset Music Singing Strategy