Music

Intent:

At Disraeli the intention is that children gain a firm understanding of what music is through listening, singing, playing, evaluating, analysing, and composing across a wide variety of historical periods, styles, traditions, and musical genres. We want the children to develop curiosity for the subject, as well as an understanding and acceptance of the validity and importance of all types of music, and an unbiased respect for the role that music may play in a person’s life. We are committed to ensuring children understand the value and importance of music in the wider community, as well as in different cultures, and are able to use their musical skills, knowledge, and experiences to involve themselves in music, in a variety of different contexts. The children will play and experience a range of musical instruments.

The music development plan can be found at the bottom of the page.

Implementation:

Class music lessons are delivered by Natural Music Services, who plan and deliver teaching in line with the model music curriculum. Lessons are taught from Reception to Year 6. The ARP also have an additional weekly lesson.

Music lessons focus on the 4 key skills of singing, listening, composing and performing. In addition, lessons show a clear progression in the use and understanding of musical terminology (vocabulary), formal notation, music theory and how music is linked to culture. The curriculum is designed in a sequential and progressive way so that key knowledge, skills and vocabulary are retrieved from previous learning before building on this with new content, delivered through adaptive teaching.

Reception, KS1 and KS2 have weekly singing assemblies, with the focus on songs of worship, reflection and upholding the school values. Children are taught the correct posture, breathing and dynamics to develop skills in line with the music curriculum.

Music performance is a key part of whole school. All the children join in with Christmas shows, learning celebrations, end of year celebrations and outdoor events. A wide range of music, dancing and performance are covered.

In addition to the class music, there are a number of further opportunities. Peripatetic Lessons are offered to parents. Most are paid for, however some PPG is used to fund specific pupils. Lessons are offered in piano, guitar, drums and voice.

Key Stage 2 Choir is offered as an after school club. 

Additional music experiences are offered; every two years 30 children rehearse and perform a choral show at The Royal Albert Hall or Wembley. The School Choir regularly perform at local venues, such as Hughenden Manor.

Musical talent is celebrated as part of our Disraeli’s Got Talent shows and every two years children in Year 5 and 6 are invited to take part in an Able Gifted and Talented performance, where different aspects of music and dance are shown.

The music development plan can be found at the bottom of the page.

Impact

Children at Disraeli are active listeners - they can talk about the different aspects of the music they hear; the instrumentation, the dynamics, the tempo and the emotion, who has written the music, how it links to history and culture and their own response to it. 

Children at Disraeli understand that singing is a key part of music experiences and they leave the school with a wide repertoire of songs from many different genres and cultures. 

Children at Disraeli can create their own music in a variety of ways; through body percussion, tuned and untuned percussion (specifically glockenspiels), recorders, ukuleles and guitars. The children can build upon their previous experiences with pitch, dynamics, tempo and rhythm to compose complex pieces by the time they reach Year 6. 

Children at Disraeli become confident performers through developing their skills with a new instrument each year and developing their skills through singing.

Music is highly valued at Disraeli and as such the children embrace their lessons and thrive on the challenges they are given. 

Many of the questioning, analytical skills that the children employ in music lessons are used effectively in other areas of the curriculum.

Children at Disraeli learn to appreciate that everyone's experience of music is individual and should be respected. 

The music development plan can be found at the bottom of the page.

  Click this link to read our Music Development Plan. This is a document, in line with statutory government requirements, that outlines how music is developming at The Disraeli School. 

Music development plan 

 If you would like more information and a unit narrative for each year group's music learning, click the file link. 

Narrative for music learning 

Curriculum subject links