Music

The teaching of Music at Sleights is underpinned by the ongoing development and acquisition of knowledge and skills. This development and acquisition occurs as a result of our own school’s curriculum sequence and progression, which maps out the core knowledge and skills children need to be highly effective musicians.

The delivery of music at Sleights is based on the Model (non-statutory) Music Curriculum (March 2021), supported by Charanga.

Our full Music policy can be found here: Music Policy

Music at Sleights involves:

Dedicated curriculum time to engage in sequenced learning opportunities relating to music theory and practical work.

Specialist provision, including whole class band sessions, for children in Key Stage Two.

Developing a secure knowledge and understanding of music experience (tacit and procedural substantive knowledge)

Acquisition of skills and knowledge about how music (declarative disciplinary  knowledge)

Statement of Music Intent:

The children at Sleights will be provided with a curriculum offer for music designed to:

• support children to learn more and remember more through a deliberate, incremental and progressive music curriculum.
• identify crucial learning, which is placed in context and connected to other knowledge.
• gain a secure understanding of musical styles and composers.
• build on and develop music knowledge and skills in a well sequenced and structured progression across their time at Sleights.
• support children’s acquisition and progressive understanding of substantive and disciplinary knowledge.
• support children in knowing and using confidently, a wide variety of musical terms.
• secure an understanding of the processes involved in improvising, composing and performing, through development of songs.
• equip every child with the practical opportunity to learn how to play an instrument, as part of a band, during their time in Key Stage Two.
• enable children to understand a range of musical skills, concepts and vocabulary, which can be used widely across the planned curriculum and beyond.

Statement of Music Implementation:

Our approach:

Music is implemented at Sleights through:

• the use of a progressive long term plan, which is organised so that children can build an increasing knowledge base of the music knowledge and skills.
• ongoing opportunities to acquire and apply declarative knowledge relating to music, including evaluating the work of others and understanding the process of composing your own piece.

In addition, a wide range of individual or small group lessons take place across the school week, where children engage in enrichment sessions to learn an instrument or are trained to sing.

Learning in music is recorded in a variety of ways, but primarily the work completed is practical, so videos and photographs are the most common approaches.

What will children learn?

Music at Sleights focuses on the acquisition of new knowledge and building on prior learning relating to:

Substantive knowledge

Disciplinary knowledge

In line with the 2021 non-statutory model music curriculum, substantive knowledge and skill progression at Sleights relates to: singing, listening, composing and performing (sometimes referred to as ‘sticky’ learning) Procedural knowledge: Refers to what is exercised in a performance or task. Tacit knowledge: Refers to the knowledge gained through experience that is often difficult to put into words.

Declarative knowledge: Refers to facts and information relating to music

Long Term Planning

In Key Stage One, children develop knowledge and understanding of a new unit each half term. This enables them to build a sound understanding of the building blocks of music. In Key Stage Two, children focus on a new unit each term, supported by an opportunity to appraise, rehearse, learn and perform a song (shown in the Long Term Plan in). These songs may be played through the class band, or as part of singing. 

	Autumn 1	Autumn 2	Spring 1	Spring 2	Summer 1	Summer 2
Year 1/2	Exploring Simple Patterns	Focus on Dynamics and Tempo	Exploring Feelings Through Music	Inventing a Musical Story	Music That Makes You Dance	Exploring Improvisation
Year 3/4	Enjoying Improvisation	Wider Opportunity Music Band	Learning more about musical styles	Wider Opportunity Music Band	Developing Pulse and Groove Through Improvisation	Wider Opportunity Music Band
Year 5	Introducing Chords	Wider Opportunity Music Band	Words, Meaning and Expression	Wider Opportunity Music Band	Identifying Important Musical Elements	Wider Opportunity Music Band
Year 6	Developing Melodic Phrases	Wider Opportunity Music Band	Understanding Structure and Form	Wider Opportunity Music Band	Exploring Notation Further	Wider Opportunity Music Band

 

The inclusion of musicians

It is vital that our music curriculum includes rich, planned opportunities to celebrate a diverse range of musicians and musical styles. To see how our curriculum provides this diversity, please see the link here: Music Styles at Sleights Music

Statement of Music Impact:

Children are provided with a range of opportunities to demonstrate and showcase their musical skills and successes. These include ongoing records of work complete in the classroom, performances in school and wider celebrations. Our Key Stage Two have also had success in local competitions, securing a 1st place prize in a prestigious music event. 

We are delighted that so many of our children have also been inspired by music and around fifty percent of the school are now learning an instrument. These include string, brass and woodwind. 

We are also proud to host a weekly music club every Monday afternoon. 

 

 

The success of our Discoverers’ band was celebrated in the North Yorkshire Music Hub publication!

 

Our school music extravaganza also features in the North Yorkshire Music Hub magazine. 

 

 

 

To apply for music lessons, please follow the instructions found on the link here:

North Yorkshire Music Hub