Music Subject Leader: Mrs Watson

Curriculum Aims

At Gade Valley Primary School, pupils 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 are committed to developing a 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 wish to be expressed in any person’s life.

At Gade Valley, we strive to provide opportunities for pupils to:

• Perform, listen to and review a wide range of music.

• Learn to sing and use their voices.

• Have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument.

• Develop an understanding of the terminology used within all music, which are referred to as the inter-related dimensions of music: pitch, timbre, dynamics, tempo, texture, structure and musical notation.

How We Teach Music

At Gade Valley, we use the Charanga Musical School Scheme as the basis for our Music curriculum. The Charanga Musical School Scheme, which supports all the requirements of the National Curriculum, 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 Music Skills and Knowledge Progression Documents below is a document that is used as a teaching and learning overview of each year group at Gade Valley. This document brings all the possible musical learning outcomes together for the end of each academic year. It highlights differentiated and deeper learning for each child that constantly builds through each lesson, unit and year group.

At Gade Valley pupils are provided with opportunities beyond the National Curriculum to further and support their appreciation, understanding and overall musical development. These include having visitors who perform using their musical instrument as part of the assemblies they lead, visiting concerts or performances: every year our pupils either attend a pantomime and an in school production. Each year our EYFS pupils take part in a Nativity, Key Stage 1 pupils perform a Christmas play, Year 4 perform on stage in the Spring Term and our Year 6 pupils entertain the whole school and their parents in a Leavers production in the second half of the Summer Term.  

Key Developments and Information for 2023/24

Up to December 2023:

• All pupils in Nursery, Reception, Year 1, and Year 2 have performed in front of the school during a Christmas performance.

• All pupils have had the opportunity to sing for the whole school during the Harvest Festival assembly and during the Dressing the Tree assembly. 

• Pupils in all year groups have sung a song for the school (and their parents!) during their class assembly.

• Pupils in Key Stage 2 have performed for the younger pupils during the lantern festival. 

• All pupils attend regular singing assemblies.