Music at Haddenham Community Infant School
Intent
At HCIS we follow the Kapow Primary music scheme. The intention is first and foremost to help children to feel that they are musical and to develop a life-long love of music. We focus on developing the knowledge, skills and understanding that children need in order to become confident performers, composers and listeners. Our curriculum introduces children to music from all around the world and across generations, teaching children to respect and appreciate the music of all traditions and communities.
Children will develop the musical skills of singing, playing tuned and untuned instruments, improvising and composing music and listening and responding to music. They will develop an understanding of the history and cultural context of the music that they listen to and learn how music can be written down. Through music our curriculum helps children develop transferable skills such as team-working, leadership, creative thinking, problem solving, decision making and presentation and performance skills. These skills are vital to children's development as learners and have a wider application in their general lives outside and beyond school.
Kapow's Primary scheme of work enables pupils to meet the end of key stage attainment targets outlined in the National Curriculum and the aims of the scheme align with those in the National Curriculum.
Implementation
Kapow's Primary music scheme allows us at HCIS to take a holistic approach to music in which the following strands; performing, listening, composing, the history of music and the inter-related dimensions of music are woven together to create engaging and enriching learning experiences. Each unit of work combines these strands within a cross curricular topic designed to capture pupils' imagination and encourage them to explore music enthusiastically. Children are taught how to sing fluently and expressively, and play tuned and untuned accurately and with control. They will begin to recognise and name the inter related dimensions of music - pitch, duration, tempo and timbre and use these in their improvisations and compositions.
At HCIS we follow a spiral curriculum whereby previous skills and knowledge are returned to and built upon. Children progress by tackling more complex tasks and doing more simple tasks better, as well as developing understanding and knowledge of the history of music, staff and other musical notations as well as the inter-related dimensions of music and more. Lessons incorporate independent tasks, paired and group work as well as improvisation and teacher led performances.
Each lesson can be accessed by all pupils and opportunities to challenge are also built into lessons. Children have access to a selection of untuned and tuned percussion within school and for a term in Year 2 the children learn to play the recorder. Each Christmas, every class performs a Nativity play where children come together to learn and perform a variety of genre of songs alongside telling the nativity story through drama. Individual lessons are offered to our pupils provided by a peripatetic teacher from Buckinghamshire Music Trust. In year 1 children have the opportunity to join a lunchtime choir club. In year 2 the children have the opportunity to join a recorder club. All pupils also take part in a weekly singing assembly. We also invite our Year 1 and Year 2 children to take part in the village Christmas Carol Service.
Within the EYFS setting, music is an integral part of children’s learning journey. Rhyme and rhythm are utilised throughout the learning of phonics, handwriting and mathematics. Children learn a wide range of songs and rhymes and develop skills for performing together. Singing and music making opportunities are used frequently to embed learning, develop musical awareness and to demonstrate how music can be used to express feelings. In Year 1, children are introduced to weekly structured music session of approximately 30 mins although, music often finds its way into other areas of the curriculum such as english and maths through song and dance. In Year 2, children have weekly 45 minute structured music sessions and again, they are encouraged to enjoy music through other areas of the curriculum.
Impact
The impact of Kapow's Primary scheme is monitored through formative and summative assessment opportunities. The expected impact of our music curriculum is that by the end of key stage 1, children will be developing a confidence as performers, composers and listeners and will be able to express themselves musically at and beyond school. They will show an appreciation and respect for a wide range of musical styles from around the world. They will demonstrate and articulate an enthusiasm for music and be able to identify their own musical preferences.
