Overview
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Academic year that this summary covers | 2023-24 |
| Date this summary was published | September 2024 |
| Date this summary will be reviewed | September 2025 |
| Name of the Federation music lead | Nathan Cline |
| Name of school leadership team member with responsibility for music (if different) | n/a |
| Name of local music hub | Create Music Hub |
| Name of other music education organisation(s) (if partnership in place) | n/a |
This is a summary of how our Federation delivers music education to all our pupils across three areas – curriculum music, co-curricular provision and musical experiences – and what changes we are planning in future years. This information is to help pupils and parents or carers understand what our Federation offers and who we work with to support our pupils’ music education.
Part A: Curriculum music
This is about what we teach in lesson time, how much time is spent teaching music and any music qualifications or awards that pupils can achieve.
The Pioneer Federation Curriculum can be found online.
This Curriculum tab on the website gives access to:
- The Curriculum Road Map for Music
- The Unit Progression Document for Music
- The Curriculum Medium Term Plans for Music
- The Curriculum Policy for Music
An hour each week is allocated for curriculum music for each key stage.
Lessons are:
- appropriately resourced in time, space and equipment. Equipment is inclusive and suited to all abilities through the use of a variety of instruments, range of beaters and ear defenders as appropriate.
- built on previous experience and sequenced to develop key vocabulary, skills and techniques
- pitched at the right level to enable pupils to be challenged for their age group and supported to learn through modelling and co-operative group work
IMPACT
Children, from their listening, will recognise genres, styles and composers. Children will perform songs and use instruments to an increasingly more complex standard throughout the key stages. Children will have the confidence to improvise and compose using a range of instruments and techniques and will use a range of ways to notate their work.
Teaching and learning
Children will learn to listen carefully and respond physically to a wide range of music. They will play musical instruments and learn a variety of songs from memory, adding accompaniments and creating short improvisation and composition, with increasing confidence, imagination and control. They will explore how sounds and silence can create moods and different effects.
Each Music session will have:
- a clear Learning Objective.
- an element of speaking and listening.
- modelling of activities at a level which is appropriate to the needs of the children within the class being taught.
- a plenary or series of mini-plenaries used throughout the lesson to reinforce the Learning Objective, address misconceptions, refer back to the Success Criteria or to move the children’s learning on further.
- over the course of a unit, the lessons taught will include performance, composition, specific listening tasks, and giving and listening to appraisal and constructive criticism.
Music is taught, wherever possible, as part of an integrated topic focusing on the musical elements.
Class teaching, co-operative group work and individual work are used where appropriate. The teacher leads where appropriate and gives opportunities for composition, performance and experimentation.
Children learn an instrument in Key Stage 2 (e.g. recorder/ ukulele).
Equal Opportunities and Inclusion
All pupils, irrespective of ethnicity, religion, gender or ability, are given equal access to the Music curriculum where possible. SEN pupils will be supported through a variety of resources such as a variety of instruments, range of beaters and ear defenders as appropriate. They will be also be supported in their learning from clear modelling, chunking of instructions and co-operative group work. Able, gifted and talented pupils will be supported through the subject, developing analysis, thinking skills and evaluation techniques. Teachers will aim to be sensitive to issues linked to ethnicity and religion.
Resources
Resources are available for each Key Stage. The Early Years keep a selection of instruments in their classrooms.
Assessment, Record Keeping and Reporting
- Assessments are used diagnostically by teachers to evaluate learning, inform teaching and to inform future provision.
- Appraisal evidence is added to the relevant subject book for each pupil.
- Recordings of composing and performing are uploaded to shared planning folders at last twice termly.
- Music is included at the end of the academic year in each child’s School Report and is given a grading for attainment.
- The music subject leader keeps samples of children’s work in a portfolio, which is used to demonstrate the expected level of attainment in Music for each age group.
Part B: Co-curricular music
This is about opportunities for pupils to sing and play music, outside of lesson time, including choirs, ensembles and bands, and how pupils can make progress in music beyond the core curriculum.
Schools within the Pioneer Federation offer:
- the opportunity to have specialist instrument lessons by the teachers that come in, both from the East Sussex Music Service and privately hired ones. Children receive lessons for a variety of instruments (drums, guitar, keyboard, voice etc.). These are a mixture of one-to-one and small-group tuition. Children receiving tuition receive reports from the Music Service. Information on charging for instrumental lessons (as well as support for families in receipt on Pupil Premium) is available from the School Office.
- choirs for a focus event (e.g. ‘A choir for Christmas’ or to support at a local community event). These can be either for anyone in the school to join but at other times have a more key-staged focus. These choirs are free to join and are open for all to join (non-auditioning).
Part C: Musical experiences
This is about all the other musical events and opportunities that we organise, such as singing in assembly, concerts and shows, and trips to professional concerts.
- The schools have whole-school singing on a weekly basis. A weekly singing assembly is used to teach new songs to the school which can be chosen on a seasonal basis (e.g. Harvest, Christmas, Easter) as well as for special events (e.g. national days).
- Children that receive instrumental lessons have the opportunity to perform in assemblies throughout the year to showcase their learning and to encourage others to learn.
- All KS1 pupils practise and perform a Nativity to families at Christmas time. There are usually multiple performances of this and it is free of charge (both to join and for the audience). The production usually includes opportunity for solo singing as well as whole key-stage performance.
- All KS2 pupils practise and perform a musical production in Term 6. There are usually multiple performances of this and it is free of charge (both to join and for the audience). The production usually includes opportunity for solo singing as well as whole key-stage performance.
- The Pupils as Leaders organise an annual whole-school Talent Show which usually includes musical performances (both solo and groups). It is free of charge (both to join and for the audience).
In the future
The Subject Leader Action Plan for Music 2024-25 sets out the areas for development for the forthcoming academic year. These areas include:
- the Vision and Values song to be embedded at Park Mead school.
- the establishment of regular choirs across the Federation.
- enhancing St Mary’s percussion instruments.
- raising the profile of singing in schools.
- research opportunities for trips to professional concerts.
- establish a music ensemble at Chiddingly.
- establish an after-school music club at Chiddingly run by outside music practitioners.