Why is Music important?
Through music, we are provided with a powerful universal language which helps promote unity, enables us to process and express our emotions and fuels our imagination. Music is important in developing individual discipline, focus and memory. Whether the we are singing, playing, or listening, we develop our aural discrimination through music, which is an important part of communication and literacy.

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.” – Plato

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 Witherley CE Primary our curriculum is designed to ensure that 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 develop 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  be expressed in any person’s life. 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 different contexts.

• In music, pupils learn to listen carefully, fine tuning their auditory skills and developing their ability to evaluate and appraise.
• As a universal language, music enables children to break down barriers and enables communication.
• Pupils demonstrate perseverance, persistence and discipline as they develop their musical skills.
• Music increases pupils’ confidence through self-expression and performance, as well as providing a sense of achievement.

Implementation

When is Music taught?
Music is taught through thematic units. The attached overview (Appendix 1) maps out which thematic units feature this subject and the Long-Term Plan (Appendix 2) clearly shows the objectives taught. In addition to this we also employ a music teacher one day a week to supplement this through the Model Music Curriculum 2021 (see attached lesson plans).

How is Music taught?
Music is taught through a combination of subject knowledge and composing, performing, listening and appraising skills. Learning takes place both inside and outside the classroom.

Who do we learn about in Music?
We learn about a range of famous composers from history, such as J.S. Bach, Ludwig Van Beethoven and Rimsky-Korsakov. We also learn about more contemporary composers, such as Andrew Lloyd-Webber.

What do we learn about in Music?
We learn about the following:-

Notation Graphic scores

Signs and symbols

Soundscapes

Sound effects

Singing  - Sea shanties, Folk songs, National anthems, Slave songs, Battle chants, War songs

Cyclic patterns

Instrument families

Evolution of instruments

African music, including drumming

Celtic music

Hannukah music

Jingles

Film music Musicals

Inuit throat singing

Foundation Stage

In the Foundation Stage music is taught as an integral part of the Learning Means the World themes during the year. The areas of learning covered by music within the Foundation Stage are called Communication and Language, Physical Development and Expressive Arts and Design. The Early Learning Goals that are specific to music are:

Communication and Language

• Listen carefully to rhymes and songs, paying attention to how they sound.

• Learn rhymes, poems and songs.

Physical Development

• Combine different movements with ease and fluency.

Expressive Arts and Design

• Explore, use and refine a variety of artistic effects to express their ideas and feelings

• Return to and build on their previous learning, refining ideas and developing their ability to represent them.

• Create collaboratively, sharing ideas, resources and skills.

• Listen attentively, move to and talk about music, expressing their feelings and responses.

• Sing in a group or on their own, increasingly matching the pitch and following the melody.

• Explore and engage in music making and dance, performing solo or in groups. 

• Sing a range of well-known nursery rhymes and songs.

• Perform songs, rhymes, poems and stories with others, and (when appropriate) try to move in time with music.

Impact

Whilst in school, children have access to a varied programme, which allows pupils 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 pupil 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. They can sing and feel a pulse. They have an understanding of how to further develop skills less known to them, should they ever develop an interest in their lives.

We use a range of strategies to assess what skills and knowledge the children have attained each term including the following:

Performance

Pupil voice

Regular feedback during each lesson

Self and peer assessments of their learning and performance

In Explorers we are musicians through Expressive Arts and Design, Communication and Language and Physical Development. 
We love to explore and express ourselves through dancing, singing and making music. We learn rhymes and songs. Together we are learning to follow a music pattern with our bells. We perform to our friends and families through spontaneous shows and our planned Nativity at Christmas.