Music

Intent

At Brentnall Community Primary, we believe that music is a universal language that enables us to communicate without words. We feel that all pupils should be exposed to a diverse music curriculum to help them be successful in developing their expressive language, sense of identity and to help give them the tools to express their emotions,

Music is used throughout our lives from celebrating a birthday with a song, to religious occasions, to simply listening to the radio in the car. As such we aim to deliver a curriculum that enriches the lives of pupils that is as diverse as our school community teaching pupils to be respectful along the way.

Staff use music to support learning across the curriculum by engaging pupils through music in other subjects by listening to music which fits the period being studied in history, or music from another culture in RE or simply singing their times tables songs in Maths.

Implementation

At Brentnall we hope that at the end of their time with us pupils are well on their way to being musicians. Pupils are able to identify what genres they like and dislike and using a range of musical vocabulary are able to explain their reasons why.

A high-quality music education should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music. It should inspire and resonate with them and enable them to be creative.

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 inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notation

Here at Brentnall we aim to teach exciting and interactive music lessons through the use of modern technology, live instruments and exposure to live events in our local community and wider city of Manchester.

We currently follow the Sing Up music curriculum that supports all aspects of music in school, including the new music curriculum but are always looking at new ways to make the Music curriculum relevant and exciting for pupils.

Children also enjoy whole-class instrumental tuition (currently taught in year 4) through the MAPAS Wider Opportunities programme. They develop their performance skills throughout the year by performing for a range of audiences and at concert halls including the Lowry Theatre and at the Bridgewater Hall with the world-class Halle Orchestra.

In addition to this we are developing collections of music to be used in class that support learning throughout the day. From music that supports focused and quiet learning, to music for relaxation or to energize the class.

Impact

The impact on our pupils is that they are able to talk about a diverse range of music from across genres, purposes and different periods of history. They are able to explore how sounds are made and try to replicate this in school; developing a curiosity for looking at how things are done and why through composing their own music. Pupils are able to sing in a range of styles and leave Brentnall with a sense of identity through music, being passionate about music and that they continue to appreciate a wide collection of music.

Further Information

For information on the National Curriculum for Music please click here
For information on our school’s Long Term Plans for Music please click here
For more information on how Music is taught within Early Years please click here