Music

3 I'S Statements

Our School Definition of Music:

Music is the study and performance of sound.

Intent Statement - Music 

At St Joseph’s School, we are Musicians! We want to embed a love of music deep within our children which lasts a lifetime. We want them to have no limits to what their ambitions are and grow up wanting to be music producers, songwriters, composers or rockstars! 

Our vision, at St Joseph’s, is to give children access to an engaging and fun music curriculum reflecting the world they live in now, but at the same time giving them access to musical styles throughout history. 

At St Joseph’s, children are able to listen and appraise a variety of musical styles alongside performing pieces and creating their own compositions through the use of instruments and technology. In Year 4, children have whole class peripatetic music lessons where they are learning play the clarinet. Year 3, 5 and 6 have their lessons provided by The Hallam Diocesan Music Service where singing is at the core of the children’s learning of music.  

The school has invested in the Charanga Scheme of Work to support the teaching and learning of music. The Charanga scheme ensures the progression of skills throughout each Key Stage.  

Our aim is to ensure that all children continue to grow in confidence as they progress through the musical curriculum and become passionate in their responses to music. Added to this, we want children to become more independent learners within this area, reflect upon their learning and develop resilience within the musical world. 

As a school, these are our aims: 

• To encourage awareness, enjoyment and appreciation of music in all its forms. 
• To develop imagination and creativity. 
• To help children of all abilities develop positive attitudes and to experience success and satisfaction in music. 

• To offer opportunities to sing, play instruments, compose, listen and appraise. 

Singing skills- A singing culture will be established and nurtured within the school. Weekly singing skills workshops are conducted weekly. 

Instrumental skills - Children will be taught to sing a wide-ranging variety of songs and to use their voices expressively. They will have the opportunity to play both tuned and un-tuned instruments with increasing control during their time at St Joseph’s and will rehearse and perform with others, including performing in front of an audience. 

Composing skills-  Children will create Musical patterns and will be shown how to explore, select and organise musical ideas, recording these in a variety of ways, (e.g.: pictorial score, by means of a digital recorder, tape recorder or video or using notation). 

Appraising skills- Children will be given the opportunity to explore and explain their own ideas and feelings about Music, using Music, dance, expressive language and Musical vocabulary. They will analyse and compare sounds and will become confident at suggesting improvements for their own work and that of others. 

Listening and applying knowledge and understanding-  Children will be given to opportunity to listen with concentration and to internalise and recall sounds with increasing Music Curriculum Statement aural memory. They will explore how time and place can influence the way music is created, performed and heard, that music is produced in different ways and is described through invented and standard notations. 

Implementation Statement - Music  

All children at St Joseph’s participate in regular weekly music lessons. Additional time may be put into the teaching of music when children learn and prepare songs to be performed during liturgies/whole school performances.  

• The music coordinator monitors the coverage of music objectives and ensures that an appropriate number of objectives have been covered for the length of the term 

• At St Joseph’s, we make use of the online Musical resource Charanga for delivery of music across the school. 
• Charanga planning is used by teachers to drive children’s development within music. Every year group will build upon the learning from prior year groups therefore developing depth of understanding and progression of skills. This serves as a base to aid and enhance our teaching, but is not intended to be rigidly adhered to. Teachers should make professional judgements about when to adapt, miss out or add additional materials where this would benefit learning. 
• Lessons provide opportunities for children to develop practical skills and progress by listening and appraising, singing, playing, composing, and performing. 
• Doncaster Music Service and The Hallam Diocesan Music Service are able to continue from the foundations built from the use of the Charanga scheme and fully cover National Curriculum objectives. 
• We promote an enjoyment and foster interest of music through regular singing practice, and other enhancement opportunities such as the Liturgies, Christingles, Masses and Workshops (Big Sing) 

• Pupils experiencing difficulties will be given extra encouragement by working in a small group with the teacher/ support staff or with a more musically able child. 
• Teachers assess the children’s attainment and progress using the Charanga assessment objective checklists. At the end of each term, teachers assess if a child is below, at or above ARE for that term based on the music objectives that have been taught. This informs future teaching and lesson planning. For classes taught by external providers, there is regular communication with staff to ensure assessment judgements are accurate. 
• Pupils are given the opportunity to listen to a range of music through various in and out of school opportunities. We offer morning and after school clubs based on Dance and these cover a variety of music genres. The school have taken part in Doncaster’s Sing Out when this has been able to take place. 
• Performances take place within various school activities and are integral to the school ethos. Being a Catholic School, we pride ourselves on the quality of our Liturgies and Masses. Children sing, dance, mime to music, play instruments during these performances. Key stage one children also participate in a nativity performance where they perform to a large audience. 
• The Headteacher, SLT and music coordinator lead regular whole school assemblies which include song learning and music appreciation. 

• Instrumental groups will be encouraged to perform in assemblies, liturgies and masses whenever performances are ready to be heard. 
• Charanga can be supplemented by the subject leaders and the teacher’s own input to match and compliment the creative curriculum which we have built around the Commando Joe scheme. Music lessons also form a key part of many of our theme weeks and focus days. The Charanga scheme also provides the necessary details, activities, accompaniments and recordings to support our music teaching and many of these can be included in our theme days. 
• Music skills and skills progression are monitored by the music coordinator and SLT, as is the delivery of music. 

Resources: We have a range of music equipment and resources that can easily be moved around the school. 

• There are a full class set of recorders and a number of other tuned instruments. 

• A full set of class clarinets have been loaned to us by the music service. 
• The school class set of iPads have music apps installed. 
• Access to Charanga resources is available to all staff. 
• Hymn words and key song lyrics are available for all staff to access on our shared drive 

Impact Statement - Music 

The impact of this Music curriculum will lead to outstanding progress over time across key stages relative to a child’s individual starting point and their progression of skills. Those children with a particular interest or aptitude in music will be supported and encouraged – the school will encourage them to play and perform in assemblies, liturgies and masses and share their achievements. Children will therefore be expected to leave St Joseph’s reaching at least age expected expectations for Music; being confident musicians. Our Music curriculum will foster a love and increasing enthusiasm for the subject amongst our children and encourage a life- long musical study.