Intent - Our Curriculum Aims

The national curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils:

• perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians
• learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence
• understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.

Implementation

Our Bespoke Curriculum
Along with the National Curriculum for Music and the Model Music Curriculum, the Kodály approach to music education has informed much of our curriculum. This approach considers voice as the primary instrument and this is used to develop skill and teach concepts using aural, kinaesthetic and visual methods. This approach ensures that all of our children, including EAL and SEND, have a chance to excel. Due to our spiral curriculum, these skills and concepts are revisited but with greater depth and difficulty year on year throughout the child’s time at Forest Fields.

We have built this bespoke curriculum to make sure that the children have the opportunity to see themselves reflected in the musicians they study. Pupils have opportunities to listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the music of other faiths and cultures. Each unit of work from Y1 to Y6 features a specific style of music and key composers which are linked to the musical concepts, notation and musical instrument learning that the children are doing, thus embedding musical understanding even further.

EYFS

Music is central to the whole of the Early Years Curriculum. In every area (Communication and Language, Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Physical Development, Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design) you will find songs and music. 

Through this daily exposure and their fortnightly music lesson (alternating with the rest of the Expressive Arts and Design curriculum), the children develop Readiness Music which lays the foundations of musical learning that we build on later. These skills are built in a variety of ways through singing and speaking voice, music-based games, experiences with staff musicians and access to a variety of tuned and untuned instruments. 

We follow the Jolly Music scheme in Reception which is based upon the Kodály approach to music education. Our Music Specialist works with all EYFS staff to develop Music and Literacy links for Continuous Provision inspired by the books that staff have chosen for their unit of work. Our Music Specialist also provides half termly CPD and mentoring during Staff Meetings for EYFS staff - this is to ensure quality, confident music provision across the board and the development of musicality throughout the EYFS curriculum.

Key Stage 1

Curriculum Music is taught during PPA time weekly by our music specialist. The children have on average 1 hour of curriculum music lessons per week when coupled with their weekly 20 min Singing Assembly.

Pupils are taught to:

• 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

Key Stage 2

Curriculum Music is taught during PPA time on a rotation (4 out of 6 half terms) by a music specialist. The children have on average between 1 and 3 hours (but with the potential to exceed 4 hours) of music provision per week when coupled with their weekly 30 min Singing Assembly and our co- and extracurricular music provision offer.

Pupils are taught to:  

• play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using their voices and playing musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression  
• improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the inter-related dimensions of music  
• listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory  
• use and understand staff and other musical notations  
• appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians  
• develop an understanding of the history of music.

Impact

By the time children leave our school, they will be able to:

• perform with confidence in solo and ensemble contexts, using their voices and playing musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression.
• improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the musical dimensions.
• listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory  
• use and understand staff and other musical notations  
• appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians, and speak about it using musical terminology fluently.
• demonstrate an understanding of the history of music.

Curriculum and Co-Curricular Learning Experiences

• Performance is built into each curriculum music lesson at Forest Fields. Children become confident in solo, duet and unison performance vocally and with their instrument. They show off their learning at the end of each unit of work in the Gladstone Hall with a special focus on our School Development Objective this year - oracy. Children speak about what they have learned regarding a style of music and composers and perform a piece they have composed or learned using voice and or instruments.
• Children build skills and knowledge in each lesson through exploring aspects of the musical dimensions alongside the style of music and composer for that unit. An aspect of each key concept is addressed in each lesson.
• The children use their knowledge organisers to document their learning for each unit and this booklet can be referred to as the children progress through the year groups and deepen skills and knowledge previously taught.
• Our Singing Assemblies address each of the music curriculum key concepts while ensuring the children experience a wide variety of high quality songs (unison, round and canon-friendly repertoire also at KS2). We feature a ‘Song of the Week’ linked to Mrs Chowdhury’s Monday Assemblies. This is a great way to learn many varied types of celebration repertoire linked to the main assembly focus for that week. Children perform this song during Friday Celebration Assembly.
• In EYFS, we also work with Beat Feet to explore rhythm and beat. This is fantastic CPD for our EYFS staff also.
• In Y4, children learn how to play a stringed instrument (cello, viola, violin) as part of Whole Class Ensemble teaching with our string teacher from Nottingham Music Service. 
• In Y5, children are offered follow-on string lessons - currently a cohort of between 36 and 40 children can avail of these lessons with our string teacher from Nottingham Music Service. 
• In Y5, we have also worked with Beat Feet partnership to enable Dhol drum and Bhangra dance lessons and will continue this partnership. 
• Children have the opportunity to perform for their families a number of times per term to show off their curriculum or extracurricular music learning, or learning with one of our music partners (Beat Feet, Nottingham Music Service, peripatetic teachers, club staff, choir teacher). World Music Day and Forest Fields Summer Fayre have also become unique community celebrations where our musicians take centre stage.
• In EEE time fortnightly on a Friday, we provide a unique experience for children across school to come together during Musical Theatre lessons led by an experienced singing coach who has worked with musical theatre groups across Derbyshire. Another opportunity to broaden our musical provision, develop musical leaders and inspire younger children to excel.
• Our Music Room is open at lunchtimes for music lessons, clubs and as a place for children to come and explore the instrument they are learning or rehearse for concerts or exams.

Extracurricular Learning Experiences

• UKS2 Area Band rehearses every Thursday after school for 1 hour. We are pleased to be a local leader in partnership with Nottingham Music Service, providing the location, facilities and opportunity for 4 local schools to rehearse and perform each Thursday. Our Area Band also performs for a large audience at least once every term: The Great Orchestra Experiment, Christmas in the City, March Area Band Concert and End of Year Concert. 
• Choir Club for KS2 pupils takes place every Tuesday for 1 hour and performs every term: the Hyson Green Light Switch On, Christmas in the City at the Albert Hall, the Big Sing with Nottingham Music Service. Choir Club will take part in Young Voices for the first time in 2023-24 - a very exciting development for Forest Fields. Our Choir Club have been known to perform as a flash mob during playtime and lunchtime - so watch out, they could be lurking anywhere!
• Piano Lessons are offered in KS2 - this takes place on Wednesday PM and children are encouraged to progress towards exam accreditation and the end of the year if they wish.
• Recorder Club takes place weekly for UKS2 - these children have the opportunity to start their woodwind journey and can join Nottingham Music Service weekend provision to further this learning if they wish.
• 6 children in Y5 have the opportunity to attend a two-day residential Music Camp at Ilam Hall in Derbyshire where they learn about music notation, play their instrument with other children and professionals and experience outdoor activities as part of the residential in the beautiful Peak District. 
• In Y6, children have the opportunity to continue their stringed instrument lessons with small group lessons on a Friday PM and progress towards exam accreditation and the end of the year if they wish.
• If a child is showing accelerated progress in their music lessons, they are invited to join Robin Hood Youth Orchestra InterConnect (if a child is moving through their grade accreditation in Year 6, they can join this group in preparation for joining the Robin Hood Youth Orchestra when they begin secondary school) or Folk Connect. Both of these groups take place after school and with children from other schools.

Home Learning

• Our children are encouraged to visit our school website to compose using composition apps at home. https://www.forestfieldsprimary.co.uk/ms-cawleys-music-page/ 
• Children from Nursery to Year 6 are encouraged to access filmed lessons (by our music specialist) based on repertoire that they are learning along with relevant music skills on the school website. Families are made aware of links and guides via Weduc. https://www.forestfieldsprimary.co.uk/musical-snacks/ 
• Children in KS1 and KS2 can access songs, activities and filmed 30 minute music lessons (by our music specialist) based on the music style and composers that they are studying as part of their current unit. (See Forest Fields Music Progression and Units of Work) They are encouraged to explore further with resources, playlists and activities available based on other artists in the styles they have studied. https://www.forestfieldsprimary.co.uk/musical-styles-and-composers/

Pupil Voice 

What do our children think of music at Forest Fields?