Music

Music Overview

“The sheer joy of music making can feed the soul of a school community, enriching each student while strengthening the shared bonds of support and trust which make a great school” (Model Music Curriculum)

At Throckley Primary School, we aim to inspire creativity, self-expression and to encourage a lifelong love of music. Our music curriculum reflects this in its approach to teaching and learning, as well as providing our children with various performance opportunities and exposing them to a variety of diverse musical experiences. As a school, we are ambitious in our approach to teaching music by allowing children to listen and respond to a variety of different musical styles. Our aim is to inspire and challenge all pupils and provide them with the knowledge and skills to develop a passion for music. We encourage our children to find their voices as singers, performers and composers, enabling them to become confident, reflective musicians.

Our Music curriculum is designed to encompass our school values and the drivers that support our learning;

Understanding our place in the world

Music has a unique ability to bring people together. Our children at Throckley Primary School are encouraged to connect with their own music culture and local heritage, whilst also understanding the importance of music nationally and internationally. Children will learn about local musicians and experience live performances in their local area. There will also be performance opportunities throughout the school year where children can share their musical talents with the wider community.

Aspiring to achieve

Children are inspired to achieve by learning about significant individuals in music. It is important for our children to understand the significance of the creative arts locally and further afield. They understand that the skills and knowledge that they acquire through our music curriculum can lead to successful careers in the creative arts. They will also know how music and performance reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture and creativity in the wider world.

Broadening horizons

We believe that every child can be successful and that their musical abilities can have a meaningful impact. Music gives children the opportunity to explore their creativity and express themselves. During their learning, children will explore music through time, and across the globe. They will also learn about music that is special to the North East of England, and its belonging and influence in the world of music.

The national curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils:

perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres,
styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians
learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence
understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.

Subject content Key stage 1

Pupils in Key Stage One will be taught to:

use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes
play tuned and untuned instruments musically
listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high-quality live and recorded music
experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the inter-related dimensions of music.
Children will learn about significant people from around the world that are linked to the musical genre/focus they are studying. These significant people include those from the North East of England such as Sting, The Animals, Dire Straits, Lindisfarne and Little Mix.

Key Stage Two

Pupils in Key Stage Two will 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 inter-related 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 including significant individuals linked to the topic they are studying. Children will learn about the Supremes, the Temptations, the Four Tops, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder and their link to civil rights movements.
Children will also learn about British Rock and its place in history focusing on bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Specials and Oasis.

As a school, we encourage all pupils to further develop their love of music by engaging with the amazing local offers available to all children through Music Partnership North. Please see the link below for further information:

https://musicpartnershipnorthnewcastle.co.uk/