Subject on a page:
Music
At Bentley West we believe that all our pupils have a right to a high quality music education. We see Music as an important subject in itself, whilst also harnessing its ability to impact learning in other curriculum areas, develop social skills, contribute to our mental health and bring us together as a community.
Intent - We aim to...
Approach to assessment
Teachers, through observation on a lesson-by-lesson
basis, will measure impact. This will be judged against
the outcomes highlighted at the beginning of each
lesson / unit and the National Curriculum. Teachers will
use formative assessment in each lesson to see what
knowledge has been retained from previous learning. Data is not collected in the same way as for other subject areas. Data for music is generated through teacher knowledge of the pupils’ understanding gained through AFL strategies.
Implementation -How do we achieve our aims?
Alignment to National Curriculum
We have created a bespoke curriculum, ensuring that the National Curriculum is covered and that it incorporates the principles that underpin the Model Music Curriculum, National Plan for Music 2 and the most recent Music research. Pupil, parent and teacher voice also influences our curriculum. All Y4 learn to play a tuned woodwind instrument. Small group instrumental teaching is available in Y5/6.
Impact - How will we know we achieved our aims?
End points
We have adopted a kodaly inspired approach to musicianship skills based on the principles of prepare - present- practice, ensuring that all learners are able to embed and understand musical skills.The end point for all our children is to have the skills, knowledge and understanding necessary to prepare
them for the music curriculum at Key Stage 3;
Children will learn about the inter-related dimensions
throughout the music curriculum to enable them to do this.
Sequencing
Our curriculum is deliberately designed to revisit key skills regularly, making links to prior and future learning, in order to enable children to deepen, master and embed their tacit, procedural and declarative knowledge over time. These links are highlighted on our music curriculum overviews. Our skills progression documents helps us to plan sequences of learning that build on skills and includes the technical, constructive and expressive pillars of progression.This prepare our pupils for their next steps in learning.
Addressing Social disadvantage
Many of our children come from backgrounds where music and playing an instrument are not experiences they would encounter regularly . Extra-curricular clubs and experiences allow our children to experience music beyond the classroom as well as outside of the school setting. Adaptive teaching enables all of our children to access music, including our deaf pupils. Active music making and active listening is at the heart of our lessons ensuring that children can know, do and remember more. All children from Nursery to Year 6 participate in concerts every year, developing their confidence with every opportunity.Our weekly Music assembly provides opportunities to develop performance and listening skills and prepare songs for school assemblies and performance e.g Carol Services. All Y4 learn to play a tuned woodwind instrument. Small group instrumental teaching is available in Y5/6. Recorder lessons are offered to other year groups.
Pedagogical approaches
The music curriculum ensures children sing, listen, play, perform and evaluate. This is embedded in the classroom activities, musical performances and the learning of instruments. The elements of music are taught in the lessons so that children can use some of the language of music to be able to appreciate it and analyse it (inter-related dimensions).
Teachers’ expert knowledge
The demonstration of good subject and curriculum knowledge is a requirement in the DfE teaching standards. Teachers receive support from the subject lead, if they are not receiving support from the music specialist.
Knowing more and remembering more
Active music making and active listening is at the heart of our lessons ensuring that children can know, do and remember more. Teachers identify and share the key vocabulary and learning for each lesson. Children can use this vocabulary when planning, adapting, improving and evaluating their own compositions and the composition of others. Through appraisal of music, children will be able to identify the features of music from different genres and also gain factual knowledge (such as instrument names, note lengths and famous musicians both present and past).
Teacher assessment
Teachers, through formative assessment on a lesson-by- lesson basis, measure impact. This is judged against the outcomes highlighted at the beginning of the lesson and those for an entire unit of work. Teachers use formative assessment each lesson to assess what the children have remembered from
previous lessons or years.
Promoting discussion and understanding
Throughout lessons, children are encouraged to work collaboratively to plan, adapt, improve and evaluate their own performance and the performance of others, whilst also understanding the many elements used to make music. The children appraise pieces of music, referencing the inter-related dimensions to support their opinions.
Pupils’ work
Class Music Notebooks enable both teachers and pupils to revisit previous learning in order to reflect on performances and highlight next steps. They also aid reflection of progress over time and enable moderation of standards. Occasionally, pupil’s class performances are photographed or filmed for assessment. Photographs / film of musical events and assemblies may appear in the school twitter feed and newsletter. Regular opportunities to perform either in class or to an audience provides opportunities to assess performance skills.
Talking to pupils
Pupils regularly reflect upon and discuss their own performances and compositions, as well as that of others. This enables us to assess listening and appraising skills. The subject leader will measure impact through conversations with teachers and children.