ORCHID VALE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Transcription

1 ORCHID VALE PRIMARY SCHOOL MUSIC POLICY Orchid Vale Primary School

2 Music Policy Philosophy Music is a powerful, unique form of communication that can change the way pupils feel, think and act. It brings together intellect and feeling and enables personal expression, reflection and emotional development. As an integral part of culture, past and present, it helps pupils understand themselves and relate to others, forging important links between the home, school and the wider world. The teaching of music develops pupils ability to listen and appreciate a wide variety of music and to make judgements about musical quality. It encourages active involvement in different forms of amateur music making, both individual and communal, developing a sense of group identity and togetherness. It also increases self-discipline and creativity, aesthetic sensitivity and fulfilment. Aims The National Curriculum At Orchid Vale we aim to develop an understanding of Musical Concepts and to develop practical skills, enabling children to respond and communicate musical ideas, thoughts and feelings. Opportunity is also given to develop an awareness of musical traditions, styles and cultures. Music in our school allows all children to participate with enjoyment in the activities of: Performing Composing Listening Appraising Through these activities children will develop an understanding of the following musical concepts: pitch duration dynamics tempo timbre texture

3 Teaching and Learning The school uses the Music Express scheme of work to teach music, thus ensuring full coverage of both the Early Learning Goals and the National Curriculum Programme of Study. Teachers sometimes supplement their Music Express sessions with ideas and activities from other Music and singing resources the school has and the Music Co-ordinator offers support for each Key Stage when necessary. Wherever possible, Music is linked to other areas of the curriculum, particularly Literacy and class topics. In KS1 and KS2 music is taught once a week and in the Foundation Stage music forms part of the planned provision for Creative Development. A whole school singing assembly takes place every week, during which the children learn and practise singing techniques and a wide range of songs. These are often linked with the week s assembly theme, the current season or time of year, where possible. KS1 classes often take part in informal singing sessions using the class teachers experience, ideas and activities and the Music Express scheme. In addition to this the children in Foundation Stage 2 take part in frequent singing and rhyme activities. We aim to encourage a variety of teaching styles, including whole-class instruction, individual development and group work. Tasks are differentiated both by outcome and design, and group structures may be of ability, mixed abilities, age or friendship. Planning Planning is based on the Music Express schemes of work which have been fully and effectively integrated into our school topic cycle, in order to ensure balance and progression and to allow cross-curricular topic links where possible. Planning is at three levels: whole school long term year group and/or key stage medium term individual teacher short term See Appendix 1 for examples of the Music Express scheme of work.

4 Monitoring and Evaluating This is carried out by the Music Co-ordinator, across all Key Stages and includes: regular review of teacher s planning to assess curriculum coverage, progression, appropriate adaptations, annotations and informal assessments monitoring of pupil work and performance by talking to the children about their learning observation of teaching and learning during music sessions moderation of any written, pictorial or recorded work staff meetings and INSET to discuss consistency across the school, standards and expectations and where appropriate to update/maintain staff knowledge involvement of Link Governors in development of the subject evaluation of extra-curricular activities, e.g. choir, music festivals, roadshows etc. Pupil Assessment Assessment of pupil work and progress is ongoing by the class teacher and includes observation of pupils working (esp. composing), appropriate questioning and evaluation of any recorded work produced. This not only informs future planning but provides information for a pupil s records, parent discussions and annual reports. Pupils achievements are recorded, if appropriate, and kept in class files and on cassette tape. As assessment has been a key whole school focus this year, we are now in the process of introducing new methods for both informal and more formal assessment in Music, e.g. for whole school, whole class, individual and tracker children. Equal Opportunities All pupils, regardless of age, gender, ability or cultural background have equal access to the Music Curriculum. The needs of the musically gifted and the less able are recognised and met through: differentiated questioning differentiated tasks set appropriate grouping during the delivery of music lessons. This applies particularly to Composing tasks and Performances.

5 Teachers are advised to inform parents if children show particular talents in Music, e.g. recommending peripatetic lessons or attendance to choir etc. Children with exceptional musical skills will be placed on our school More Able, Gifted/Talented Register. Additional Opportunities Peripatetic staff teach lessons weekly: guitar for individuals, Clarinet for Y6 and Brass for Y4 and Y5. Visiting groups are encouraged, e.g. live bands, music roadshows/workshops etc. The Music Co-ordinator runs a choir for different groups throughout the year. The KS1 and KS2 choirs may perform in the Annual Swindon Infant and Junior Music Festivals. We use the whole school s skills to perform in the Christmas production, i.e. singing and playing percussion for sound effects etc or summer production. The children that learn a musical instrument in and out of school and those in the choir are encouraged to share their learning by performing in assemblies and sometimes producing a special sharing assembly for the rest of the school and in some cases, their parents to attend. The music played, as the children enter and leave assemblies, is chosen by a different teacher each week. This both ensures that the children are exposed to a wide variety of music and develops their listening skills and music related knowledge. Teachers are asked to choose one piece of music per term (one of which to be a classical piece) and come up with 2 or 3 questions related to their chosen music. These are set at the beginning of each week and the children are encouraged to research, using a range of methods, in their own time in order to find the answers. All children are given the answers at the end of each week and children who answered correctly during the week are rewarded accordingly. Resources All resources are stored centrally and are accessible to both staff and children. The Music Co-ordinator is responsible for the acquisition, allocation and maintenance of resources. These include instruments, music books, CD s, tapes, music stands and audio equipment. The whole staff and all pupils are encouraged to care for these resources. A timetable is made at the beginning of each school year for use of the musical instruments (tuned and untuned) to avoid clashes! The Foundation Stage 2 children have

6 access to the main stock of instruments but also have a box of small instruments stored in the Shared Area. See Appendix 3 for full, comprehensive list of resources available. An audit of resources is carried out annually by the co-ordinator to identify any gaps in the school s existing resources. The teachers also inform the co-ordinator of any resources they need for teaching particular units of work. Review and Evaluation Policy completed in: March 13 Review date: March 15