Music

 Intent

At Fir Bank, our music curriculum intends to inspire creativity, self-expression and encourages our children on their musical journeys, as well as giving them opportunities to connect with others. We endeavour to promote a lifelong love of music by facilitating their musical experiences and igniting their passion for music. We strive to make music lessons fun and inspiring, engaging the children with songs, lyrics and movement. Through musical experiences, we provide the opportunity for children to develop as a whole, to nurture their sense of self and explore their own abilities.  

Through a range of whole class, group and individual activities children perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians. During music lessons children learn to sing and use their voices, to use body percussion and to handle and play classroom instruments effectively to create and express their own and others’ music.

At Fir Bank, we facilitate the children’s understanding and exploration of how music is created, produced and communicated by offering whole class music teaching provided by a specialised music teaching from Oldham’s Music Centre. We believe this is integral in children progressing to the next level of musical excellence.

Implementation

The music curriculum ensures children sing, listen, play perform and evaluate. This is embedded in the classroom through the structured music programme Charanga as well as weekly singing assemblies, various concerts and performances, clubs and teaching from specialist teachers. 

Consideration is given to how greater depth will be taught, learnt and demonstrated within each lesson, as well as how learners will be supported in line with the school’s commitment to inclusion. 

Impact

Evidence of a broad and balanced music curriculum which demonstrates children’s acquisition of identified through sticky knowledge and skills. 

Children are able to review their successes in achieving the lesson objectives and are actively encouraged to identify their own areas of development. 

As children progress throughout school, they develop a deep knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their local area and its place within the wider geographical context. 

We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods;

Learning walks and professional dialogue with teachers.

• Accessing children’s understanding of vocabulary before and after the ‘knowledge and skills’ have been taught. 
• Images and videos of the children’s practical learning (books/ class floor book/displays)
• Interviewing children about their learning (pupil voice).
• Moderation staff meetings where pupil’s books/ class floor book are scrutinised and there is an opportunity for dialogue between teachers and to discuss the learning and teaching in their class. 

Learning Journey Music