Music at Minterne

Statement of intent

At Minterne we believe in the transformational power that music brings to pupils, staff and parents alongside the wider whole school community. We believe that music has the potential to make a significant contribution to our children’s learning and development as young people. Participating in musical activities has been shown to increase confidence and self-esteem, develop leadership and team working skills, as well as concentration and problem-solving abilities. Through music lessons our pupils can develop their identities and hopefully gain a life- long and life enhancing interest and enjoyment.

SMSC and British Values

Music supports and promotes the spiritual, moral social and cultural (SMSC) development of pupils in Minterne. Listening to and performing music can often be a ‘spiritual or emotional’ experience and pupils at Minterne are encouraged to reflect and respond to a wide variety of musical experiences. Pupils at Minterne engage in critical discussion of musical performances and we encourage them to reflect on any specific or cultural references. Where children present their own work, we ensure that assessment and evaluation is fair and respectful. Pupils collaborate routinely in group tasks developing their skills of independence, resilience and time management. Group tasks build a sense of unity by combining their individual abilities and strengths. By using the Music Express scheme, pupils work with a rich variety of musical styles and genres from different times and places.

Music at Minterne supports British Values. As practical music-making is at the centre of music lessons pupils develop ways of working democratically and that show mutual respect and tolerance. Respect and admiration for music and musicians from different cultures is developed through listening, singing and playing.

How music is taught in lessons.

At Minterne we want our pupils to firstly enjoy their music lessons. Emphasis is placed on practical music making, with elements of listening, singing and performing in each lesson. Music skills are taught within exciting music topics which change every term. Links are made where possible to year group termly topics – for example singing WWII songs for Year 6s’ topic ‘Blitz and Pieces’. Music is timetabled for an hour per week taught by class teachers. The Kapow Music scheme (designed for non-specialist teachers) is used so that the National Curriculum programme of study for music is adhered to.

This states that pupils should be taught to:

• play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using their voices and playing musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression
• improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the interrelated dimensions of music
• listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory
• use and understand staff and other musical notations
• appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians
• develop an understanding of the history of music

How is progression ensured in Music?

The Kapow Music scheme has been carefully put together to ensure that skills are developed and built on incrementally as pupils progress through the Key Stage (see Kapow Music Skills Progression Doc).

Music Plus lessons

Currently, children in Year 3 are given whole-class instrumental tuition on the ukulele.

Sharing Success

Each year group is given opportunities to showcase their learning throughout the year by performing to the rest of the school in assembly. This can be done as a year group or as a class. Musical activities from lessons are uploaded onto the Tapestry journal for parents to view. Each year group also participates in putting together a Production once a year. This gives pupils the opportunity to demonstrate their ensemble singing skills as well as singing solos in front of an audience of parents.

How is Music assessed

At the end of each music topic, based on their knowledge of pupil responses during lessons and through recordings of performances, teachers will assess each pupil against year group expectations and assess pupils as emerging, expected or exceeding.  

Assembly

Songs are sung everyday as part of each assembly with a special whole school singing assembly once a week. In the singing assembly we sing songs from different times and places and try to link songs with the school assembly plan or in response to school or world events. Songs are rehearsed to give a polished performance. Some songs are in parts and often have solo sections. Pupils are encouraged to volunteer for small group or solo singing, both boys and girls.

Extra curricular provision

At Minterne we offer pupils the following extra-curricular music clubs: Choir, String Club, and Ukulele Club. Pupils are given opportunities to take part in concerts to parents throughout the year as well as playing or singing in assemblies.

 Instrumental Lessons

Private peripatetic staff offer instrumental tuition on the following: guitar, violin and piano. The Music for Schools organisation offer tuition on woodwind and brass instruments.

Links with the community

Minterne maintains strong links with the community through its music. The choir has performed as part of Minterne’s Christmas Fair and has sung carols to residents of Woodstock Home. As part of the Swale Music Hub, Minterne has participated in combined primary and secondary music events, such as Tunstall School’s Choir competition, Highsted’s Christmas Concert and Fulston Manor’s Sounds of Swale.