St StephensMusic
Intent
Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. At St Stephens we believe that high quality music education should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and a sense of achievement. As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon. At St Stephens we want to ensure that all children are able to engage in music in a safe and stimulating way, enabling them to feel able and confident to join in and express themselves.
As a curriculum leader this plan aims to ensure that St Stephens curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced towards cumulatively sufficient knowledge and skills for future learning and employment. Our school’s curriculum intent and implementation are embedded securely and consistently across our school.
Implementation
At St Stephens the curriculum for Music has been organised to ensure that progression from year to year, building on understanding and skills that the children have learned previously. We have used the National Curriculum to ensure that children are equipped with skills to enable them to succeed with Music throughout their lifetime and ensure that they are all able to identify themselves as musicians. The key principles of Music are taught through the Music lessons linked to each theme in all classes, Singing Assemblies for KS1 and 2, musical clubs (such as Choir, Young Voices and Steel Drums), as well as being reinforced in other areas of the curriculum in class. We use a range of musical instruments within whole class teaching of Music, enabling all children to experience music physically, as well as analyse the dynamics and theory. We have peripatetic music teachers who provide education to those who want it of Keyboard, Guitar and Drums, allowing children to gain focussed teaching of select instruments and work toward high levels of understanding. Questioning is used to ensure that there is a deepened level of understanding and that the children are able to talk their musical understanding and put it into practise. Performance is key at St Stephens, with regular opportunities for children to perform throughout the school year and show off their musical talents. This helps to secure the knowledge of the children allowing them to gain confidence and grow as an individual.
Impact
Whilst at St Stephens, children have access to a varied programme, allowing 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 student may access fundamental abilities such as: achievement, self-confidence, interaction with and awareness of others, and self-reflection. Music will also develop an understanding of culture and history, both in relation to students individually, as well as ethnicities from across the world. Children are able to enjoy music, in as many ways as they choose- either as listener, creator or performer. They can dissect music and comprehend its parts, sing and feel a pulse and have an understanding of how to further develop skills less known to them, should they ever develop an interest in their lives. Our musical teaching will support children to become well rounded individuals who recognise the impact of music on them as a student, as well as support them to understand their peers.
The Subject Leader for Music is Mrs S Dunn.
