Music
Intent
At the Newark Hill Academy, CHILD is at the heart of our enquiry based curriculum..
We challenge our pupils to reach their full potential in music through listening, composition, and performances, whilst experimenting with creativity. We give children the opportunity to thread music directly through their school day across the curriculum and challenge their ambitions. We ensure we meet the need of all of our learners, including pupils with SEND.
We maintain health and happiness in music, by ensuring that pupils feel comfortable, confident and that their contributions are cherished. The variety of music genres and styles promote a range of reflective emotions, helping to regulate and explain their feelings and empathy. Health is also promoted by our physically engaging sessions.
Pupils are inspired children by demonstrate the role and power of music in everyday life. We facilitate open discussions and encourage full immersion into the subject through a range of different methods: whole class ensembles, whole school singing, experimentation with composition and lyric writing, as well as the love of listening to friends, peers and teachers.
We equip our pupils with Lifelong Learning in music, so that they are able to use valuable understanding for life beyond the classroom. We do this by sharing a wide range of musical genres, instruments and performance types, allowing them to engage with the specific type of music that suits them. Music is the soundtrack to their lives, connecting them to an ever-changing world, allowing them to understand and appreciate a range of artistic endeavours.
We explore and celebrate diversity through our study of musicians and composers from a range of backgrounds. Children openly discuss, research and perform artists’ work adding to the diverse culture of our school.
Implementation
Music is an integral and well-resourced part of life at Newark Hill
Academy. We want the music lessons to be fun and inspiring, engaging the children with songs, lyrics and movement. We want the children to feel able and reflective and expressive, developing their own appreciation of music with the opportunities we provide as a school. All children are actively encouraged and given the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument, from standard classroom instruments to individual instrumental lessons with the visiting peripatetic staff.
Music is planned in-line with the statements laid out in the national curriculum. Music is planned with cross-curricular links where possible with Charanga being used to supplement and provide extra support and resources to enhance music teaching. Charanga provides many examples of music styles and genres from different times and places. These are explored through the language of music via active listening, performing and composing activities, which enable understanding of the context and genre.
Through our music lessons children are actively involved in a wide range of musical opportunities. Children develop their singing voices, using body percussion and whole body actions, and learning to handle and play classroom instruments effectively to create and express their own and others’ music. Through a range of whole class, group and individual activities, children have opportunities to explore sounds, listen actively, compose and perform.
Charanga
Charanga is a scheme of work which offers a topic-based approach to support children’s learning in music. A steady progression plan has been built into Charanga, both within each year and from one year to the next, ensuring consistent musical development. By using Charanga as the basis of a scheme of work, we can ensure that they are fulfilling the aims for musical learning stated in the National Curriculum:
Charanga includes many examples of music styles and genres from different times and places. These are explored through the language of music via active listening, performing and composing activities, which enable understanding of the context and genre.
Charanga provides a classroom-based, participatory and inclusive approach to music learning. Throughout the scheme, children are actively involved in using and developing their singing voices, using body percussion and whole body actions, and learning to handle and play classroom instruments effectively to create and express their own and others’ music. Through a range of whole class, group and individual activities, children have opportunities to explore sounds, listen actively, compose and perform.
Lessons
During music lessons children will be given opportunities to learn music specific vocabulary in a meaningful context. During the lesson children will be given opportunities to apply skill and given chance for collaboration through composition.
Enhancements
Music within school offers whole class Ukulele lessons (as a part of our Wider Opportunities sessions) and Choir club. In addition to this parents are able to opt in to 1:1 or group music session using specialised music teachers, such as piano, singing and guitar.
Assessment
As music is a practical subject, assessment may be done by focussing on a small group at a time on certain tasks or skills, observing the children, discussing their work or self/group/teacher evaluation against criteria from the National Curriculum programmes of study and end of year expectations. The progression grid provided by the subject leader ensures children are accessing work at age related expectations, with regular opportunities to be challenged through higher-level objectives. Children are assessed according to age related expectations in line with curriculum requirements. This is done in line with the school assessment calendar. This information is recorded and monitored by the co-ordinator.
Impact
Music is monitored by the subject coordinator throughout all year groups using a variety of strategies such as, lesson observations, staff discussions and pupil interviews. Feedback is given to teachers and leaders use the information to see if the children know more and remember more. We assess against out ‘End of Year Learning Goals’ frequently.
National Curriculum Music Programmes of Study:
Model Music Curriculum (publishing.service.gov.uk)
We offer extra-curricular music lesson by JMP
Our Music Coordinator is Miss Browne.