Curriculum Overview

At Yealmpstone Farm Primary School we are committed to delivering an outstanding and inclusive music curriculum that will engage and motivate all children to see the world through the eyes of young Musicians, regardless of background or ability.

We use a bespoke scheme of learning to support the teaching of music from reception to year 6. This Scheme offers an integrated, practical, exploratory and child-led approach to music learning. The interrelated dimensions of music (Listen and appraise, Singing, Playing, Improvising, Composition and Performance weave through the units covered, encouraging the development of musical skills as the learning progresses.

Our progression-based approach to learning will facilitate deeper learning, and a mastery of musical skills.

Intent

What we achieve

At Yealmpstone Farm, children gain a firm understanding of what music is through listening and appraising, singing, performing solo or as an ensemble, and composing across a wide variety of historical periods, styles, traditions, and musical genres. We are committed to developing a curiosity for the subject, as well as an understanding and acceptance of the validity and importance of all types of music, and an unbiased respect for the role that music may wish to be expressed in any person’s life. We also aim to teach all children an instrument (untuned/tuned percussion and recorders in EYFS - KS1, brass and wind in KS2) and provide children with the opportunity to take this further through peripatetic teaching and additional ensembles in strings, drums brass and wind instruments, We believe all children should have the opportunity to become musicians.

Implementation

What we do

At Yealmpstone Farm Primary School we use a bespoke scheme of learning to support the teaching of music from EYFS to Year 6. This Scheme offers an integrated, practical, exploratory and child-led approach to music learning. The interrelated dimensions of music (Listening, Singing, Playing (KS1), Performing (KS2), Improvising and Composition weave through the units covered, encouraging the development of musical skills as the learning progresses.

The school wide scheme enables children to understand musical concepts through a progression-based approach to learning. At the Yealmpstone Farm Primary School we believe learning about the same musical concept through different musical activities enables a more secure, deeper learning and mastery of musical skills. Children are guided through each strand of musical learning from Reception to Upper Key Stage 2 in order for them to have the opportunity to embed deeper learning, knowledge, understanding and skills.

Music Learning at Yealmpstone Farm is broken down into the following key elements:

Listening
Singing
Playing - Pulse, Rhythm and Pitch(KS1)/ Performing - Instrumental Performance, Reading notation (KS2)
Improvising
Composition

With a particular focus on reading notation, children are taught to be proficient in the following instruments:

EYFS and Year 1: Tuned and untuned percussion

Year 2: Recorders

Year 3: Alto clarinet

Year 4: Cornet

Year 5: Alto Saxophone

Year 6: Baritone Horn

Additional opportunities for music making are provided through joining the KS1 or KS2 choirs, YFPS orchestra, and additional Year 5 and 6 string ensembles.

Impact

What difference this will make

At Yealmpstone Farm, children will:

grow in confidence, developing the skills to be able to perform as a soloist and also within an ensemble
are able to sing confidently, including harmonies, and with increasing control of expression
are able to appraise and appreciate music from a wide range of sources
have an appreciation and awareness of different types of musical notation
can recognise and understand a range of musical concepts and vocabulary, for example: tempo, pitch, dynamics, pulse, texture and timbre
have a love of music and are able to express themselves musically