Music Curriculum Intent

At Wellstead, Music is at the heart of our school and all children have access to a broad music curriculum and experiences.  We use Hampshire Music Service schemes of work for teaching and learning in music across the school. The dimensions of music are taught progressively within this scheme, embedding core knowledge and developing skills. The aim of the scheme is for every child to become a young musician and promotes a love of music. Music is enjoyed by all and children have access to weekly music lessons, singing assemblies and additional support from Hampshire Music Service offering the chance for children to learn to play an instrument.

Year R also follow the Hampshire Music Service scheme of work and have regular music sessions exploring the dimensions of music. Children in Year R sing every day and music is frequently used as a tool for learning. The children are encouraged to explore untuned instruments and the different sounds they make. They have access to instruments in the classroom provision and use these to play, compose and perform in their child-initiated play. In Year R, children learn Christmas songs each year to perform to their parents in a Christmas Performance. 

The children in KS1 will begin to have a good understanding of the musical dimensions and how they can be used in singing, playing and performing. KS1 children will use a variety of tuned and untuned instruments and will begin to play these with musical intent. They can respond to, identify and use symbols and other graphic notation illustrating the musical dimensions including representations of rhythm and pitch. Children will be able to respond to, identify, and distinguish between sounds and music in different contexts. They begin to consider how music illustrates the composer’s ideas and can describe how music makes them feel.

The children in KS2 will have an embedded understanding of the musical dimensions and how they can be used to shape a piece of music they are singing, playing or performing. They will use their voice to chant and sing in independent balanced parts (harmony) with expressive interpretation and awareness of phrasing, style and context. KS2 children will use tuned instruments to demonstrate precise and confident instrumental skills and use them to articulate and perform with musical awareness. They compose and perform music using a range of notation for specific purposes including accurate graphic notation and stave notation with time signatures. Children will respond to, identify, compare and contrast music with an awareness of the music’s context and purpose. They will understand and identify the composer’s intent and how this was achieved using fluent musical vocabulary.

Music is taught as a standalone subject but is also used across the curriculum as a tool for teaching and learning. Songs are often taught to support learning in History, Maths and Geography. Music is regularly used to support children in dance and art. It is also often used as a tool for supporting children’s wellbeing. In EYFS, musical sounds and songs are an integral part of developing children’s early reading and listening skills.

At Wellstead, the music curriculum is an ambitious curriculum and was created by music teachers at Hampshire Music Service. We aim to provide children with high quality musical experiences, where music making has purpose, is valued and celebrated. Through the musical dimensions it deepens children’s knowledge and gives them the opportunity to demonstrate their learning through singing, playing, rehearsing, performing, notating, listening, responding, describing and discussing musical content. The curriculum extends from the classroom to instrument specific lessons and performances including instrumental concerts, EYFS Christmas craft and singing performance, KS1 Christmas nativity and a KS2 end of year production. 

Music encourages and promotes the learning values at Wellstead Primary School. It is an aspirational curriculum and particularly focuses on children being reflective, adaptable, whilst working independently and also collaboratively. Music lessons are accessible to all children and we aim to ensure there are no barriers to participation and learning. 

KS2 children are given the opportunity to learn how to play an instrument and have weekly lessons. The children are then invited to perform in a concert twice during the school year. During this year, we would like to introduce a KS2 choir and a singing club for KS1. Every year, we organise visits to sing at the Anvil in Basingstoke and to sing Christmas carols at a local garden centre. We are always looking for the pupils at Wellstead to experience live music and demonstrate their musical talents through playing and performing.