Music

Intent – Our Music curriculum is designed to:

• Ensure that children gain a firm understanding of what music is through listening, singing, playing, evaluating and composing across a wide variety of historical periods, styles, traditions, and musical genres.
• Help children appreciate the value and importance of music to their own and others’ lives and wellbeing and also the impact music has in the wider community.
• Guarantee that all children have access to music regardless of their academic ability, race, ethnicity, background and language. SEND pupils are actively encouraged to participate fully as music is often an area of the curriculum which allows them to excel. We aim to provide children with the opportunity to progress to the next level of their creative excellence.

Implementation – What does Music look like at Bratton Primary School?

The music curriculum ensures children sing, listen, play, perform and evaluate. This is embedded in the classroom activities as well as our weekly Singing Assembly, various concerts and performances and the learning of instruments. Through the musical program Charanga, teachers are able to produce inclusive lessons for all children to access the musical curriculum in a fun and engaging way, further promoting a love of learning. Teachers deliver music following the Charanga programme, designed specifically for the teaching of music in primary schools. Charanga lessons are planned in sequences to provide children with the opportunities to review, remember, deepen and apply their understanding. The elements of music are taught in classroom lessons so that children are able to use some of the language of music to dissect it, and understand how it is made, played, appreciated and analysed. In the classroom, children learn how to play the recorder and a variety of percussion instruments. Playing various instruments enables children to use a range of methods to read basic music notation. They also learn how to compose, focusing on different dimensions of music, which in turn feeds their understanding when listening, playing, or analysing music. Composing or performing, using body percussion and vocal sounds is also part of the curriculum, which develops the understanding of musical elements without the added complexity of an instrument.

How is Music enriched at Bratton Primary School?

The choir performs at various events throughout the year and in the local community for senior citizens. Children have the opportunity to learn songs in French during MFL sessions. All children learn and perform songs and carols for Christmas performances to parents. Weekly singing assemblies allow children to practise and perform a range of songs including action songs, rounds and songs in two parts. Children can volunteer to perform in music assemblies, providing a great opportunity to gain confidence in performing with a very appreciative audience. Children can learn to play the recorder and ukulele during music provision.  In addition, we have guitar, piano, keyboard, recorder, saxophone and violin lessons taught in school by peripatetic teachers.

Impact – At Bratton Primary School children will:

Develop their musical skills and understanding. In Early Years they will be singing nursery rhymes and action songs from memory and performing simple rhythm patterns on tuned and untuned percussion instruments.

In KS1 they will progress their skills and understanding and further develop their skills and knowledge of the subject in lower KS2. It is hoped that by the end of Key Stage 2, the children will access music confidently, and have the ability to read and follow a simple musical or graphic score.

Throughout all of this, the child’s enjoyment of music is a key element, running alongside the ‘taught’ musical skills and objectives.

Enjoy the photo gallery below which showcases some of our music opportunities at Bratton Primary School.