Music
Intent
At Putnoe Primary School, our vision is that Music engages and inspires pupils to recognise that they are musical, develop a love of music, nurture talent as musicians and therefore increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As pupils progress, they will develop a critical engagement with Music, allowing them to perform, compose and to listen with discrimination to a variety of Music from a range of traditions and genres.
We have taken careful consideration over our curriculum design, working with the aims and recommendations of the National Curriculum alongside the school’s Arts Team, recommendations from Music For Bedford Borough and reflecting on local need, to form a sequenced and broad experience for pupils.
There are three interrelated pillars; Technical, Constructive and Expressive in Music. When each of these pillars slowly and incrementally become more complex, this allows pupils to make musical progress. These interrelated pillars are explained in more detail below:
| Technical | Constructive | Expression |
|---|---|---|
| Skills such as posture, projection, control, range, hand control | The ability to understand notation, chords, major and minor keys, form, structure and the interrelated dimensions of Music | To demonstrate and explain the expressive intent within a piece, feelings portrayed, context and origin |
We aim to develop complexity within the three pillars above by using five key focus areas:
- Singing
- Listening
- Composing
- Performing
- Musicianship
By doing this, pupils are empowered by Music and in the inclusive and practical nature of the subject.
Implementation
At Putnoe Primary School, all pupils have weekly lessons with a specialist music teacher, with the majority of lessons taking place in our purpose built music room. In a typical Music lesson pupils experience a listening activity, have rehearsing/composing time and perform or share in some context. When pupils rehearse, explore or compose music, this is delivered in a practical way, using the voice or an instrument wherever possible.
To enhance learning and provide meaningful musical opportunities, pupils have access to a wide variety of instruments and resources in school including:
- Usual classroom percussion instruments (including maracas, woodblocks, bells, giros)
- Beat Boards
- Boomwhackers
- Chime bars
- Djembes
- Glockenspiels
- Recorders
- Samba Kit
- Drum Kits
- Ukuleles
- Keyboards
- GarageBand, YuStudio, Traktor 2 and Koala to produce music
- Classroom Apple Mac computers and class iPads
- Practise rooms
- Staging, costume and lighting
As well as quality outcomes we provide experiences that motivate, inspire and engage pupils. These compliment our curriculum and have a huge impact on pupils. Recent trips, experiences and workshops have included:
- Producing an opera with Royal Opera House Create and Sing
- Interacting with professional musicians in a workshop capacity (Beatboxers and rappers, Philharmonia musicians and Elaine & Kevin Simpson recently)
- Royal Opera House, Philharmonia and London Symphony Orchestra trips
- Visiting professionals performing in school
- Recording and performing opportunities
- Instrumental lessons (at an additional cost - see below)
Music is an inclusive subject, with all pupils able to access learning and make progress as individuals in lessons. Pupils may use instruments they learn in or out of school within various parts of the curriculum.
Assessment for learning is woven into lessons, with formative assessment a vital part of rehearsals within class. Summative assessments take place termly with the data logged on Sonar Tracker. The practical nature of the subject lends itself to audio and video evidence which is stored securely on a school drive account.
The subject leader is responsible for termly reports, they analyse trends and set objectives relevant to pupil needs as identified by the data and pupil voice. Subject action plans are monitored by the Senior Leadership Team.
Pupils get involved with leadership of projects, sharing Arts messages and providing feedback on the Arts in school, as part of a pupil voice group called the Cultural Ambassadors.
Putnoe Primary School is a Music Mark school, as awarded by the local music hub. The subject leader regularly seeks and attends professional development sessions run both locally and nationally to keep up to date in Music education developments. Putnoe Primary School hosts local schools for training regularly, with the Music subject leader providing support to local schools in their additional role as Primary Link Teacher for Music for Bedford Borough.
Songs, listening and musical games are used in other subject areas to reinforce learning, focus or help retain information. Music regularly supports other areas of the curriculum and is used to celebrate and bring awareness to events such as Black History Month, our community Summer Fayre and Christmas Nativity performance.
Instrumental Lessons
We have experienced visiting instrumental staff, offering specialist lessons on trumpet, trombone, tenor horn, baritone, violin, viola, cello, flute, clarinet, saxophone, drum kit, keyboard, piano, acoustic guitar and electric guitar. This service is offered through Bedford Music Co-operative and can be booked through their website linked below.
Clubs and rehearsals
We signpost pupils to ensembles (Music clubs) in school and advertise the local offer to further develop our pupils ensemble, technical and performance skills. Our extra-curricular activities at Putnoe Primary School over the academic year are offered on a first come first served basis. These have included Choir, DJ Club, Putnoe Primary Sings, Musical Theatre and Orchestra.
Other rehearsals for assembly performances, exam practise with pianist, general practise sessions (if not possible at home) can be arranged with Miss Booth for lunchtimes/breaktimes/after school.
Impact
Whether for wellbeing, community, creativity or profession, the significance of music in our society is extremely valuable. As such a high quality music education can have a significant impact on a pupils life.
By the end of key stage 2, pupils will play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using their voices and playing instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression. They will improvise and compose for a range of purposes using the inter-related dimensions of music. Pupils will listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory. They will use and understand staff and other musical notations, appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians. Pupils will begin to develop an understanding of the history of music.
Other positive impacts of a good music education include; language development, strengthening memory, listening skills and increased attention. There is evidence of young musicians having wider improved academic performance, greater ability to apply critical thinking, effective problem-solving as well as increased attendance.
Putnoe Primary School hopes pupils continue with their music education able to enjoy music in as many ways as they choose – as a listener, composer or performer, appreciating that musical talent is nurtured and a continuous effort to develop and experiment in creative processes.