Music
Music teaching at Shaw Wood aims to follow the specifications of the National Curriculum; providing a broad and balanced curriculum which ensures the progressive development of musical concepts, knowledge and skills.
The Charanga scheme of work is used from Reception to Year 6 to ensure a wide exposure to different genres of music, with lots of practical opportunities to explore and develop as musicians and singers.
The National Curriculum
“Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon.”
At Shaw Wood, we believe that music plays an integral role in helping children to feel part of a community, therefore we provide opportunities for all children to create, play, perform and enjoy music both in class and to an audience. We are committed to ensuring children understand the value and importance of music to their own and others’ lives and wellbeing. Through assemblies and key stage performances, children showcase their talent and their understanding of performing with awareness of others. Lessons enable children to develop their skills, appreciate a wide variety of music and begin to appraise a range of musical genres.
The aims of our Music curriculum are to develop pupils who:
- Enjoy and have an appreciation for music
- Listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, cultures, styles and traditions
- Can sing and use their voices to create different effects
- Create and compose music, both on their own and with others
- Use a range of musical language
- Make judgements and express personal preferences about the quality and style of music
- Take part in performances with an awareness of audience
How the Music scheme is structured
Each Unit of Work comprises the of strands of musical learning which correspond with the national curriculum for music:
1. Listening and Appraising
2. Musical Activities
a. Warm-up Games
b. Optional Flexible Games
c. Singing
d. Playing instruments
e. Improvisation
f. Composition
3. Performing
Wider Curricular Offer
Our children in KS2 have access to wider opportunities in music as part of our music curriculum. We work with Doncaster Council to provide our children with First Access- which is a whole class instrumental programme designed to give all pupils the opportunity to learn a musical instrument and to perform as part of an ensemble. The programme meets the classroom instrumental teaching requirements as published in "The power of music to change lives - A National Plan for Music Education.
Our offer from September 2024:
- Year 3 Ukulele
- Year 4 Woodwind
- Year 5 Brass
As part of their weekly music lessons, each class in the above year groups, will be taught how to play a musical instrument for half of the academic year.