Music

Music helps to develop creativity, imagination, good listening skills and the ability to express personal thoughts and feelings. Music develops children’s ability to take part in practical activities, both individually and in groups, that encourage and cultivate an enjoyment of different genres of music.

Our music curriculum provides breadth and balance, is relevant and engaging and is differentiated to match needs and abilities.

Intent

The National Curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions.
• Be taught to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others and have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument
• Understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated.

At Pear Tree the intention is that children develop an enjoyment, and understanding, of music through listening, singing, playing, evaluating and composing across a variety of periods, styles and musical genres. We aim to ensure that children understand the value and importance of music and are able to use their musical skills, knowledge and experiences to involve themselves in music in a variety of different contexts.

Implementation

 The music curriculum at Pear Tree ensures that children cover the following key skills: singing, listening, playing, performing and evaluating. These skills are taught primarily through The Love Music Trust curriculum. This ensures that the music curriculum offers full coverage and it is progressive.  

In addition to the Love Music Trust Curriculum children also partake in many wide and varied musical opportunities at Pear Tree. These include:

• Weekly singing assembly
• Opportunities for children to have music lessons in school – these range from guitar, brass, piano and violin and are delivered through Love Music Trust.
• All children in Year 1 take part in Barney and Betty Bear productions.
• All children in Year 3 take part in Singfest.
• All children in Year 3 have violin lessons.
• All children in Year 4 have brass lessons.
• A termly visit from a music specialist who leads the whole school in new musical skills.
• Choir which currently has nearly 60 members.
• An annual trip to Young Voices.
• In 2023 children had the opportunity to play with the Halle orchester at Bridgewater Hall in Manchester.
• Whole school performances such as The Christmas and Summer Show.

Throughout these sessions children are taught to understand how music is made, to appreciate different genres and to enjoy practising their musical learning through a variety of activities, singing and playing instruments. They begin to understand how to create music, learning to read basic music notation, which in turn deepens their understanding when listening to, playing or analysing music.

Impact

Embedding music across the whole school curriculum, as well as displays around the school promoting music enjoyment, reinforces the value and skills of music learning. Music will also develop an understanding of culture and history within their own country and the wider world. Children are able to enjoy music in many ways – as a listener, creator or performer. They can sing and feel a pulse. They can dissect music and comprehend its parts. They have an understanding of how to further develop their skills should they wish to in the future.

KS1 National Curriculum Aims

Pupils should be taught to:

· use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes.

· play tuned and untuned instruments musically

· listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high-quality live and recorded music

· experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the inter-related dimensions of music

KS2 National Curriculum Aims

Pupils should be taught to:

• use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes.
• play tuned and untuned instruments musically
• listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high-quality live and recorded music
• experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the inter-related dimensions of music