MUSIC
Music is taught by a specialist teacher in order to develop children’s understanding and enjoyment of music through a range of practical activities. In their lessons, which occur once a week, children will learn to:
- perform, listen to, review, and evaluate their own and others’ music across a range of historical contexts
- sing and use their voices and a variety of instruments to create and compose their own music
- understand how music is created through the musical elements of pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture and structure
Children are offered a number of performance opportunities throughout the year in the form of concerts, which parents are invited to attend. The school also offers a choir for children to perform with, as well as offering a range of instrumental classes, which parents can pay for so that their child will have small group tuition. These sessions are provided by external tutors from Ealing Music Service, more information can be found by contacting the office.
Music Development Plan
Intent
At West Acton, children are given weekly opportunities to experience a high quality music curriculum. They are also given the opportunity to experience music genres outside their own cultural spheres through weekly class assemblies. From Nursery to Reception and through to Year 6, children at West Acton have a weekly music lesson delivered by a trained music specialist. All children participate in music at West Acton where the heart of the curriculum is delivered through singing. West Acton Primary School works in partnership with Sing Education to deliver our curriculum through a vision that ‘everyone has a voice’. Children at West Acton learn a love of music, through singing, playing and composing and experience a wide cannon of music beyond their own cultural experiences.
Implementation
The curriculum is a spiral curriculum where the children will revisit and build upon skills and knowledge from previous years as they proceed through the school, from Nursery to year 6. The Sing Education curriculum is in line with the guidance offered by DfE model music curriculum (March 2021).The main learning spirals of our music curriculum are:
Singing names: This is the Solfege method of sight reading music using the phonemes do re mi fa so la ti do, rather than the note names. It has the effect of simplifying major scale learning.
Rhythm names: This is the Kodaly method of learning rhythms based on the duration of the word matching the duration of the beat. It has the effect of simplifying rhythmic notation.
Composing: Children are encouraged to apply skills of singing names and rhythm names to compose and notate their own pieces in groups or individually.
In lessons at West Acton Primary School a core belief is ‘everyone has a voice’ A key component of every lesson is singing. Children learn how to collaborate as an ensemble, keep time with a steady pulse (the heartbeat of the music), compose and notate through the medium of singing. They also have the chance to use a variety of instruments – tuned and untuned - and in year 3 and 4 there are dedicated units to learning the recorder and in year 5 and 6 the ukulele. Children engage with a wide variety genres and cultures from Traditional Nursery rhymes to Irish folk music to Calypso rhythms to electronic theme tunes such as Doctor Who.
West Acton Primary School works in partnership with Sing Education to deliver and maintain its exciting up-to-date curriculum.
Impact
Children learn to have positive musical experiences. This is through learning about other cultures music or through the excitement of performing in front of an audience. They learn how to be creative in their thinking and learn to listen to each other and develop the ability to collaborate musically. Through a carefully constructed curriculum they develop a strong vocabulary to describe the musical experiences they are having and plan the musical experiences they want to create. They are able to read rhythms by sight and use these skills to aid their own compositions. They can talk with confidence of about music from around the world. Children attend music clubs through their own choice due to a love of music.
EYFS
In Nursery, children are presented with regular opportunities to sing and experiment with instruments built in to their Early Years curriculum. They sing nursery rhymes and rhythmic chants.
How the Curriculum is adapted for SEND
Music at West Acton Primary School aims to be barrier free, including all children, especially in those from their affiliated classes from the ARP. To support children’s learning sometimes there is appropriate adult support and children have access to resources such as ear defenders where appropriate.
Cultural Capital
At West Acton Primary School, children are given the opportunity to pursue musical excellence outside prescribed lesson time. This is in the form of peripatetic music lessons and music clubs and ensembles.
Peripatetic music lessons: Children can learn the keyboards, violin, guitar or ukulele. These lessons are taught by specialist music teachers from Sing Education. Children learn individually or in small groups to a maximum of 5 children.
A weekly music assembly: Assemblies are given in each class across the school. They are planned around a theme each term. The themes aim to introduce children to the wider cannon of composers and genres; to experience music of their own and others cultures; to develop their own cultural capital.
Children go on musical trips to the theatre in year 4 and enjoy an annual visit from a pantomime troupe.
Children in West Acton have the opportunity to experience and perform music throughout the school year.
Home learning
There is no set homework, but children are encouraged to listen to and talk about music outside of school.
