Music at St Francis Xavier...

Intent

At Saint Francis Xavier, music will be predominately delivered through links to topics (where possible). Children will be taught to appreciate and understand a wide range of music drawn from different traditions as well as from great composers and musicians as stated in the national curriculum. Children will also be taught the history of music.

We strive to ensure that each child, throughout their time with us, will have an opportunity to play a musical instrument as well as attend a live musical performance. We endeavour to nurture a musical ear which children apply throughout their learning journey as well as develop a life-long love of music.

Implementation

Music will be taught through the Kapow Primary Music scheme. Kapow Primary’s 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 cross-curricular topic designed to capture pupils’ imagination and encourage them to explore music enthusiastically. Over the course of the scheme, children will be taught how to sing fluently and expressively, and play tuned and untuned instruments accurately and 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.

The Kapow Primary scheme follows the spiral curriculum model where previous skills and knowledge are returned to and built upon. Children progress in terms of tackling more complex tasks and doing more simple tasks better, as well as developing understanding and knowledge of the history of music, staff, and other musical notations, as well as the interrelated dimensions of music and more.

Music will also be taught in a variety of ways linked to the class topic.

• Children will have opportunities to listen to a wide variety of styles in music specific lessons as well as other areas in the curriculum such as liturgies and masses.
• They will perform and compose their own music.
• They will be taught subject specific language in order to evaluate music of both their own and other composers.
• They will be taught how to read music and - either through educational visits or professionals- how to play an instrument.
• Children learn and rehearse hymns and songs in singing assemblies.

Impact

By the time children leave Saint Francis, they will have played a musical instrument and attended a live performance. They will be able to evaluate and discuss music using the correct subject specific language. They will have gained confidence listening and responding to music and using it to express themselves.

The expected impact of following the Kapow Primary Music scheme of work 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 personal musical preferences.

• Meet the end of key stage expectations outlined in the National curriculum for Music.