Music
Music at The Hayes is a huge feature of our school and is an integral part of our curriculum. Through the teaching of and experience in music, we intend our pupils; first and foremost to develop a life-long love of music, by focusing on developing the skills, knowledge and understanding that children need in order to become confident performers, composers, and listeners. Our curriculum introduces children to music from all around the world and across generations, teaching children to respect and appreciate the music of all traditions and communities.
Children will develop the musical skills of singing, playing tuned and untuned instruments, improvising and composing music, and listening and responding to music. They will develop an understanding of the history and cultural context of the music that they listen to and learn how music can be written down. Through music, our curriculum helps children develop transferable skills such as team-working, leadership, creative thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, and presentation and performance skills which are vital to children’s development as learners and have a wider application in their general lives outside and beyond school.
We take a holistic approach to music, in which the individual strands below are woven together to create engaging and enriching learning experiences:
Each five-lesson unit combines these strands within a cross-curricular topic designed to capture pupils’ imagination and encourage them to explore music enthusiastically. Over the course of the scheme, children will learn to recognise and name the interrelated dimensions of music - pitch, duration, tempo, timbre, structure, texture and dynamics - and use these
expressively in their own improvisations and compositions.
The scheme covers the national curriculum attainment targets as well as each of these strands within it. The Progression of skills and knowledge shows the skills that are taught within each year group and how these skills develop year on year to ensure attainment targets are securely met by the end of each key stage. Our music curricular follows the spiral curriculum model where previous skills and knowledge are returned to and built upon. Children progress in terms of tackling more complex tasks and doing more simple tasks better, as well as developing understanding and knowledge of the history of music, staff, and other musical notations, as well as the interrelated dimensions of music and more.
*Cyclical: pupils return to the same skills and knowledge again and again during their time in primary school.
*Increasing depth: each time a skill or area of knowledge is revisited it is covered with greater depth.
*Prior knowledge: upon returning to a skill, prior knowledge is utilised so pupils can build upon previous foundations, rather than starting again.
In each lesson, pupils will actively participate in musical activities drawn from a range of styles and traditions, developing their musical skills and their understanding of how music works. Lessons incorporate a range of teaching strategies from independent tasks, paired and group work as well as improvisation and teacher-led performances. Lessons are ‘hands-on’ and incorporate movement and dance elements, as well as making cross curricular links with other areas of learning.
We have chosen to use the scheme, Kapow, because for a specialist or non-specialist, the lessons massively reduce workload and increase the effectiveness and efficiency of delivering the music curriculum. Alongside the main scheme of learning, there are also additional music videos for teachers to model and show learners how to apply musical skills, aiding them in their own acquisition of musical skills and knowledge. Further CPD opportunities can also be found via webinars with music specialists, supporting the delivery of a high standard that ensures pupil progression.
Our children are given many opportunities to perform, which gives them greater confidence to express themselves. Singing is at the heart of The Hayes. All year groups sing throughout the curriculum, weekly during singing practices and in our assemblies. The benefits of singing are numerous and far-reaching. It is healthy, promotes good breathing and posture, can make us feel better about ourselves, enhances our self-esteem and sense of well-being, it allows us to work collaboratively within groups in a non-competitive, highly supportive environment. We have a flourishing KS1 and KS2 choir, both who perform informally at school and more formally in venues such as the Fairfield Halls.
We fully endorse and support instrumental and vocal programmes, eg: in Year 4 our children learn to play brass and wind instrument through the Wider Opportunities initiative Soundstart.
After the implementation of Kapow Primary Music, pupils should leave primary school equipped with a range of skills to enable them to succeed in their secondary education and to be able to enjoy and appreciate music throughout their lives. The expected impact is that our children will:
*Be confident performers, composers and listeners and will be able to express themselves musically at and beyond school.
*Show an appreciation and respect for a wide range of musical styles from around the world and will understand how music is influenced by the wider cultural, social, and historical contexts in which it is developed.
*Understand the ways in which music can be written down to support performing and composing activities.
*Demonstrate and articulate an enthusiasm for music and be able to identify their own personal musical preferences.
*Meet the end of key stage expectations outlined in the national curriculum for Music.
It’s quite simple: Music is Magic at The Hayes!
Please click picture to access the Music Curriculum Map
Music Progression of Skills and Knowledge
Music Curriculum Map
Music Learning
Music Tuition
The Hayes is very proud of its musical reputation especially in the provision of instrumental teaching and extra curricular activities. The school is able to offer instrumental tuition in the following instruments:
Violin Flute Piano Viola Cello
Clarinet Guitar Percussion Recorder Ocarina
Arts Week: HGT
Arts Week: Drumming Workshop
Music is Magic!
