Music

*We are currently introducing the Kapow Music Scheme Autumn 2023. Alongside this staff complete 'Music of the Week' and children access Specialist Music teaching from One Education. 

At Bridgelea we want our children to love music. We want them to have no limits to what their ambitions are and grow up wanting to be music producers, songwriters, composers or rockstars! The music curriculum has been carefully designed so that our children develop their artistic capital. We want our children to remember their music lessons in our school, to cherish these memories and embrace the opportunities they are presented with! 

The music curriculum promotes curiosity and a love and thirst for learning. It is ambitious and empowers our children to become independent and resilient – like all curriculum areas. We want to equip them with not only the minimum statutory requirements of the music national curriculum but to prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.  We want our children to use the vibrancy of Manchester to learn from other cultures. We achieve this by providing a strong SMSC curriculum, with British Values and our core values placed at the heart of everything we do, all of which feeds into the music curriculum. 

At Bridgelea we aim to provide a music curriculum that ensure 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.

At Withington (Mile Post 1) we want children to be able 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.

At Longsight (Mile Post 2 and 3) we want children to be able 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.

Assessment and Recording

Assessment will form an integral part of the teaching and learning of Music. This will be done by observing children working and performing, by listening to their responses and by examining work produced. 

Resources

• Music resources are in place at Withington- pitched and unpitched percussion.
• Music resources for Longsight- Djembi drums, noise makers, Boom Whackers, Steel Pans
• Music resources also available via Purple Mash- ICT scheme (All sites)

Staffing

• Facilitator Jenny Osbourne delivers music across all 3 sites.
• Phil Heath (Music Subject Lead)

Rights linked to music (Key Focus)

• Article 15 (freedom of association) Every child has the right to meet with other children and to join groups and organisations, as long as this does not stop other people from enjoying their rights.
• Article 29 (goals of education) Education must develop every child’s personality, talents and abilities to the full. It must encourage the child’s respect for human rights, as well as respect for their parents, their own and other cultures, and the environment.
• Article 31 (leisure, play and culture) Every child has the right to relax, play and take part in a wide range of cultural and artistic activities

Nurture principles linked to Music

• Children’s learning is understood developmentally- Children are taught in milepost classes around their musical abilities.
• The classroom offers a safe base. There are ear defenders, different timbres of instruments and the option to withdraw if distressed for all music sessions.
• Nurture is important for the development of self-esteem.- Music sessions are aimed at building confidence, skills and giving children new and enriching experiences.
• Language is understood as a vital means of communication.- Key vocabulary is shared and explored with children and the importance of singing, songs and lyrics developed.
• All behaviour is communication- This includes expressive behaviour where children show their feelings through music.
• Transitions are significant in the lives of children- The music facilitator visits classrooms rather than children withdrawing to lessen the impact of transition from room to room.

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