Music at Acre Heads
At Acre Heads, our vision is to extend the rewarding and enriching experience music can provide to every child in school. The main strands of the music curriculum are: performing, composing and improvising, listening, reviewing and evaluating, understanding and exploring. Children are taught to sing and perform a wide repertoire of songs and pieces encompassing many different styles and genres. Children are encouraged to explore musical composition and improvisation and evaluate the effectiveness of their ideas. History of music and the reading of notation will also be taught in Upper Key Stage 2.
The Teaching of Music Through a Structured Process
All pupils at Acre Heads have access to a broad, balanced and enriching Music curriculum (Charanga) through a spiral designed scheme of work with the following key principles in mind:
Cyclical: Pupils return to the key areas again and again during their time at Acre Heads.
Increasing Depth: Each time a key area is revisited it is covered with greater complexity.
Prior Knowledge: Upon returning to each key area, prior knowledge is utilised so pupils can build upon previous foundations, rather than starting again
Progression throughout the Units of work reinforces the interrelated dimensions of music. With each new song, the foundations of pulse, then rhythm, then pitch are conducted whilst adding new dimensions. This represents the increasing spiral of learning.
Where possible, key Music units are allocated into linked curriculum themes or taught as discreet areas. The Music Long Term Plan (LTP) outlines the units to be covered by each year group. These units and associated objectives form the Scheme of Work for each year group ensuring a basis of retrieving and developing knowledge as detailed in the Music Road Map.
Progression of Knowledge through the Year Groups
Impact of Music at Acre Heads
Our pupils are confident developing their musical knowledge, vocabulary and skills.
They are able to explain and discuss musical concepts and are confident performers, composers and listeners. They are able to express themselves musically at and beyond school. They 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. They understand the ways in which music can be written to support performing and composing activities. Furthermore, they demonstrate and articulate an enthusiasm for music and be able to identify their own personal musical preferences.
Music Journal Example
“I like listening to different music and I can find the pulse of different songs.”
“I can play the glockenspiel along to different songs we sang this year.”
test
“I enjoyed taking part in our Year 6 musical production and was able to put my musical knowledge to practice.”
“I can composed a simple melody and perform to my class and year group.”
