“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 follow the specifications of the National Curriculum; providing a broad, balanced 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 with the intention to first and foremost help children feel that they are musical, and to develop a life-long love of music.

We are committed to ensuring children understand the value and importance of music in the wider community and can 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 the 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 through  an immersive curriculum. Our curriculum is implemented to provide clear progressive opportunities from Early Years to age 11, ensuring consistent musical development.

Our scheme of work enables pupils to meet the end of key stage attainment targets outlined in the National Curriculum. 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.’ The curriculum introduces our children to music from all around the world and across generations, teaching children to respect and appreciate the music of all traditions and communities. These are explored through the language of music via active listening, performing and composing activities, which enable an understanding of the context and genre. Through our music curriculum we 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 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 and years 5 and 6 children are introduced to playing and composing music through technology. 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, year 6 production, our opera in collaboration with the Royal Opera House and the Griffin Arts Festival. These special events and festivals help us promote Wide Horizons as we can 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 during our Spring Arts Festival, 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.

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 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 CPD sessions and opportunities.

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.

A Lordswood child chooses to enjoy music in many ways, as a listener, creator, or performer. They sing with confidence and understand how to further develop skills less known to them. They can create and share their own music either individually or within a group and this promotes our sense of community. Children develop the musical skills of singing, playing tuned and untuned instruments, improvising and composing music, and listening and responding to music. They develop an understanding of the history and cultural content of the music that they listen to, appreciating its diversity and musical background. Through music, children develop transferable skills such as teamwork, leadership, creative thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, and presentation and performance skills. These skills are vital to children’s development as learners and have a wider application in their general lives outside and beyond school. Music promotes in our children, improved wellbeing and an understanding how music effects every aspect of their lives.

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

• creative and critical thinking
• exercising thoughts, ideas and imagination, and taking 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.