Music

Music Overview 2023-24

Intent
Our curriculum is all the planned activities that we as a school organise in order to promote learning, personal growth and development. It includes, not only the formal requirements of the National Curriculum (2014), but also the range of extra-curricular activities that the school organises in order to enrich the experience of our children. It also includes the ‘hidden curriculum’, or what the children learn from the way they are treated and expected to behave. We aim to teach children how to grow into positive, resilient and responsible people, who can work and co-operate with others, whilst developing knowledge, skills and attitudes to learning, in order that they achieve their true potential.
Implementation
Music is an important feature of Hillside Primary School; the children are able and enthusiastic singers, with a song for every occasion. Singing is a real strength within our school and everyone is encouraged to join in, whatever their ability. Kapow Primary is used to deliver our Music Curriculum. We follow Kapow’s Main Music scheme of work, as well as their instrumental Music scheme of work. Year 4 have access to whole class instrument tuition for 10 weeks/lessons. This year, Year 4 pupils have the opportunity to play the Ocarina (lessons delivered by the Norfolk Music Hub via Charanga).
 
Music is taught in EYFS through songs and activities. In KS1, pupils have weekly music lesson, lasting an hour. In KS2 pupils have weekly music lessons, lasting one hour, in alternate half-terms.
 
Singing assemblies are led by the Music Lead, Mr Ainslie. The children have the opportunity to sing along to recorded soundtracks and also to warm-up their voices to piano or vocal stimuli. The majority of songs taught during assemblies are from Out of the Ark resources, designed for all seasons. The children have an input into which songs they would like to sing.
 
The school choir remains incredibly popular with pupils across the school. The choir has performed regularly in front of the school during various events, including within school assembly and specifically the Harvest assembly.
 
We will be performing Christmas shows again to give more pupils the opportunity to perform in front of a live audience. These were incredibly successful last year which were the first since the pandemic with a large audience.
 
It is the plan that all children within Hillside will learn to play a variety of instruments throughout their primary school experience and, through this, consolidate their learning and understanding of the basics of music, its theory, practice and enjoyment, covering all the objectives of the National Curriculum.

We continue to offer peripatetic instrument lessons to KS2 pupils for drums and guitar. Many children in KS2 take part in these lessons on a weekly basis.
Impact
· 79%-94% of children are achieving at least the expected standard in music, with 6% in Year 2 and 3% in Year 6 achieving above the expected standard.
 
· Many children receive weekly tuition for a wide range of instruments and are making fantastic progress with their teachers.
 
· Pupils really enjoy music and there is effective coverage/progress across the school.