Music is a unique way of communicating that can inspire and motivate children. It is a vehicle for personal expression and it can play an important part in the personal development of young children. Music reflects and is fundamental to the culture and society we live in, and so the teaching and learning in music enables children to better understand the world they live in.
Besides being a creative and enjoyable activity, music plays an important part in helping young children increase in self-confidence as well as developing countless other benefits, including the development of skills such as listening and attention, memory and concentration and coordination.
At Blackpool Gateway Academy, we aim to make music an enjoyable and engaging learning experience. Music is taught by class teachers in all year groups through a structured progression of skills supported by the Charanga Music Scheme and additional instrumental opportunities.
Children develop their musical understanding through four key areas: listening, appraising, composing and performing. These skills are built upon progressively across each year group to ensure depth and continuity of learning.
In Key Stage 2, children have the opportunity to learn and play a range of instruments. In Year 3, pupils learn the recorder as part of their curriculum. In Year 4, children learn the ukulele, developing their ability to read notation and perform as part of an ensemble. In Year 5, pupils further develop their instrumental skills through tuned instruments such as the glockenspiel and through composition, including the use of music technology. In Year 6, children consolidate their learning through performance, composition and opportunities to play instruments of their choice, including whole-class and small group performances.
Children also have the opportunity to take part in performances and musical events throughout the school year, both in school and within the local community. During their school life, we aim for children to encounter a wide variety of musical experiences to develop their self-confidence, creativity and appreciation of music. Our children in Years 5 and 6 who learn a brass instrument with the peripatetic teacher form our BGA band and perform for us at our Remembrance Service, Christmas, the summer end of year celebration and any other significant events. Our Musical Theatre Club perform both in school and also at the Blackpool Winter Gardens for a variety of events throughout the year.
Our Blackpool Gateway Academy aims:
-To foster enjoyment of music.
-To develop pupils' understanding of how music can take a variety of forms and that music can reflect different times, places and cultures.
-To foster creativity in all pupils, enabling them to use music as a form of self-expression.
-To develop pupils’ independence, self-esteem, motivation, empathy with others and the ability to work collaboratively.
-To develop skills and knowledge in performing, composing, listening to and appraising music.
-For children to have opportunities to perform for audiences and to experience live and recorded music.
Early Years Foundation Stage
In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children are given the opportunity for musical exploration in both indoor and outdoor environments. Rhythm, rhyme and song are embedded across the curriculum. Children begin to explore sound through singing, movement and the use of simple instruments, developing early listening skills and an awareness of pulse and rhythm.
Key Stage 1
In Key Stage 1, pupils build on their early experiences and are taught to:
-use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs, speaking chants and rhymes
-play tuned and untuned instruments musically
-listen with concentration and understanding to a range of live and recorded music
-experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the inter-related dimensions of music
-Children begin to develop their understanding of pulse, rhythm and pitch, and start to compose simple pieces using voices and instruments.
Key Stage 2
In Key Stage 2, pupils continue to develop their musical skills with increasing confidence and control. They:
-sing and play musically with accuracy, fluency and expression
-develop an understanding of musical composition, including creating and organising musical ideas
-use and understand musical notation
-listen to, appraise and evaluate a wide range of music from different traditions, genres, times and places
-perform as part of an ensemble and as individuals
As they progress, children learn to analyse music, compare styles and develop their own compositions using a range of musical elements such as tempo, dynamics, pitch and texture. They are given opportunities to improvise, compose and perform, both from memory and using notation.
