Intent

At Curbar Primary School, we strive to ensure that music learning is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity.  Music is an essential part of life and integral to the development of the whole person.  Music is used across the curriculum, and unites our school together, through worship and performance. Its inclusivity builds in children an appreciation, a sense of unity and a cultural appreciation that reaches across ages, abilities and background.  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. We do this through providing opportunities for appreciation, composition and singing alongside opportunities to showcase talents within our school community. We broadly follow the ‘Charanga’ scheme of learning that will support class teachers in delivering all aspects of the music curriculum. This will ensure that there is structure and progression in the teaching of music across the school.  Every other year, children in Years 3 and 4, have the opportunity to learn an instrument through the Derbyshire Music Hub (Wider Opportunities Programme) and children in KS2 participate in Young Voices every two years.

At Curbar, we promote pupils’ SMSC development through physical education in the following ways:

• We facilitate the use of creativity, enjoyment, wonder and imagination in the children’s learning.
• Collective worship is underpinned by careful choices of songs and music that broaden the children’s understanding of ideas about moral or ethical issues, and the viewpoints of others.
• We foster a sense of unity and belonging by coming together regularly as a school and key stages to sing and perform, often engaging with the wider community and developing a spirit of co-operation and collaboration.
• music from a range of cultures is experienced and the cultural influences that have shaped it are explored.
• We lay the foundations for the use and understanding of music as a source of pleasure, confidence, performance and spiritual and emotional wellbeing.

Implementation 

There are many opportunities throughout the year for our children to develop and showcase their musical experience and knowledge. Music teaching at Curbar covers the National Curriculum through the use of a personalised Charanga scheme of work. Music lessons are broken down into half-termly units, which support children to appreciate, sing, play, compose and perform different styles of music. Our weekly music lessons taught by class teachers involve tapping out rhythms; listening to and describing music from our termly composer, as well as composers that fit with particular topics; playing and performing pieces learnt on a variety of instruments and transcribing music. Children also hear and use musical vocabulary every week, so it soon becomes part of their everyday language.

As well as weekly classroom lessons, we are extremely lucky to have a range of daily visiting peripatetic teachers, who help our children to learn an instrument from an early age.  In KS2, children take part in the Wider Opportunities programme provided by the local Music Hub, which allows all KS2 pupils to learn an instrument.

Please see the Music Long Term overview below: