Music

Our Music intent: Music is a powerful and unique form of communication which can inspire and motivate children. It can have a positive impact on personal and social development, including increased self reliance, confidence, self esteem, sense of achievement and ability to relate to others. Music is a vehicle for prompting personal expression, reflection and emotional development. It enables children to become part of a community, creating, playing, performing and making judgements. It allows them to acquire a greater understanding of the world and their place in it. Music is highly academic and maximises progress in education in subjects other than music. 

We aim to:

• Provide a variety of enjoyable experiences to build self esteem, confidence and self discipline as well as to nurture creativity
• Improve pupil’s learning, confidence, health and social development through including singing in their everyday lives.
• Develop the interrelated skills of performing, composing and appreciating music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians.
• Teach how music is composed, produced and recorded through the interrelated dimensions, pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture and structure and different musical notations.
• Provide opportunities for pupils to create, improvise and compose music on their own and with others and play tuned and unturned percussion instruments musically.
• Use technology appropriately to support, capture and enhance pupil’s creativity and performance.
• Provide pupils with the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument from specialist instrumental music teachers or as part of a whole class ensemble in/out of school.
• Provide performance and sharing opportunities outside the classroom to enrich musical experience.

At foundation stage, music is taught by the class teacher and as part of the EYFS as an integral part of topic work covered during the year. In the EYFS music contributes to a child’s level in the area of expressive arts and design.

At Anson music pupils from Year 1 to Year 6 are taught by a specialist music teacher with the exception of Years 3 and 4 who receive whole class K2M ensemble teaching from a visiting peripatetic music specialist.

The music Coordinator is responsible for keeping long and short term plans and is responsible for ensuring that musical activities have progression and continuity.

Music will be taught in half termly/termly units supported by a wide variety of resources to supplement and adapt learning including Charanga, Inside Music (voices foundation) and Sing up! ICT should be used when appropriate at both key stages to enable pupils to compose, make, record and perform music.

Music activities are planned so that all pupils may participate and enjoy them irrespective of ability and inclusive of gender, race and cultural background.

We regularly welcome musical visitors into our schools as invaluable role models to our pupils. 

Singing is an integral part of school life and children sing daily in worship. Once a week children take part in singing practice. At the end of each term, classes perform to parents, productions to celebrate different occasions such as Christmas, Easter and leaver’s assemblies. We also arrange for our KS2 pupils to take part every other year in the ‘Young Voices’ concert at the LG Arena, Birmingham, enabling pupils to experience live music and have closer contact with other musicians and singers. At Christmas time some KS2 pupils perform to the carol singing at the annual village light switch on.

Pupils are offered the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument. The lessons are provided by visiting specialist instrumental teachers. We fund lessons for pupil premium children. 

Assessment and recording

Informal judgements are made weekly through observations and marking work.

Feedback is given to the pupils orally or through written comments.  Pupils’ progress is recorded during and at the end of each unit of work and comments are recorded on an annual report to parents.

Information from visiting peripatetic music specialists is included when compiling appropriate parts of final reports to parents.

Music development plan summary:
Anson C of E Primary School

Overview

Detail	Information
Academic year that this summary covers	2024-2025
Date this summary was published
Date this summary will be reviewed	July 2025
Name of the school music lead	H. Walmsley
Name of school leadership team member with responsibility for music (if different)
Name of local music hub	Entrust Music Service Staffordshire
Name of other music education organisation(s) (if partnership in place)

 

This is a summary of how our school 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 school offers and who we work with to support our pupils’ music education.

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.

Our pupils’ musical journey begins in EYFS where pupils sing songs and rhymes in short sessions throughout the week as well as having a dedicated time solely for music tuition. Pupils in Key Stage 1 and 2 receive one hour of curriculum music each week. The long term plans reflect the model curriculum, giving all pupils a chance to learn to sing, play an instrument and create music together. Both Key Stage 1 and 2 pupils have access to whole class instrumental teaching and have opportunities to revisit these instruments in later years.

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.

Small group tuition outside of curricular music is offered in guitar, drums, keyboard and piano with pupil premium eligibility. Free lessons are provided weekly for Key Stage 2 pupils wishing to learn the descant recorder. Weekly after school choir practice is open to all pupils from Y2-6, with an annual £10 termly fee with free eligibility for pupil premium pupils. A room is provided where pupils can choose to rehearse or practice individually or in groups during breakfast club, lunch time or after school care club.  The school partners with its local hub for mass choir events such as the Lichfield Christmas Festival and the Manchester Camerata project. The local music hub also provides outside of school music ensembles.

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.

In addition to providing high quality curriculum teaching, we provide many enrichment opportunities for our pupils, including singing in worship, performing in concerts and shows and taking part in community events. All pupils rehearse and perform annually to parents. Our EYFS and Key Stage 1 pupils perform a Nativity play to parents at Christmas. Lower Key Stage 2 perform a play at Easter and our upper Key stage 2 pupils perform a leaver’s show during the summer term. All performances are free of charge. In addition, our pupils take part in singing and instrumental performances in our local church as part of yearly celebrations such as Harvest Festival, Easter, Christmas and leaver’s services. Year 5 and 6 pupils take part in the Young Voices concert at the Resorts World Arena Birmingham. Our partnership with our local Music Hub enables our older pupils to take part in exciting workshops and performances with the Manchester Camerata as well as enabling the school choir to participate in the Lichfield Cathedral Christmas Festival. Throughout the year, our school choir joins in partnership with the local village choir to perform at local community events, including a Christmas celebration and summer concert. During achievement worship, children are given the opportunity to perform to their peers and parents building confidence. Support from our PTA enables all pupils to attend a Christmas Pantomime at a local theatre.

In the future

This is about what the school is planning for subsequent years.

Offering more choice of instrumental teaching Re-introduction of workshops/visiting musicians Attend more live performances Attend the Music Hub’s virtual ‘Sing Alongs’

Further information (optional)

Entrust music Service provide weekday and weekend music centres where pupils can enjoy music ensembles outside of school.