Intent
At NCS we value music because it is a powerful and unique form of communication that can change and impact the way children feel, think and act.
We believe that teaching music helps the body and the mind work together and can help children excel in other areas of their learning. Exposing children to music during early development helps them to learn the sounds and meanings of words. Dancing and moving to music helps children build motor skills while allowing them to practice self-expression.
We believe that every child should have the opportunity to develop their musical potential and we aim to nurture and encourage musical development across the school.
Implementation
Music is taught as a discrete subject at NCS using the objectives from the New Model Music Curriculum as the basis for planning. Planning is progressive and begins with putting in the building blocks of pulse, rhythm and pitch.
“If children can sing well, step the beat accurately, clap rhythms, apply dynamic and tempo judgments to their songs and show where sounds are higher and where lower, and if, in addition, they have a repertoire of some thirty songs, then the symbolic learning - the musical reading and writing - will progress rapidly in the following years from this solid foundation” - Lois Choksy.
These basic skills and techniques are built upon and then applied and practised in a range of contexts, with increasing demand and complexity. Music is a thread that runs through other areas of learning, such as times tables in maths, vocabulary in languages and movement in dance can all incorporate different elements of music. A weekly singing assembly allows the children opportunities to develop their singing skills and gain an understanding of how ensembles work. Performances, such as Christmas plays and nativities and end of year shows, demonstrate that music is important to the life of the school.
Impact
The impact of teaching music will be seen across the school with an increase in the profile of music learning. Participation in music develops wellbeing, promotes listening and develops concentration. We want to ensure that music is loved by teachers and pupils across school, encouraging them to want to continue building on this wealth of musical
ability, now and in the future.
Assessment and recording: The children's work in music is assessed by the teacher who will make informal judgements as they observe them during lessons and also by scrutinising recordings of lessons throughout the year. Assessments will be made in line with the New Model Music Curriculum objectives.
Resources: A wide range of resources is used in delivering the music curriculum at NCS. These include resources from Sing Up, Active Music, Singing Sherlock, Jolly Music, the British Kodaly Academy and we have strong links with the Derbyshire Music Hub.