Music is a practical, creative subject which helps to develop both musical skills and the ability to express personal thoughts and feelings through sound. Music is also used to develop an awareness of world cultures through the use of listening resources and instruments from different parts of the world.

Intent:

•  For all children to develop their sense of 'musicality' and enjoyment of music.
• For all children to develop the capacity to express their ideas and feelings through the medium of sound.
• For all children to encounter a diverse repertoire of music and musical experiences.

Implementation:

1. A progressive and engaging music curriculum, taught through weekly music lessons. We make use of the online music curriculum Sing Up in lessons across the school. This scheme supports all the requirements for the national curriculum and provides teachers with engaging songs and resources to accompany each lesson. Each unit focuses on a particular song or composer as a jumping off point for learning a particular set of musical skills. Children have the opportunity to listen to and critically analyse music, play tuned and untuned instruments, improvise and compose music and eventually formally notate their compositions as they move further up the school. Children have weekly lessons taught either by Mr Bewes, our music specialist, or by their class teacher with the support of the Sing Up curriculum.
2. Listening to music and learning about composers and musicians. Children are exposed to a diverse range of music and composers throughout the course of the year in lessons and music assemblies. In lessons, Sing up provides multiple listening opportunities built into each unit. Children also listen to one of BBC's Ten Pieces project before our weekly school celebration assembly.
3. Participating in weekly singing assemblies led by music specialists. Everyone at Wicklewood has a chance to experience the value and joy of collective singing during our weekly music assemblies, along with a chance to sing in parts as well as accompanied by instruments. Music assemblies are focused around different themes for the term/month - such as Harvest and Christmas in the Autumn term and Chinese New Year and World Religions Day in the Spring.
4. Participating in school music clubs and instrumental lessons. Children with a flair or an interest in music have the opportunity to progress to the next level of learning through instrument tuition, after school music club, or Mr. Bewes's lunchtime drumming group.
5. Regular performance opportunities. These performances are planned into our progression with audiences getting wider as children progress through the school, starting with class assemblies in Reception and Key Stage 1 through to Years 5 and 6 performing for the Norfolk Show and Norfolk Music Festival.
6. Children taking part in a range of inspirational and aspirational musical experiences. Children across the school have opportunities to showcase their skills for parents in musical experiences such as Christmas or end of year performances. We are also continuing to build links with local performers and bands to enrich our musical experiences at school.

Impact:

All children will benefit from a high-quality music education which engages and inspires them to develop a love of music and to recognise their potential as musicians. The school values will be reflected in school music lessons and ensemble performances as children increase their self-confidence, creativity and teamwork skills. As children progress through the school, they will develop a growing musical vocabulary and knowledge that allows them to engage critically with music. Teaching and learning of music is a reflective process that allows children the opportunity to assess themselves and their peers, as well as the chance to receive constructive feedback on their work. The children will also celebrate their success and skills with their teachers, peers and wider audiences. 

We monitor the impact of our music provision through teacher assessments, pictures and video evidence which capture each child's progress throughout the year. Our progression map shows the skills we expect children to have embedded by the time they leave Wicklewood.

Whole School Curriculum Overview: