Music Implementation
At Arbury Primary School, music is taught weekly using the ‘Music Express’ scheme of work from Collins to deliver the curriculum, which has been designed to align with the National Curriculum. With a focus on the dimensions of music (pulse, pitch, dynamics, rhythm, texture and tempo) as well as listening to, improvising, singing and composing music, we plan to provide our children with a quality, enriched and engaging music education.
Through Music Express, a steady progression plan is followed, ensuring consistent musical development for our students. This scheme includes many different music styles and genres from different times and places, including the classical Western canon. Music Express provides an inclusive approach to learning music and throughout the scheme children are actively involved in using and developing their singing voices, using body percussion and whole body actions, as well as learning to handle and play classroom instruments effectively. Through a range of whole class, group and individual activities, children have opportunities to explore sounds, listen actively, compose and perform. Children’s singing skills are further developed in a weekly singing assembly and when the children practise ‘class choir’ in preparation for their year group’s big yearly productions.
The opportunity for playing musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression is developed within music lessons. In Key Stage 1, children have lots of opportunities to play xylophones as well as a range of percussion instruments. In Lower Key Stage 2, as well as working through units of work, children will complete a recorder course ‘Recorder Magic’ and in Upper Key Stage 2, all children will complete the ‘Ukulele Magic’ course.
The overview of units that the children will complete is summarised in the grid below:
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|
Year 1 |
Year 2 |
Year 3 |
Year 4 |
Year 5 |
Year 6 |
|
Autumn 1 |
Ourselves Musical focus: Exploring sounds
Number Musical Focus: Beat |
Ourselves Musical focus: Exploring sounds
Number Musical Focus: Beat |
Environment Musical focus: Composition
Recorder Magic Stage 1 |
Poetry Musical Focus: Performance
Recorder Magic Stage 3 (revision) |
Solar System Musical Focus: Listening
Mett my Ukulele (Ukulele instrumental teaching) |
World Unite Musical Focus: Beat and Rhythm
Out First Chord (Ukulele instrumental teaching – Revision) |
|
Autumn 2 |
Class Choir: Rehearsing Productions Songs
Seasons Musical focus: Pitch
|
Class Choir: Rehearsing Productions Songs
Out and About Musical Focus: Pitch and Structure |
Building Musical Focus: Beat
Sounds Musical Focus: Exploring Sounds
Poetry Musical Focus: Performance |
Environment Musical Focus: Composition
Recorder Magic Stage 4
Sounds Musical Focus: Exploring Sounds |
Opening it Up (Ukulele instrumental teaching)
Life Cycles Musical Focus: Structure |
A Minor Miracle (Ukulele instrumental teaching)
Journeys Musical Focus: singing and performance
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|
Spring 1 |
Animals Musical focus: pitch
Machines Musical focus: beat |
Animals Musical Focus: Pitch
Our bodies Musical Focus: beat
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Class Choir – learning songs for production
Recorder Magic Stage 2 |
Class Choir – learning songs for production
Recorder Magic Stage 5 |
Keeping Healthy Musical Focus: Beat |
Journeys Musical Focus: singing and performance
All Change (Ukulele instrumental teaching) |
|
Spring 2 |
Weather Musical focus: exploring sounds
Pattern Musical focus: beat |
Number Musical Focus: Beat
Story time Musical Focus: Exploring sounds |
Class Choir – learning songs for production
Recorder Magic Stage 2 |
Class Choir – learning songs for production
Recorder Magic Stage 5 |
At the Movies Musical Focus: Composition |
Growth Musical Focus: improvisation and performance |
|
Summer 1 |
Our School Musical focus: exploring sounds
Story Time Musical focus: exploring sounds |
Seasons Musical Focus: Pitch
Weather Musical Focus: Exploring Sounds |
Human Body Musical Focus: Structure
In the Past Musical Focus: Pitch
|
Building Musical Focus: Beat
Around the World Musical Focus: Pitch |
Out First Chord (Ukulele instrumental teaching)
Say it with Sound Musical Focus: Metre and notation |
Stronger Together Musical Focus: composition
|
|
Summer 2 |
Our Bodies Musical focus: beat
Travel Musical focus: performance |
Water Musical Focus: Pitch
Travel Musical Focus: Performance
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Recorder Magic Stage 3
Communication Musical Focus: composition |
Ancient Worlds Musical Focus: Structure
Communication Musical Focus: composition
In the past Musical Focus: notation |
Say it with Sound Musical Focus: Metre and notation
Class Choir – learning songs for production
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Class Choir – learning songs for production
Three Chord Tricks (Ukulele instrumental teaching)
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Enrichment Opportunities:
We ensure that enrichment activities take place regularly to ensure that music is a high-profile subject area. There are weekly choir clubs for both Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 1 children. Other music clubs take place throughout the year, including Samba Club for Year 5 and Trumpet Club for Year 6. Children have opportunities to showcase their music learning and progression to parents and carers through assemblies. There are also opportunities for the Key Stage 2 choir to perform in regular community events, such as the Arbury Carnival and the ‘Christmas Lights Switch On’ at Arbury Court. Every year group from EYFS to Year 6 perform in a special Key Stage production where singing is showcased to parents and carers. Additionally, we ensure that there are many opportunities for children to watch live musical performances performed by professional musicians.
Examples of recent performances from professional musicians for children at Arbury Primary School include:
- A visit from English Touring Opera who shared their opera ‘The Great Stink’
- A classical music performance from parents to children.
- A performance from the Britten Sinfonia of their ‘Tiny Magic Orchestra’
- A performance to the whole school from the folk band ‘Megson’