Music
At Great Wood, we provide a high-quality music curriculum which engages and inspires pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement.
Our curriculum is adapted to encourage all children to participate in and enjoy a range of purposeful musical experiences, explore how sounds can be made and organised into musical structures, and to learn how music is produced by a variety of instruments.
Lessons focus on the interrelated elements of music, revisiting and developing children’s understanding and skills so they become confident singers and performers, critical and informed listeners and creative composers. Children are encouraged to express themselves musically and develop their creative voice.
Learning is taught musically to immerse pupils in key ideas and concepts and these are brought to life with physical activities, visuals, interactive technology make them accessible for all pupils.
Engaging technology such as Garage Band and Charanga is used to help children develop their skill and understanding and to record and manipulate their compositions.
Through exposure to music and composers spanning many genres, cultures and historical periods, children recognise the powerful role music plays around the world; they recognise its impact on individuals, communities and societies, both now and in the past.
In KS1, children begin to explore singing in time and tune, performing simple rhythms and parts on non-tuned instruments, and they learn how to listen and respond to a variety of pieces of music. They are introduced to important musical elements such as rhythm, pitch, pulse, tempo, and volume and these elements are continually revisited and built upon as they move up the school.
In KS2, children also learn to play an instrument for a sustained period; they develop increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression on glockenspiel (Year 3), recorder (Year 4) and keyboard (Year 5 and 6).
Over time, children are taught to read and record their own and other people’s compositions and they develop their fluency in the ways in which music can be written.
Children enjoy composing on both instruments and iPads and learn how to use Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) such as Garage Band and YuStudio. Learning is initially scaffolded and as the children progress and become familiar with the technology, their independence and creativity grows.
In KS1, graphic notation is taught while in KS2, elements of staff notation are gradually introduced enabling children to read and perform scores and record their own.
Throughout the curriculum, key concepts are revisited and built upon. From an early age, children are encouraged to listen to and critique their own and each other’s performances in an inclusive and nurturing classroom environment.
Children are given regular opportunities to perform to an audience, whether in class, Singing Assemblies, our school productions, at our Summer Festival or in their local community for example Year 6 Christmas Choir concerts at local residential homes.
Established links with Lancashire Music Service and partners in our community such as More Music and Morecambe Bay Academy mean that children enjoy meaningful musical experiences outside of school and have the opportunity to learn an extra-curricular instrument.
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