Music Curriculum Rationale

“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, 2013.

The National Curriculum for music aims to ensure that all children:

• perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres and styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians.
• learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence.
• understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.

Our Music Vision

At West Malling CE Primary School our vision is for our pupils to receive a music education which engages and inspires pupils to develop a love of music and enjoy all that music has to offer. We aim to ensure that all pupils in EYFS, KS1 and KS2 are given great opportunities to sing, listen, play, perform and evaluate in their music lessons as well as develop a widening repertoire of music. The children experience full coverage of the National Music Curriculum through specialist teaching in their weekly lessons.

Through our music lessons, we hope to further the children’s creativity and explore their talents, developing attributes such as: self-confidence, self-discipline, achievements, interaction with and awareness of others and self-reflection. In their weekly music lessons, the children will learn key aspects of music through both discrete learning and cross-curricular links. They will gain experience and understanding of a variety of musical genres, traditions and cultures with many opportunities to listen to and review recorded music of great composers and musicians.

The children will benefit from lots of practical engagement and be given chances to be as creative as possible when composing and performing, learning the importance of musical elements through active games, compositions and successful performances. Singing and playing of instruments will be an important focus for each year group to help develop musicianship skills, experiment with producing different sounds and build their confidence in a supportive environment.

Our Areas of Learning

The music curriculum at West Malling CE Primary School is divided into two strands of knowledge; substantive and disciplinary. The skills learnt in each of these areas then develop and build, allowing our pupils to become well-rounded and creative musicians: as performers, composers and listeners of music.

Substantive knowledge in music is based on the developing knowledge of the nine interrelated dimensions of music. All musical learning is built around the interrelated dimensions of music.

Substantive knowledge focuses on developing children’s skills and knowledge required for them to develop as musicians. This is achieved through deliberate practice and allows children to develop and demonstrate fluency of knowledge. It involves learning about music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians.

Disciplinary knowledge in music is the interpretation on the interrelated dimensions of music and how this knowledge is used when singing, playing instruments, improvising and composing, to develop creative and original pieces and performances. Children work independently and collaboratively to interpret and combine the dimensions of music to create a specific and desired effect. Disciplinary knowledge is applied to all four areas of learning in music: performing, composing, listening and evaluating.

Visits and Enrichment

• Participation in the Young Voices Concert at the O2
• Participation in local seasonal concerts
• Participation in choir club
• Live music assemblies
• Termly church services
• EYFS/KS1 nativities
• Year 5/6 end of year production
• Talent show
• Peripatetic music teachers