Music at Fowey Primary School
Intent
The National Curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils:
• perform, listen to, review and evaluate music
• be taught to sing, create and compose music
• understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated.
At Fowey School, the intention is first and foremost to help children to feel that they are musical, and to develop a life-long love of music. We focus on developing the skills, knowledge and understanding that children need to become confident performers, composers and listeners. Our curriculum introduces children to music from all around the world and across generations, teaching children to respect and appreciate the music of all traditions and communities.
Children will develop the musical skills of singing, playing tuned and untuned instruments, improvising and composing music, and listening and responding to music. They will develop an understanding of the history and cultural context of the music that they listen to and learn how music can be written down. Through music, our curriculum helps children develop important life skills such as leadership, teamwork, creative thinking, problem solving, decision making and performing.
Our intent is for pupils to meet the end of key stage attainment targets outlined in the national curriculum.
Implementation
At Fowey School, we have chosen Kapow’s Primary Music scheme as our main programme of learning and to deliver the national curriculum from EYFS- Year 6. Kapow’s Primary music scheme “takes a holistic approach to music, in which the individual strands below are woven together to create engaging and enriching learning experiences.”
• Performing
• Listening
• Composing
• The history of music
• The inter-related dimensions of music
Each five-lesson unit combines these strands within a topic designed to capture pupils’ imagination and encourage them to explore music enthusiastically. Over the course of their music learning, children will be taught how to sing fluently and expressively, and play tuned and untuned instruments accurately, with control. They will learn to recognise and name the interrelated dimensions of music- pitch, duration, tempo, timbre, structure, texture and dynamics- and use these expressively in their own improvisations and compositions.
We at Fowey know that music as a subject is not learnt or taught in a linear way, instead it is experienced holistically over time. It is for this reason that Kapow takes a repetitive, spiral approach to teaching music. Our curriculum ensures pupils regularly sing, listen, play, perform and evaluate music on a weekly basis. This is embedded in weekly lessons, our weekly singing assembly, and regular performances (including concerts for parents and end of year and Christmas productions).
The Kapow ‘national curriculum mapping’ document shows which of our units cover each of the national curriculum attainment targets as well as each of these strands within it. The Kapow ‘progression of skills and knowledge’ document shows the skills that are taught within each year group, and how these skills develop each year to ensure attainment targets are securely met by the end of each key stage.
Impact
Throughout each year at Fowey School, children become more confident as musicians because they have had multiple opportunities to develop their musical skills and knowledge. Owing to the repetitive, spiral teaching and learning approach, children can see and work on the areas they might like to improve in.
The expected impact of music at Fowey School is that children will:
• Be confident performers, composers and listeners and will be able to express themselves musically at and beyond school.
• Show an appreciation and respect for a wide range of musical styles from around the world and will understand how music is influenced by the wider cultural, social, and historical contexts in which it is developed.
• Understand the ways in which music can be written down to support performing and composing activities.
• Demonstrate and articulate an enthusiasm for music and be able to identify their own musical preferences.
• Meet the end of key stage expectations outlined in the national curriculum for music.
Due to the strong links between music and the learner, children experience and develop other fundamental life skills such as: success, self-confidence, interaction with and awareness of others, and self- reflection.
Impact of Music at Fowey School is carefully tracked and measured by…
Discussion with pupils to ascertain engagement in music.
Monitoring of short-term planning to ensure all areas of the national curriculum are covered and matched with the focus unit being taught.
Formative assessment during lessons and summative assessment of performances, which is evidenced on assessment trackers.
Whole School Curriculum Map
Progression of skills and knowledge
Strategies for supporting children with SEND in music
Half term coverage
Music Development Plan 2024-2025