Music
Curriculum Intent
It is our intent to engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement.
Every child has the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument as well as a variety of percussion instruments throughout their time at Albion. Our aim is for all children to have the opportunity to develop talents and gain a deeper understanding and love of music.
Curriculum Implementation
We are passionate about music. The teaching and implementation of the Music Curriculum at Albion Primary School is based on the National Curriculum and supported by our specialised music teacher and tutors, ensuring a well-structured approach to this creative subject in conjunction with Southwark Music Service and Hub. They learn basic musicianship by understanding and exploring how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.
At Albion, music focuses on listening, composing, evaluating, performing and appraising musical elements across a range of historical periods, genres, cultures, styles and traditions, including the works of the great classical composers and modern musicians. The children learn how to play the recorder, African drums, the ukulele, violin, steel pans and keyboards as they progress through the school. They have regular opportunities to sing and learn new songs. Year 5 and 6 use Chrome Music Lab to compose using a computer.
At Albion, we work closely with the DEA Music Academy to provide additional provision for children who show an interest in small group or 1:1 tuition. The children can choose to participate in violin, keyboard and ukulele lessons and have the opportunity to perform in external venues alongside other children and schools within the community.
With their new skills and techniques learnt throughout their time at Albion Primary School, children have opportunities to perform for each other and larger audiences during the year. They also have opportunities to see live performances at venues throughout London including venues such as The Royal Albert Hall and The Royal Festival Hall.
In EYFS, We encourage the development of skills, knowledge, and understanding that help reception children make sense of their world as an integral part of their school experience. We relate this development to the objectives set out in the Early Learning Goals & Development Matters. Children will access a musical outlet across most areas of their learning but particularly in Physical Development, Communication and Language and Literacy, alongside Expressive Arts & Design. This learning, forms the foundations for later work in expressive arts and design.
These early experiences include asking questions about where sounds come from, how the children can follow a beat and an open exploration on different types of sound and music. The children will 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.
The children experiment with claves, chime bars and a variety of percussion. They are also given an opportunity to share the songs they have been learning or poems, rhymes in our EYFS concert including topic rich language and vocabulary. Our planning allows for a great deal of exploration, observation and discussion about our music learning but also how and where we see music and sound in our day to day lives.
Curriculum Impact
By the end of KS2, children will be able to identify a wide range of instruments and develop a rich musical vocabulary. They understand such terms as pitch, rhythm, pulse, tempo and melody. They will know how to use the appropriate technique to play instruments such as the recorder, ukulele, drums, steel pans and the keyboard. The children will be able to read and understand music and apply this when playing an instrument. They will be able to work collaboratively to develop a piece of music with several sections and create a narrative. They will take leadership and learn the skill of conducting a group and be able to create gradual dynamics, conducting their group to play louder and softer. The children will develop the confidence to play an instrument as a part of an ensemble and develop the skill of performance.
