Intent

We at St Thomas More aim to have a Music curriculum that enables children to understand musical concepts through a repetition based approach to learning. Using the National Curriculum and Model Music Curriculum we ensure that by learning about the same musical concept through different musical activities it enables a more secure, deeper learning and mastery of musical skills. The musical teaching is not linear but is presented in a learning spiral which is in keeping with our whole curriculum ethos. 

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. As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon.

The national curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils:

• 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
• 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 interrelated dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations

Implementation

Our music curriculum follows a scheme called Charanga. The scheme was established to ensure that all the objectives are covered from the national curriculum with supporting information including a vast library of songs, topics, videos and apps to support the delivery in the classroom. We are following the model music scheme in Year 1 up to Year 6. The scheme also allows for personalised learning as needed. Classes have music weekly or for a whole day per term to ensure the objectives are covered. Over the course of this academic year, Year 4 will be learning the Clarinet, Year 3 taking part in Stand by Me and Year 2 will have Ready, Steady, Play. All of these additional lessons will be run by qualified musicians who will visit the school in person or hold sessions with the classes virtually. 

Impact

Our pupils enjoy music lessons and are engaged in the provision offered, whether it be lessons using the Charanga learning resource, their own YUMU learning at home accounts or lessons taught by peripatetic teachers visiting the school. Our pupils continue to add musical skills that they develop as the progress from EYFS up to Year 6. Our pupils have the foundations of a lifelong learning of music and understand the impact of musical knowledge and understanding. Our pupils will understand that music as a subject fosters team working, that it builds life skills, that as a subject it encourages creativity and our pupils will not be afraid to have a go, linking with our schools growth mind-set approach. Our pupils will know that Music is for life and that it is a fun subject to learn about. They will also understand that Music is for everyone. Pupils will listen, play along to, sing and perform a variety of diverse musical styles and gain understanding in where, why and when certain musical pieces were written. They will also be able to compose their own musical pieces as standalone or to accompany musical pieces.

Singing 

We are very proud of our singing and we regularly sing. We have one collective worship dedicated solely to singing and in addition we sing in other collective worships as well. We have two choirs over the course of the year, one school choir focuses on Christmas songs and visits nearby Residential Homes. 

Performance

We like to celebrate our achievements and will hold performances whenever we can! We have been very fortunate for the past two academic years to have the opportunity to have a visiting world famous pianist perform a piano recital for us! 

Links with the Community

As part of the Music provision in Year 5 and Year 6 the class worked with the London Sinfonietta taking part in a competition to produce compositions. One of which was chosen to be played by the Orchestra in their Summer performance. 

We will also be having our Year 2 pupils taking part in 'Stand By Me' where they work with a local care home singing well known songs.