Music

‘Without music, life would be a mistake.’- Friedrich Nietzsche

Our Music Curriculum can be found by clicking on this logo: 

Your child’s class teacher will be able to answer any questions about your child’s music learning. You can also speak to our Music Leaders at LHPSN, Miss Williams (curriculum) and Mrs Garvey (peripatetic provision). They can both help you with musical events in which we are involved.

“Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. A 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 sense of achievement.” – National Curriculum 2014.

Here at LHPSN, every child is provided with an opportunity to create, play, perform and enjoy music. Our thematically-tailored curriculum enables our pupils to develop a variety of skills and appreciate a wide range of musical genres and forms. In addition, we strongly believe that music enriches the lives of people and as a result we endeavour to involve as many children as possible in the musical activities that take place throughout the year.

Intent

At Lickey Hills Primary School and Nursery, we believe that a high-quality music education is integral for our pupils’ development. Our bespoke curriculum (in tandem with our golden threads) strives to instil a life-long passion for music through carefully crafted learning experiences. These aim to nurture pupils’ self-confidence, creativity, discipline and sense of personal achievement. Our primary intention is to provide pupils with a solid foundation for exploring, developing and showcasing their musical talents. From Reception to Year 6, our pupils participate in a rich variety of stimulating, enjoyable and accessible musical experiences, which aid the development of the following skills:

• Singing tunefully and with expression
• Playing a musical instrument and performing as a musician
• Understanding and exploring how music is created, produced and presented
• Evaluating compositions and performances
• Understanding the inter-related dimensions of music and their purpose
• Understanding music theory
• Appreciating music from a range of different periods, genres, styles and traditions
• Developing an understanding of the chronology of music history 

Alongside this, pupils are also encouraged to:

• Participate in a variety of musical performances 
• Listen to a range of high-quality music from different periods, genres, styles and traditions (both live and recorded)
• Learn an instrument in KS2
• Develop a lifelong love for music

Whether they are a performer, composer, budding musicologist or an avid listener, every child has the potential to thrive musically. In the words of Hans Christian Anderson, ‘where words fail, music speaks’.

Implementation

At Lickey Hills Primary School and Nursery, our curriculum is underpinned by four ‘Golden Threads’ (Legacy; Global Citizenship; Childhood, Family and Home; Knowledge), which weave their way through our bespoke Music programme. Our developmental, skills-based approach enables pupils to revisit prior knowledge, contextualise their learning and make connections across the curriculum. Furthermore, the progression planned into each unit of work means that pupils are appropriately challenged and well-equipped for the next stage of their learning journey. 

In coherence with the National Curriculum and the Model Music Curriculum, developing an understanding of the inter-related dimensions of music is given precedence within a framework designed to show progression and equip pupils with a range of transferable skills, such as discipline, co-operation and risk-taking. To ensure that all National Curriculum objectives are not only covered, but built upon, our music progression framework is divided into the following areas: Singing; Listening (Discussion and Appreciation); Composing; Performing (Instrumental and Vocal); Musical Knowledge (Terminology and Theory) and Music History (Western Classical Tradition, Popular and World). Each unit is driven by a key question and aims to expose pupils to a wide range of artists, composers, pieces and styles from across the globe. Attention is given to the works of great musicians (who serve as an inspiration when composing) and pupils are taught to build a repertoire of techniques they can utilise in their own work. Music history is taught chronologically from Year 2 and each Spring, classes are given the opportunity to learn about a ‘World’ or ‘Popular’ music genre. Music is also celebrated at Christmas through our KS1 Nativities, KS2 Carol Service and performances on the playground. In Summer Term, the year concludes with a musical celebration modelled on ‘The Proms’, in which classes celebrate their musical achievements and perform to their peers. Furthermore, we take great pride in the musical opportunities we have to offer our pupils, such as weekly singing assemblies, individual and whole-class instrumental lessons to pupils in KS2, performative class assemblies, participation in Singing Club, Ukulele Ensemble, and the Year 6 Production.

Impact

At Lickey Hills Primary School and Nursery, we are committed to promoting a curiosity for music in which pupils develop a firm understanding of what it means to listen, sing, play, evaluate, analyse and compose. By the end of their respective year groups, pupils will meet age-related expectations for the subject and acknowledge the important role that music plays in various cultures, traditions and individuals’ lives. All learners, regardless of their background or needs, will be exposed to the music curriculum. Pupils will develop their musicianship by reading simple notation, using musical vocabulary and recognising the works of the great composers and the time period they influenced.  Pupils will enjoy music in its many incarnations and as a result, their confidence as musicians will grow. In addition, our pupils will discuss and share their own opinions and ideas about music, acknowledging that these might vary to others’ and that this is positive. Our bespoke curriculum will foster a lifelong love and enthusiasm for the subject and provide a foundation from which potential future study can take place.

Music Award: We were delighted to recently have been awarded membership of Music Mark – this is a national organisation which will offer us ideas and resources to support our teaching of music. We were nominated by our local Music service who recognise the value that we place on music and acknowledge our dedication and commitment.