Music
INTENT - Why do we teach this? Why do we teach it in the way we do?
At Hill Top CE Primary School, it is our intent that we make music an enjoyable learning experience. Children can participate in a variety of musical experiences to develop creativity, self-expression and confidence.
- Music lessons focus on the fundamentals of beat, rhythm and pitch. Through singing a wide variety of songs, children learn about the structure and organisation of music, tempo, dynamics and timbre.
- Children learn how to listen and to appreciate different forms of music, from many cultures and styles.
- Descriptive language skills are developed in music lessons: music can represent different feelings, emotions and narratives. We also teach technical vocabulary such as dynamics, tempo, texture, pitch, beat and rhythm and encourage children to discuss music using these terms.
IMPLEMENTATION - What do we teach? What does this look like?
Our pupils learn that music is a universal language that embodies creativity. Music lessons engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and develop their talent as musicians, and in turn increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement.
Sing Up Primary Curriculum is followed from Year 1 through to Year 6. This ensures full coverage of the Music Curriculum and a clear progression of skills. To add some variety, lessons from Charanga, BBC Ten Pieces and Musication are included. This also helps to link with other curriculum subjects such as History and Geography. Children at Hill Top experience a breadth and depth of musical learning, wide exposure to different genres of music, and many practical opportunities to explore and develop as musicians and singers.
In addition to classroom singing and music making, children sing regularly in whole school worship and a weekly singing assembly. Music also features highly in class assemblies, with every class contributing twice a year.We have whole class instrumental teaching provision, where children learn to play ukulele for a term in Year 3 and again for a term in Year 6. Recorder is being reintroduced (following Covid restrictions) in Year 4 from September 2022. These instrumental lessons incorporate teaching musical notation.
Follow-on instrumental tuition on the violin is available to pupils in Year 4 to develop their skills and ability as musicians. Violin lessons are provided by Bradford Music and Arts Service and can continue beyond Year 4.
IMPACT - What do we want to happen?
Music assessment is ongoing to inform planning and lesson activities.
At Hill Top, children have access to a high quality Music scheme and a varied programme of activities, which allows them to discover areas of strength, as well as areas they might like to improve upon. Music nurtures abilities such as: achievement, self-confidence, interaction with and awareness of others, self-reflection and self-regulation. Music develops an understanding of culture and history, both in relation to children individually, as well as ethnicities from across the world. Children can dissect music and comprehend its parts. They can sing and feel a pulse.
Children enjoy music in as many ways as they choose – either as listener, creator or performer.
Ukulele Resources
- Play at home: Thumb Brush Strum
- Play at home: Stringalong Rag
- Play at home: Ukulele Strummer
- Play at home: Starlight, starbright
- Play at home: Left hand fingers (C chord)
- The Ukulele School
- Ukulaliens
- Ukulele Orchestra
- Buy Ukulele Magic 1
Violin Resources
More useful links to encourage Music at home
- Young Voices
- Learning to play an instrument
- Bradford Music and Arts Service
- Music Lab Song Maker
- BBC Teach Primary Music KS1
- BBC Teach Primary Music KS2
- BBC Ten Pieces
Music YouTube Channels for children: