“Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon.”

The National Curriculum

Intent

At Lordswood School, our intention is that all children gain a firm understanding of what music is through listening, singing, playing, evaluating, analysing, and composing across a wide variety of historical periods, styles, traditions, and musical genres. We aim to follow the specifications of the National Curriculum; providing a broad, balanced and differentiated curriculum and ensuring the progressive development of musical concepts, knowledge and skills. 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, and an unbiased respect for the role that music may wish to be expressed in any person’s life. As we embark on our journey to becoming an accredited Thinking School, we use our metacognition skills to continue to embed the importance of becoming independent learners.

At Lordswood, we believe that music plays an integral role in helping children to feel part of a community, therefore we provide opportunities for all children to create, play, perform and enjoy music both in class and to an audience. We are committed to ensuring children 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 contexts. Through assemblies, Music Festivals and key stage performances, children showcase their talent and their understanding of performing with awareness of others. Lessons enable children to develop their skills, appreciate a wide variety of music and begin to appraise a range of musical genres.

It is our aim to offer an outstanding music education for all students, predicated on breadth and excellence. We work closely with our local community, the Medway Music Association, who support us in providing in-school opportunities to demonstrate the importance of music. Through our stimulating physical environment, we aim to teach young people to discover their talents and passions and to take their places in society through breadth of provision and diversity of ambition.

Implementation

The music curriculum ensures children sing, listen, play, perform and evaluate. This is embedded at Lordswood through our weekly singing assemblies, various concerts and performances, as well as specialist peripatetic. Music lessons at Lordswood are taught termly across a weekly blocked period using Music Express scheme of work in addition to weekly sessions. Written by leading experts in primary music education, Music Express has quality and engaging music lessons with careful progression built in, from Early Years to age 11. The essence of Music Express is to create a topic-based, cross-curricular approach to support children’s learning in music and across other subjects through music. A steady progression plan has been built into Music Express, both within each year and from one year to the next, ensuring consistent musical development.

By using Music Express as the basis of a scheme of work, we can ensure that we are fulfilling the aims for musical learning stated in the English National Curriculum: The English National Curriculum states ‘That all pupils: 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.’ Music Express includes many examples of music styles and genres from different times and places, including the classical Western canon. These are explored through the language of music via active listening, performing and composing activities, which enable understanding of the context and genre. Examples include vocal melodies from Medieval times, Tudor court music, Romantic ballet music, Twentieth century pop, as well as traditional and classical forms from across the globe. Through using Music Express we are able to continue to promote Wide Horizons as part of our Lordswood school values.

Our Skills and Progression Map also ensures that all interrelated dimensions of music are applied and implemented, enabling children to apply their skills and knowledge, musical terminology to dissect it, and understand how it is made, played, written, appreciated, and analysed.   This ensures that children develop their musical skills systematically, building their knowledge of music from one year to the next. These skills are monitored using Target Tracker to form accurate assessments. We promote High Achievement using technology to record live evidence to celebrate our achievements as well as monitor progress across the school.

Within the EYFS setting, music is an integral part of our children’s learning journey. Rhyme and rhythm are utilised throughout the learning of phonics, handwriting and mathematics. Children learn a wide range of songs and rhymes and develop skills for performing together. Singing and music-making opportunities are used frequently to embed learning, develop musical awareness and to demonstrate how music can be used to express feelings.

Our whole class instrumental programme begins in year 3 with students having the opportunity to play djembe drums weekly. In year 4, the students also can experience body percussion as well as the ukulele. This tuition is provided by Medway Music Association (MMA) in partnership with Dynamics. Working closely with the MMA has also allowed us opportunities to partner with their singing specialists who offer CPD for our staff and enjoyable opportunities for our students.

Performance is at the heart of musical teaching and learning at Lordswood School and pupils participate in a range of performances. Music strongly leads our school’s Proud Traditions and key celebration points during the year – from our Carol Services to our Founders’ Day, Big Sing and the Griffin Arts Festival. These special events and festivals help us promote Wide Horizons as we are able to celebrate a range of musical talents. As well as our own school Christmas Carol and Nativity celebrations, pupils also perform with some of our local trust schools in our annual Medway Music Festivals, provided by the MMA. Pupils who are confident musicians are also encouraged to perform in solo performances as well as supported in entering the Annual Griffin Schools Trust Music Medal Competition. These opportunities are celebrated frequently and highlighted using our Social Media platforms as we share our achievements with parents and carers.

Singing is a strength at Lordswood and our pupils have many opportunities to demonstrate this either through cross-trust and collegiate activities, enrichment activities, weekly singing assemblies, annual school shows, being part of our own choir and within in their day-to-day lessons with their class teachers.

At Lordswood, we understand and value the importance of a whole school approach to delivering our music programme. We aim to continue to partner with our trust schools to provide bespoke whole school CPD sessions and opportunities. Whilst continuing to gain support through both our collegiate schools, MMA opportunities and the Griffin Schools Trust partnerships.

Impact

Whilst in school, all children have access to a varied programme, which allows them to discover areas of strength, as well as areas they might like to develop.

The Music provision at Lordswood ensures every child actively participates in opportunities and contributes to:

• The development of community identity and sense of place
• An appreciation of the diversity of our cultures and backgrounds
• Improved wellbeing and sense of self

A Lordswood child chooses to enjoy music in many ways, as listener, creator, or performer. They dissect music and comprehend its parts. They sing with confidence and understand how to further develop skills less known to them. They create and share their own music.

Through their music learning pupils demonstrate and have an ability for:

• creative and critical thinking
• exercising thoughts, ideas and imagination, and take risks in learning.
• learning in a way which involves task persistence, problem solving, ownership, empathy, and collaboration
• acquiring a sense of confidence in themselves
• structuring thinking in the light of different kinds of experiences
• understanding the value of teamwork and considering contrasting viewpoints and opinions.

Collaborative experiences at school and across our collegiate, and wider musical community ensure that children are confident Griffin Musicians, showcasing the impact of a world class music education. Children leave Lordswood with a deep love and appreciation for the lifelong development of musical skills and knowledge.