At St Peter’s Cross Keys Academy the intention is that children gain a firm understanding of what music is through listening, singing, playing, evaluating, analysing, and composing across a wide variety of historical periods, styles, traditions, and musical genres. Our objective at St Peter’s is to develop a curiosity for the subject, as well as an understanding and importance of all types of music. We are committed to ensuring children understand the value and importance of music in the wider community, and are able to use their musical skills, knowledge, and experiences to involve themselves in music, in a variety of different contexts.

Implementation

Our curriculum is planned sequentially, through focusing on the key concepts of Appraising, Composing and Performing. Our Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Curriculum has its foundations in the Being Imaginative and Expressive Early learning Goals (ELG), whist introducing our children to the very beginning of their musical journey in Appraising, Composing and Performing. The music curriculum ensures students sing, listen, play, perform and evaluate throughout their year groups. Our curriculum takes inspiration from the ‘Singup’ scheme and has been adapted and enhanced to meet our school community.

Children are taught Music weekly for one hour a week. This is embedded in the classroom activities as well as our choral worship. We take a cross curricular approach to music in class and music is used in topic and as part of our daily class routines to elicit calm, bring joy and boost mood. The elements of music are taught in the classroom lessons so that children are able to use some of the language of music to dissect it, and understand how it is made, played, appreciated and analysed. They also learn how to compose focusing on different dimensions of music, which in turn feeds their understanding when listening, playing, or analysing music. Composing or performing using body percussion and vocal sounds is also part of the curriculum, which develops the understanding of musical elements without the added complexity of an instrument.

Impact

Whilst in school, children have access to a varied programme, which allows students to discover strengths, as well as areas they might like to improve upon. The integral nature of music and the learner creates an enormously rich palette from which a student may access fundamental abilities such as: achievement, self-confidence, interaction with and awareness of others, and self-reflection. Music will also develop an understanding of culture and history, both in relation to students individually, as well as ethnicities from across the world. Children are able to enjoy music, in as many ways as they choose- either as listener, creator or performer. They can dissect music and comprehend its parts. They can sing and feel a pulse. They have an understanding of how to further develop skills less known to them, should they ever develop a further interest in their lives.

Please see below for pictures of our music curriculum in action.