Music
What is the intent of our music curriculum?
Music teaching at Wentworth Primary School aims to follow the specifications of the National Curriculum; providing a broad, balanced and differentiated curriculum and ensuring the progressive development of musical concepts, knowledge and skills.
The aims of our Music curriculum are for children to:
- Enjoy and have an appreciation of music (through playing instruments and singing).
- Listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, cultures, styles and traditions.
- 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, which is referred to as, the inter-related dimensions of music: pitch, timbre, dynamics, tempo, texture, structure and musical notation.
- Make judgements and express personal preferences about the quality and style of music.
- Take part in performances with an awareness of the audience.
- Learn an instrument (un-tuned or tuned instrument).
How do we implement our music curriculum?
Music teaching at Wentworth Primary delivers the requirements of the National Curriculum through the Charanga Scheme of work (Essex Music Services). At Wentworth, both our specialist music teacher and classroom teachers deliver fun, engaging, well-planned quality music lessons following the Charanga programme, although adaptations can be made in order to link to a more thematic learning approach in other curriculum areas.
The learning sequence for each half term is as follows:
- Listen and Appraise
- Musical Activities (including pulse and rhythm)
- Singing and Voice
- Playing instruments
- Improvisation/Composition
- Perform, Share and Evaluate
As well as this, we offer extra-curricular musical opportunities such as choir and singing in the local community. Our music specialist offers 1-1 music lessons for guitar, piano, flute and clarinet and as a school we give the children the opportunity to join our many musical ensembles (KS2 choir, KS2 orchestra and KS1 recorder club). As a result, there are various performances such as the Summer Music Concert, Chelmsford Choir Festival and O2 Young Voices which the children can take part.
What is the impact of our music curriculum?
- All Pupils
Musical skills and understanding are built on year on year, from singing nursery rhymes and action songs from memory in EYFS to performing simple rhythmic patterns in KS1. In KS2, children learn to play a tuned or un-tuned instrument confidently, and to read and follow simple musical notation.
- DP/LAC
DP/LAC children are given the opportunity to enhance their musical ability and develop a love of music and their talents as musicians through a variety of musical experiences which we offer to all children. We provide some funded spaces in our music groups.
- SEND
Reasonable adjustments are made to ensure that all children are able to participate.