At Sudbourne we are musicians!

Intent

The music curriculum aims to provide high-quality, engaging and enjoyable learning experiences that will inspire and challenge creativity in our students and develop skills and techniques that will foster a love and talent in music. During their learning journey from EYFS to Year 6, our children will become proficient in the main foundations of music: 

• Pulse - Main focus in EYFS & Phase 1
• Rhythm - Main focus in EYFS & Phase 1
• Pitch - Main focus in Phase 2 & 3  

Throughout each phase group, there will be aspects of composition and improvisation.

We will listen, understand and evaluate music through different genres and from around the world, including works from respected composers through the ages. Each phase will have an instrumental foci emphasising performance and expression inclusive to the national curriculum and the school's cultural context. We will maximise our relationships with our local community increasing our cultural capital for all pupils. 

Implementation 

The music curriculum is planned using the metaphor of colours. Children will learn the key foundations of music; pulse, rhythm, pitch, adding further inter-related dimensions of music as they progress through each phase; texture, dynamics, timbre & structure. Our students will constantly be studying the subject of music through performance, (instrumental & vocal) critically listening and evaluating. The music curriculum will be split over a two-year course, with each phase having a different instrumental focus:

 

EYFS: 

Vocal & Classroom instruments

 

CYCLE A                                                                            CYCLE B:

Phase 1:                                                                             Phase 1:

 

Classroom percussion instruments                Classroom Percussion instruments 

Singing Project                                                             Singing Project

Orchestral Project                                                     Percussion Project

 

Phase 2:                                                                            Phase 2:

Recorders & mixed percussion                         West African Percussion

Samba instruments                                                   Ukulele 

 

Phase 3:                                                                            Phase 3:

West African Percussion                                      Steel Pans

Tuned Percussion                                                       Summer Production

Summer Production                              

We deliver our music curriculum through 45-minute lessons each week enhanced by further opportunities with a weekly singing assembly and a Junior Choir. Instrumentally, we offer private individual and group lessons to all students in Phase 1 and above with 6 incredibly talented professional musicians teaching the violin, guitar, piano, vocals, drum kit and harp. We are proud to offer subsidies lessons for children eligible for pupil premium funding. 

The  cultural capital in this subject is endless, and at Sudbourne we are proud to host our ‘Winter Wonderland’ Concerts, a ‘Spring Sing’ and the Summer ‘Music Extravaganza’. Externally we are proud to support our local music service singing festivals and aim to bring our talents at Sudbourne to our local community throughout the year. 

Evaluations 

There will be constant in-class analysis of class work, group work, rehearsals and performances. Consistent recap of key vocabulary is vital to enable progression in music and will be identified and re-visited through the unit of work in our ‘connect’ section – this will be coupled with practical work. Consistent formative-assessments in ensuring that the main learning objectives and tasks are understood and achieved. Class, year and whole school performances will be documented for reference and archiving – ensuring that assessment is a positive and healthy experience for students in the music curriculum.

Impact 

By the end of key stage 2, our students will have gained the knowledge and practical skills to show the fundamentals of music, that being strong pulse, rhythmic skills and using and reading pitch and western notation. Through each phase and with added instrumental and technical difficulty, students will be able to access more advanced homophony and practical skills in both tuned and untuned percussion and a wide variety of different instruments from around the world. High expectations and the inclusion of complex polyrhythms and contrapuntal textures in mixed instrumental ensembles and vocal work from an early year group will allow each phase and year group to progress in performance-based opportunities supported by music theory knowledge.