“Music does bring people together. It allows us to experience the same emotions. People everywhere are the same in heart and spirit. No matter what language we speak, what colour we are, the form of our politics or the expression of our love and our faith, music proves: We are the same.” ~John Denver

Lead Musician: Amelia Gould

Intent:

Our intent at CCI is to enable all children to become musicians and to ensure that all children get the opportunity to explore musical instruments and listen to, take part in and watch both live and recorded performances.

We want our children to become a confident musicians who are aware of the different elements of music and how music has changed over time.

Our objective at CCI is to develop 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. Music provides the children with the opportunity to perform to the local community and to share a love of music making.

‘Being a musician’ is integrated into our curriculum through Curious-city - An enquiry-led, local learning approach to the National Curriculum 2014. Through this approach we aim to make meaningful links to other states of being such as being a mathematician, scientist or artist. We want the children to become constructors of imagination: experimenting, methodical, consistent, energetic, and passionate about music.

Aims

The EYFS Curriculum states that children should:

• 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 KS1 National Curriculum states that children should:

• Use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes. 
• Play tuned and untuned instruments musically.
• Listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high-quality live and recorded music.
• Experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the inter-related dimensions of music.

Implementation:

Through a range of specifically designed cross-curricular enquiries, learners are challenged to work independently to prove their understanding of key concepts associated with being a musician. This is achieved through well-structured, progressive year group planning that covers each element of music. This will be taught in a sequence of experiences that may be one lesson a week but is more likely to be spread throughout different enquires. Learners are also exposed to music throughout the day in many different ways. They are learning through song and take part in regular singing collective worships. The performance element of music is really important and learners will build their confidence throughout the year. The children take part in live performances throughout the year and this gives them an opportunity to use the skills they have been taught.

Where does 'Being a musician' feature in our CCI Enquiries?

Impact:

Music is planned carefully to ensure progression of skills and knowledge throughout the school. We assess the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

• Work in challenge books
• Work displayed in enquiry floor books.
• Photographs and videos of children’s work
• Displays of children's work
• Children’s voice surveys
• Thorough planning that has clear WALT’s and skills being taught
• Planning scrutiny
• Subject knowledge quizzes

When do we assess and how is the data used?

We use teacher judgement to assess at the end of each enquiry, where the main state or supporting state of being is a musician, how well a child has mastered the objectives that have been covered. This information is recorded and added to our assessment system three times a year. This information is also used to monitor subject coverage and plan next steps. We feedback to parent and carers about their child as a musician in a written report three times a year.