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 interrelated dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.

At St Anne’s C of E Primary School we use the ‘Charanga Music School’ Model Music scheme of work which supports all the requirements of the National Curriculum and gives children access to a wide range of musical concepts and experiences. This is provided through the Local Authority Music Aspire service which we buy into. The ‘Charanga Musical School’ Scheme provides teachers with week-by-week lesson support for each year group in the school. It is ideal for specialist and non-specialist teachers and provides lesson plans, assessment, clear progression, and engaging and exciting whiteboard resources to support every lesson. The Scheme supports all the requirements of the new National Curriculum. The learning within this scheme is based on: Listening and Appraising; Musical Activities - creating and exploring; and Singing and Performing. 

By the end of their time with us, we want pupils to enjoy music as performers, composers and listeners. To feel confident in exploring ideas when composing. To be creative in expressing ideas about music they listen to- both in live performances and those played to them. To value the ideas and creative responses of others. All pupils have the opportunity to perform music in different ways through playing tuned and un-tuned instruments, both individually and in a group. To enjoy and feel the “buzz” of taking part in musical productions where they sing with others and sometimes individually, through the rehearsals and delivery of such productions, children develop their self-esteem and confidence in performing. Pupils have the opportunity to play the instruments they are learning to others, and take part in local community events.  Ultimately, children and staff find music uplifting and enjoyable, and appreciate the benefits for their mental health.

Knowledge of music:

Knowledge is broken down into two main types:

1.Substantive knowledge: knowing about the technical and wider elements of music (the facts).

2.Disciplinary knowledge: knowing how to apply this knowledge in practice to control sounds and create music.

Children learn about technical elements of music as they progress through school. Their knowledge of the technical elements of music becomes increasingly complex and deep as they return to them regularly at each stage of their learning.

Technical knowledge in music includes:

-  the accurate production of sounds using the voice, an instrument or music technology.

-  the ability to use staff notation and other systems such as learning by ear or chord symbols for the communication of music.

Children also gain constructional knowledge and understanding of the musical elements used in performance, composition and listening. This includes knowledge about the components of composition: what we need to include in compositions and how we put a composition together.

Finally, children gain expressive knowledge about musical qualities in performance, composition and listening. So, for example, they learn how to add tone and expression to their performance by varying the use of dynamics. This improves the quality of their musical performance.

By studying composers, they find out about how composers use expressive knowledge in their music and compositions too. In our school, we study a breadth of composers to expose children to a wealth of musical experiences from across the world and throughout history. This includes popular music, classical music and music from around the world.

Wider Opportunities

Children have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument - whether this be drums, piano, keyboard, brass or woodwind. The school has had its own band and has frequently entered Worksop Music & Drama Festival.

Whole class tuition takes place in KS2 for ukulele and reorder.

The school has a choir.

Our older singers sing within the community around Christmastime at the 'Light Switch On' as well as at the local care homes. Our younger children visit the 'Church Luncheon Club' and entertain with their nativity songs.

The school looks for opportunities to enhance music learning and, in recent years, has taken classes up to an enrichment day at Worksop College with the a cappella group Voces 8.