Intent:

At Grand Avenue Primary and Nursery School, we aim to provide a music curriculum that contributes to the overall development of each child. We ensure the children have the opportunity to listen and appraise pieces of music by a diverse range of musicians and across many different genres. Our intention is to make music accessible to all children, providing them with opportunities to play and listen to a number of instruments. Children are exposed to technical music vocabulary and simple notation. 

The musical learning is further accompanied through the delivery of weekly singing assemblies in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Children will also have opportunities to hear performances from their peers who have instrumental lessons, in the hope of inspiring budding musicians. 

Implementation:

Children in Years 3, 4 and 5 learn an instrument as a whole-class ensemble taught by specialist teachers from Kingston Music Service as part of the Wider Opportunities programme. Each term, the school provides funding for a different class within these year groups to participate in a 10-week block of lessons led by a specialist teacher.

Parents have the option to hire the instruments and take them home to practise at no additional cost. At the conclusion of this block of lessons, children will perform songs and pieces of music together in a concert. Children in Year 1 play the glockenspiels. Children in Year 2 learn simple notation, playing songs and pieces on the glockenspiels and recorders. Children in Year 6 spend one half term revising how to play the ukulele, including a variation of strumming patterns and chord progressions.

Music lessons are a minimum of 30 minutes and are either taught by class teachers or a music specialist throughout the year, depending on the unit of work. Teaching is supported with the Charanga music scheme and teachers use the Sing Up curriculum to supplement their delivery of lessons.

Impact:

Pupil voices are conducted annually in order to hear what the children think about music lessons. This includes what is going well with the delivery of music lessons and music opportunities and also what children feel could be improved further.

Below are some of positive points children had to share during the pupil voice from the 2023-2024 academic year:

• “It is important to learn about instruments and people who make music from all over the world.”
• “When my teacher claps us and tells us we played really well, it makes me feel very excited and proud of myself.”
• “Singing assembly has made me less embarrassed to sing. I know we are working as a team and I quite like to sing in class and have a go now.”
• “We are lucky because some children can’t afford to play instruments. It is good that we can learn a lot of instruments at our school.”
• “Our teacher always makes us feel like even if I am not the best singer or musician, having a go is more important.”
• “If everyone in the world played an instrument, maybe there would be less arguing.”
• “I wish that all secondary schools found music as important as our school. I hope we still have a singing assembly.” 

Music learning walks and planning looks are also carried out by the music coordinator each year to support staff in the delivery of music.