Statement of Intent

Intent – That all staff are aware of the musical knowledge and skills to be gained at each stage and that in accordance with our Big Idea, every child at Poppleton Road Primary gains the opportunity to learn how to play a musical instrument over the course of the time in our school. 

Whether we realise it or not, music plays a huge part in all our lives. When music is playing, we dance, we cry, we sing, we smile – it is extraordinarily life enhancing. It’s impossible to not notice how children respond to music and how much they enjoy how it makes them feel.

Every child should experience the range of emotions music can bring. Every child, regardless of their privilege, should have access to an education where the acquisition of musical skills, appreciation of the awe and wonder it can evoke and an opportunity to play a musical instrument is embedded.

Implementation – That over time, our whole school framework translates into a structure that is fully inclusive of music as a subject.

Impact –That we are able to evaluate what knowledge and skills pupils have gained against expectations.

What is taught in Music?

The subject has 4 main aims:

1. All l pupils will perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions.

1. They will learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music.

1. They will have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument and use technology in music appropriately.

1. They understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated with these dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.

Specific skills and knowledge.

Skills in music can be broken down into these very simple areas:

• Listening and evaluating
• Singing
• Composition
• Performance
• Rhythm, pitch, dynamics

How do we teach music?

Music is taught as a discrete subject by the class teacher or by one of our music specialists who follow the Charanga Musical Schools Scheme for their weekly lessons while making reference to subject guidelines set out in the New Model Music Curriculum.  Where possible, the themes are directly linked to ongoing topic work.   In school we have a designated music room filled with a great variety of specialist equipment.  We also invite specialist teachers to run music workshops across the year groups so that a broader experience and wider access to instruments is provide.

Why do we teach music?

Music is an entitlement in education.

At Poppleton Road Primary School we have always valued music and it plays an important and regular part in the delivery of our wider curriculum as detailed in our Big Idea; during assemblies, in discreet music lessons often led by a specialist teacher, at special times of the year when we come together as a whole school to celebrate, and also when specialists from outside the school are invited to perform and to run workshops.

In our school passports we have made a commitment to our pupils that they will all be given the opportunity to learn to play an instrument during their time at Poppleton Road.  This can be fulfilled by working together with the York Music Hub who are able to provide us with sets of instruments as well as expert tuition by the YMB and also by our own specialist teachers.