Music curriculum

Intention

At Brookside Academy, our intention is to promote an enthusiasm for and an appreciation of music in all its forms. We aim to cultivate a sense of curiosity by providing a broad and balanced curriculum, ensuring the progressive development of musical concepts, knowledge and skills.

Our Music curriculum aims to develop pupils who:

Enjoy and have an appreciation for music.
Listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, cultures, styles and traditions.
Can sing and use their voices to create different effects.
Create and compose music, both on their own and with others.
Use a range of musical language.
Make judgements and express personal preferences about the quality and style of music.
Take part in performances with an awareness of audience.

Our intention is to inspire creativity and self-expression whilst encouraging children on their own, personal musical journeys.

Implementation

Music teaching at Brookside Academy predominately utilises the Charanga Scheme of work to fulfil the requirements of the National Curriculum. Music lessons are divided into six half termly units per year group, which can be seen in the table below.

Each unit of work has an on-going musical learning focus and lessons usually follow a specific learning sequence:

Listen and Appraise
Musical Activities (including pulse and rhythm)
Singing and Voice
Playing instruments
Improvisation / Composition
Perform and Share

These lessons are supplemented with links to the wider curriculum through a variety of resources including Sing Up, BBC Ten Pieces and Sparkyard.

Theory is taught through the Charanga Scheme and enhanced in Key Stage 2 by an Academy created Presentation, which follows ABRSM Music Theory Progression.

Alongside weekly in class music lessons, all children attend a weekly singing assembly, where all genres of music are appreciated, the fundamentals of music are used and singing skills are developed through a complete diverse range of songs.

On alternate Fridays across Brookside Academy, all children rotate through our Enrichment activities, some of which cover music aspects such as Singing, Percussion, rhythm, Samba and Ukelele.

Across our EYFS provision, music is an integral part of children’s learning journey. Rhyme and rhythm are utilised throughout the learning of phonics, handwriting and mathematics. Children learn a wide range of songs and rhymes and develop skills for performing together. Singing and music making opportunities are used frequently to embed learning, develop musical awareness and to demonstrate how music can be used to express feelings.

Alongside our curriculum provision for music, pupils also have the opportunity to participate in additional 1:1 music tuition and choir, run by peripatetic teachers from Somerset Music. These children and the school choir are given the opportunity to perform in school performances, carol concerts and have sung at a range of events both in school and at other venues.

All pupils at Brookside Academy participate in a range of performances during their school lives. These include Christmas concerts, Year group Sharing Assemblies and Year 6 leavers. Pupils who are confident are encouraged to perform in solo performances. Parents are invited and welcomed to watch all of these performances whether at school or outside of school.

Evidence of music for each year group is recorded electronically on Padlet and regularly reviewed by the subject lead.

Impact

Our Music Curriculum is planned to demonstrate progression; building on and embedding current skills. We focus on progression of knowledge and skills within the different musical components alongside the teaching of specific, technical vocabulary.

Progress and attainment in Music is demonstrated through:

Regularly looking at pupils’ work, especially over time as they gain skills and knowledge
Photo and Video evidence of the pupils practical learning
Observing how they perform in lessons
Talking to the children about their learning – Pupil Voice
Monitoring of Padlet by Subject Lead
Looking at the planning – teachers mark the children’s outcomes against the National Curriculum objectives.

The impact of the music curriculum is also measured through numerous performances across the year.

Whole School Overview

Quotes from pupils

“I love copying the animals and singing in Music.” Cami – Year 1

“I genuinely love our music lessons!” Naomi – Year 4

“We love singing Revolting Children from Matilda.” Eleanor – Year 2

“When we learnt about Australia in creative Week, I loved learning that song!” Early Years

Gallery & Latest News