Bourne Primary School

We want the children to develop their own appreciation of different styles of music, and grow to be confident musicians and performers. These wide and varied, high-quality experiences aim to develop a love of music and children’s talents as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence and sense of achievement.

Implementation

There is music in every child. The teacher’s job is to find it and nurture it (Frances Clark, pianist and academic).

Shaped by our school vision, which aims to inspire, include and empower all children, regardless of background, ability or additional needs, to become the best version of themselves they can be, Bourne takes a participatory and inclusive approach to music learning. Musical teaching is not always neat or linear and children do not learn in a straight line, our clear musical skills and knowledge progression framework allows children to develop new musical skills and concepts whilst also revisiting and embedding established ones. This ensures that skills and knowledge are built on year by year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all children.

All children have regular class music lessons and are actively involved in using and developing their singing voices, learning to handle and play a wide range of classroom instruments, to explore sounds, listen actively, compose and perform. Children are encouraged and supported to create and express their own and others’ music. The interrelated dimensions of music are taught so that children are able to use some of the language of music to dissect it, understand how it is made, played, appreciated and analysed. EYFS supports and nurtures children’s music making and development by offering music experiences through hearing and listening, vocalising and singing, moving, exploring and playing.

Music also plays an important part in helping the children to feel part of a community, so we provide children with opportunities to play, perform and enjoy music both in class and to an audience through assemblies, concerts and performances. This includes seasonal celebrations, a bi-annual concert at the Congress Theatre, an annual Christmas Show and Year 6 end of year performance.

To further enhance musicianship and creativity, children take part in weekly singing assemblies with extra-curricular musical opportunities in school that include; school choir, ukulele club,recorder club, music-makers, bucket drumming, songs for all and singing leaders. Our links with East Sussex Music and the Red Butler Music School mean that we have peripatetic teachers who come into school to teach individual and small group lessons giving children opportunities to learn and develop their skills from an experienced specialist teacher. Tese teachers offer; violin, keyboard, electric drums and guitar.

Impact

• Children explore, experiment, play, sing and perform with enthusiasm and are proud of their musical achievements.
• Children are assessed on their knowledge and understanding of a range of skills and musical terminology used within their work and their ability to use new and relevant vocabulary.
• Children develop and share their knowledge of how musical provenance - the historical, social and cultural origins of music - contributes to the diversity of musical styles.
• Children are given opportunities to enjoy music in as many ways as they choose - including as listener, creator or performer.
• Pupil discussions, photos, video analysis of lessons and performances and self/group/teacher tracking against termly and end of year expectations all goes towards creating a picture of them as developing musicians.

By the time children leave our school they will: have a rapidly widened repertoire which they will be able to use to discuss, analyse and create original, imaginative and distinctive music.