Larkspur pupils receive an exciting and varied music curriculum

Intent

Music provision at Larkspur Primary School is a cornerstone to shaping our pupils into being well-rounded, knowledgeable individuals. It is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. We ensure that children are engaged and inspired to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. With progression, they will develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to a wide repertoire of music.

Our curriculum for Music aims to ensure that all pupils can:

• perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians

• learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence

• understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.

Implementation

Through music, learners have further rich opportunities to be creative and to experience inspiration and enjoyment. Performing and creating music are prominent activities for all learners.

Here at Larkspur Primary School, we ensure that sufficient time is given to music in order to enable pupils to meet the expectations set out in the National Curriculum programme of study. Music planning is personalised to the needs of our children and is in rich in cross-curricular themes and outcomes; it challenges them and builds on previous learning. To further support this, we use a range of new technologies to realise or enhance their composition and performance, and to promote their understanding of how music works. To further enhance musicianship and creativity, children take part in weekly singing assemblies, school choir club, along with concert experiences, visiting workshops and informal visits throughout the year. They can further develop their understanding and capacity to enjoy music in making a contribution to any one of our internal school performances and our attendance at a number of external music festivals. Through these activities they develop their vocal and instrumental skills, explore sounds and musical concepts, and use their imagination and skills to create musical ideas and compositions. 

We truly recognise the value of music in both curricular and extra-curricular teaching and learning. Music provides children with an outlet to express themselves creatively, appreciate different styles of music, learn a new instrument or experiment with their voices.

At Larkspur we offer:

• Weekly class music sessions taught by both class teacher and our resident peripatetic teacher Mr J Parkin.
• Larkspur choir
• Music Tuition across all year groups which will include, percussion, recorder, chime bars, keyboards, ukelele and guitar.

Impact

At Larkspur, we want our music provision to impact our children in the ways listed below. We want our children to become musical, creative pupils. In order to achieve that, our children will show:

• A rapidly widening repertoire which they use to create original, imaginative, fluent and distinctive composing and performance work.

• A musical understanding underpinned by high levels of aural perception, internalisation and knowledge of music, including high or rapidly developing levels of technical expertise.

• Very good awareness and appreciation of different musical traditions and genres.

• An excellent understanding of how musical provenance – the historical, social and cultural origins of music – contributes to the diversity of musical style.

• The ability to give precise written and verbal explanations, using musical terminology effectively, accurately and appropriately.

• A passion for and commitment to a diverse range of musical activities.

We monitor the impact of our music provision through half termly whole school pupil perceptions, termly assessments, and lesson observations.

Every child experiences weekly music sessions in class, where they develop a range of skills in listening and appraising music, musical composition (creating their own music) and singing.  We use the expertise of both Mr Parkin and our Music Subject Led to take advice and support from to ensure lessons are of high quality and technical content.  'Charanga' and our bespoke music scheme ensure the development of key skills and knowledge whilst building on progression.

In addition to weekly sessions pupils also engage in a whole school weekly singing lesson.  Additional musical opportunities are offered through extended curriculum sessions, including recorder sessions, choir and keyboard.

Early Years:

The Early Years curriculum creates daily opportunities to listen to a variety of musical genres, learn songs and play a range of instruments.  Music plays an important part in their daily routines, supporting all areas of learning.  Pupils in Early Years receive a weekly music session led by our resident music specialist Mr Parkin.  He takes them on an exciting musical adventure each week through song, dance and use of percussion.

Key Stage One:

Pupils in years 1 and 2 receive weekly music sessions in class.  They are led by Mr Parkin and the class teacher.  Each session includes learning to play a whole class instrument - for our Key Stage 1 pupils they learn the chime bars.

Key Stage Two:

In years 3, 4, 5 and 6 our pupils receive weekly music sessions led by a subject specialist and sessions led by their class teacher.

Year 3: Ukulele sessions

Year 4: Ukulele sessions 

Year 5: Guitar sessions

Year 6: Guitar sessions

During these sessions pupils have the opportunity to listen to and appraise music; learn new skills on a range of instruments including voice; compose and make their own musical inventions and explore a variety of genres and styles, past and present.

We Love Larkspur Day Musical Opportunities

During Autumn 2 children from KS2 enjoyed a taster chime bar session as part of their 'We Love Larkspur Day' celebrations.  We explored the scale of C, learnt to play in time with a metronome and discovered that 4 key notes can be used to accompany a number of popular songs.  Children developed skills in keeping time, reading music and playing with together in unison.