At Launde Primary School, the children gain a firm understanding of what music is through listening, singing, playing, evaluating, analysing, and composing across a wide variety of historical periods, styles, traditions, and musical genres.

Intent

We are committed to ensuring children understand the value and importance of music in the wider community and for their wellbeing.

Aims:

• To have the opportunity to perform, listen to, review and evaluate music

• To practise their own singing as part of their class and as an individual

• To have the opportunity to create and compose music

• To understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated

• To gain an understanding of the cultural references within music

• Every child to learn to play an instrument (Ukulele Year 4 and Recorder Year 3)

• To learn to play another instrument of their choice through paid lessons (violin, piano, guitar, clarinet and cello)

• To ensure that songs and singing lie at the heart of the learning process

• To sing in a choir and in a range of different performances and class assemblies (Year 5 & 6 Young Voices, Year 3 Diosing)

Our music curriculum at Launde is delivered following the ‘English Model Music Curriculum from Charanga scheme’ of work which offers a topic-based approach to support children’s learning in music. We follow the steady progression plan which is built into Charanga, both within each year and from one year to the next, ensuring consistent musical development. By using Charanga as the basis of our scheme of work, we can ensure that we are fulfilling the aims for musical learning stated in the National Curriculum: Charanga includes many examples of music styles and genres from different times and places. These are explored through the language of music via active listening, performing and composing activities, which enable understanding of the context and genre.

Implementation

Lessons are delivered weekly by the class teacher. In addition to the music lessons using the Charanga scheme, we also have strong links with ‘Leicestershire Music Hub’ which provide us with weekly ukulele lessons for our Year 4 pupils and peripatetic lessons for individual pupils within Key Stage 2. These additional lessons include violin, piano, guitar, clarinet and cello. Within Year 3, the pupils also have the opportunity to work with Leicestershire Diosing who provide a musical singing tutor who works with each class on a termly block. These children also have the opportunity to learn how to play their first tuned instrument. The children follow a termly programme of recorders where they have their first introduction into playing music with a tuned instrument. 

There are the four areas that we teach within the music curriculum:

Singing – Children given the opportunity to sing a wide variety of songs from different cultures and genres. Children are taught singing technique to warm up their voices, control their breathing and maintain good posture for their singing. Children will have the opportunity to practise their singing skills and focus on being able to read music.

Listening– Children listen to pieces of music from a wide range of cultures and traditions. The children will respond musically to what has been heard. The children will have an opportunity to discuss why a song was written and how it connects to it social and cultural context.

Composing – Children create melodies, rhythms and short pieces of music through the use of graphic scores, rhythm grids and traditional musical scores.

Performing – Children have many opportunities for performance during their class lessons, assemblies, concerts and end of year special concert. An environment where pupils can constructively express their thoughts on performances.

Impact

When the children leave Launde they will have:

• Experience of listening to a variety of genre of music and thinking about how it made them feel

• The opportunity to compose music and enjoy playing music with others

• To learn the value of music in their own development and well-being

• To understand how music can bring joy to others

• To perform music with confidence to an audience

• To recognise music vocabulary and apply this when talking about the music that they are listening to