Intent
At Beech Hill school, we teach music to help children feel that they are musical and to develop a life-long love of music. We focus on developing the skills, knowledge and understanding that children need in order to become confident performers, composers, and listeners. Our curriculum introduces children to music from all around the world and across generations, teaching children to respect and appreciate the music of all traditions and communities. Children will develop the musical skills of singing, playing tuned and un-tuned instruments, improvising and composing music, and listening and responding to music. They will develop an understanding of the history and cultural context of the music that they listen to and learn how music can be written down. Through music, our curriculum helps children to develop transferable skills such as team-working, leadership, creative thinking, problem solving, decision making, and presentation and performance skills. These skills are vital to children’s development as learners and have a wider application in their general lives outside and beyond school.
Implementation
Early Years
In early years, music aspects of the children’s work are related to the objectives set out in the Early Learning Goals (ELGs), as outlined in Development Matters. These underpin the curriculum planning for children aged three to five. Musically, they need to be able to sing a range of well-known nursery rhymes and songs, perform songs, rhymes, poems and stories with others, and – when appropriate – try to move in time with music. From this the Early Years Leader and Music Leader created a progression document and long and medium-term plans for Nursery.
Reception to Year 6
At Beech Hill, the Kapow Music Scheme is used from reception to year 6 as it is a spiral curriculum designed by music specialists which ensures children return to the same skills and knowledge repeatedly, recapping and building on prior knowledge. In addition to this, the Kapow whole class instrumental scheme is used in year 3 for a term to provide the children with the opportunity to learn how to play the glockenspiel. In their final year at Beech Hill, the children have one hour per week of whole class tuition for the clarinet with a music specialist from the Calderdale Music Trust.
In addition to timetabled music lessons, the children have weekly music assemblies. In these assemblies, high quality recorded music from BBC’s 40 pieces for example, is listened to and appraised and the children are given large ensemble singing opportunities. Music is also listened to throughout the school day when appropriate. Teachers select music suggested from the Model Music Curriculum or music that links to their curriculum topics.
Cultural Capital
There are many opportunities for the children to develop their cultural capital through music at Beech Hill. There are afterschool and lunchtime clubs such as sing and sign, choir, nasheeds and even a 25 piece school orchestra!
As a school, we work closely with a local music charity, ‘Music for the Many,’ who provide small group music tuition and run the school orchestra. This is a fantastic opportunity for our Key Stage 2 children to learn from professional musicians and play in an ensemble.
The school orchestra performs in school and beyond. Their most recent concert was at the launch of CultureDale at the Crossley Gallery at Dean Clough.
Children in Key Stage 2 are given the opportunity to be part of Young Voices, the largest school choir in the World! The songs and dance moves are practised at after school choir. The children perform at Sheffield Arena alongside many other schools and internationally renowned musicians!
The children in year 4 are currently involved in a project with Little People Big Noise with Three Stones Media which will culminate in an opportunity for them to perform at the Victoria Theatre in Halifax alongside the British Chamber Orchestra!
After playing their instruments for only one and a half years, these incredible musicians have passed their Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music grade one exam. They have received excellent tuition from the tutors at Music for the Many!
Lights, Camera, Score project
The year 4 children worked alongside Three Stones Media, Lucy Harrower and the English Symphony Orchestra in the Lights, Camera, Score project. They have produced a fantastic story and composed, rehearsed, practised, performed and recorded a musical soundtrack to accompany it.
