Music

Our Intent for Music at Roundhill Primary School

At Roundhill, the intention is that children gain a firm understanding of what music is through listening, singing, playing, evaluating, analysing, and composing across a diverse range of historical periods, styles, traditions, and musical genres. Our objective is to develop an enjoyment for the subject, as well as an understanding and acceptance of the validity and importance of all types of music, and an unbiased respect for the role that music plays in any person’s life.

We intend to ensure that all pupils:

• Perform, listen to, review and evaluate music
• Are taught to sing, create and compose music
• Understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated.

Our pupils learn to respond to music and develop their understanding of the elements of music progressively across the school using both the Sing Up classroom teaching resources and instrumental lessons in KS2.

We are committed to ensuring children understand the value and importance of music in the wider community, and are able to use their musical skills, knowledge, and experiences to involve themselves in music, in a variety of different contexts.

Implementation

When we are listening to music, singing or playing instruments, creating rhythms or just exploring sounds, we are being musicians. For EYFS and KS1, music is delivered using the music teaching resources from Sing Up. Sing Up aims for every child to have access to high-quality, practical and engaging musical experiences through the use of their pupil and teacher resources. We aim for our children to develop the self-confidence, skills, knowledge and understanding to develop a lifelong love of music, whilst also providing a secure foundation that enables them to take music further should they wish to.

In KS2, all children have weekly instrumental lessons delivered by both an external teacher from the charity ‘Orchestra of Everything Foundation’ and their own class teacher. Teachers receive fortnightly CPD from an expert and then put this into practice by teaching their own class the following week. Through the teaching of recorder (years 3 to 5) and ukulele (year 6) children develop their knowledge of pitch, rhythm, dynamics whilst also improving their performance, teamwork and self-awareness skills.

Teaching of music is monitored by the Music Subject Leader through observations of lessons, planning, assessments and performances and by pupil conferencing. Children have the opportunity to sing in the school choir and perform to the local community. Children have many opportunities through which to perform music such as: singing in assemblies, performing for other classes, staged productions, visits to local churches and Bath Abbey and attendance at Music Festivals.