Music
Music teaching at Wellfield aims to inspire and engage pupils to feel that they are musical and to develop a life-long love of music. We focus on building the skills, knowledge and understanding that the children need in order to become confident performers, composers and listeners. Our curriculum gives opportunities for pupils to explore music from around the world and across generations, teaching children to respect and appreciate the music of all traditions and communities.
“I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy; but most importantly music, for the patterns in music and all the arts are the keys to learning” Plato
Pupils will develop the musical skills of singing, playing tuned and untuned instruments, improvising and composing music, and listening and responding to music. They will develop an understanding of the history and cultural context of the music that they listen to and learn how music can be written down. Through music, our curriculum helps children develop transferable skills such as team-working, leadership, creative thinking, problem solving, decision making, and presentation and performance skills. These skills are vital to the children’s development as learners and have a wider application in their general lives outside and beyond the classroom.
Staff at Wellfield know good Music teaching happens when:
- Music is the target language and pupils have the opportunity to listen, perform, compose or appraise in every lesson.
- Children have opportunities to listen to a wide variety of music from different times and genres.
- Pupils are supported and challenged as listeners, composers and performers, and demonstrate high levels of enjoyment and engagement.
- Learning builds on previous work and makes links to future work with regular opportunities for revisiting prior knowledge.
- Lessons are inclusive and allow opportunities for challenge.
Music and the 5Cs
Coherence
In Music, learning always builds on prior knowledge and skills and time is built into the beginning of every lesson to revisit prior work. Progression is clearly mapped out so that the knowledge and skills build year upon year. Lessons are sequenced to allow for progression in musical skills and knowledge.
Communication
Throughout the teaching of Music, pupils will be able to develop a variety of oral communications which are transferable across subjects. They have the opportunity to verbally identify strengths, weaknesses and improvements for others and themselves when discussing performances and compositions. Pupils are also taught the subject specific language to support their communication and understanding. In addition, pupils will explore how to use music as a language to communicate with an audience and will use the dimensions of music to work out how to effectively communicate the music’s meaning.
Creativity
Through composition, improvisation and technology, pupils will have the opportunity to explore their creativity while making music. Their creativity will stem from a given focus and parameters to fit the style or theme of music they are discovering. Creativity includes not only the combination of sounds, but also the choice of instruments/sound, use of the different musical elements such as tempo and dynamics as well as harmonies. Children are given opportunities to explore music from diverse cultures and time periods and are encouraged to incorporate ideas from these musics into their own performance and compositions.
Community
Throughout the Music curriculum, children are exposed to a wide range of music from different regions, countries, backgrounds and periods. They will have the opportunity to listen to a range of music as well as compose and perform in the different styles shared with them. Pupils will also be given the opportunity to perform publicly as part of the wider county community at events organised by the NTMEH (North Tyneside Music Education Hub).
Compassion
Through the listening and discussion of Music, pupils will have the opportunity to develop their compassion for themselves and others through: evaluation of performances; the discovery of the root of music, such as the Blues from slavery; self evaluation and learning to be focused and not overly critical of themselves.