Music

At Goldfinch Primary School our aim is to promote and embed the value and relevance of music to all of our children from Nursery to Year 6. We believe that all children can benefit from being part of musical experiences during their time at school. They can be performers, composers, improvisers as well as a member of an audience. We aim to provide learners with the necessary skills and understanding that they need to allow them to participate in music in an empowered and fulfilling way, helping them to foster a lifelong love for music. It is our aim that all children at Goldfinch will leave the school with lifelong memories of the powerful emotions and sense of belonging, which will enable them to lead more fulfilling and meaningful lives. 

Music at Goldfinch combines curriculum music, instrumental music and class ensembles; alongside musical events and visits to provide a rounded and comprehensive musical experience for all children at the school.

Article 31: Every child has the right to relax, play and take part in a wide range of cultural and artistic activities.

Intent

Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. At Goldfinch Primary School, we are dedicated to creating an enjoyable and engaging experience of music for all children. By encouraging the children to participate in a variety of musical experiences, we are actively increasing their creativity, self-confidence and sense of achievement, whilst at the same time, allowing all pupils to develop their love of music. 

We aim to provide a music curriculum which will enable each child to be successful in reaching their full potential. 

Implementation

At Goldfinch Primary School, our music curriculum ensures that children sing, listen, play, perform and evaluate. This is implemented in all music classroom activities as well as through our music club sessions and music performances.

Our children experience music in many different ways:

The Music Curriculum ensures that all pupils:

• are able to explore and understand how music is created, produced and communicated, including

• through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure

• and appropriate musical notations;

• perform, listen to, review and evaluate a diverse range of music;

• have the opportunity to sing regularly;

• have the opportunity to create and compose music and use technology appropriately;

• have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument.

Whole School Music:

• Celebration assemblies provide an opportunity for children to perform a favourite song through music or dance

Class teachers:

• Use music in learning Maths or English or other subjects by using various songs and chants to help to memorise and remember learned vocabulary and knowledge

• Use various singing resources to support in class (Sing Up, YouTube, BBC 10 Pieces)

Music specialist:

• Teaches one classroom one day a week between 45-60 minutes.

• Helps to prepare EYFS and the KS1 children for their Christmas Play (Nativity), Graduation and other special events.

• Helps to prepare Year 6 for their final performance at the end of year and develop their performance skills

• Helps to prepare Year 3 & 4 for their Spring performance and develop their performance skills

• Organises special assemblies and concerts

• Liaise with classroom teachers regarding their needs and bring music ideas into their learning

• Liaise with organisations and individuals regarding various performances and cultural life in and outside school

Instruments: 

Each class is being taught different instruments throughout the whole school year.

• Ocarinas - Year 3 

• Recorders – Year 4

• Ukuleles – Year 5 & Year 6 

• Xylophones & Glockenspiels - Year 1 & Year 2

• Chime bars - Nursery & Reception

Special Music Assemblies for KS1 & KS2:

Music assemblies reflect the school life and cultural diversity of students. During music assemblies’ children's well-being is put forward as well as their emotional engagement in singing. The school celebrates special assemblies to mark different aspects of years’ celebrations such as Christmas, Easter, World Book Day, Ramadan, Black History Month, Eid, Diwali. Special guests are being invited to lead the assembly to contribute and to strengthen the social connections with the communities around school.
 

Music Concerts, Cultural Events and Competitions:

Proposed activities and concerts and cultural events 2023/2024:

Harvest Festival and collection for the Spires & Wandsworth Kitchen Food Bank - October

Diwali celebration – November

Remembrance Day - November

Early Years & Reception Nativity - December

KS1 Winter play - December

Christmas Concert - December

Lighting up the tree at Furzedown square - December

Christmas Concert visit at Yew Tree Lodge - December

Holocaust Memorial Day - February

Lent & Easter Assemblies - March & April

Holi Assembly - March

Spring Concert KS1 & KS2 - March

Red Nose Day - March

Ramadan - April - May

Lower KS2 Performance - April/May

Sing Up Day - June

Music Day - July

Goldfinch’s Got Talent Competition 2024 - June - July

Leavers Performance - July

Summer Concert - July

Ocarina Concert - at the end of the term or as a part of the special concert
Recorder Concert - at the end of the term or as a part of the special concert
Ukulele Concert - at the end of each term or as a part of the special concert

Music School Clubs:

Children are given an opportunity to create and participate in the following music clubs todevelop their music skills and gifts further. The children who attend any of the clubs are always being given an opportunity to perform at different concerts throughout the school year to show and develop their performance skills. Each child is being given a special music folder, where we collate our music scores and mark our music progress.

Clubs on offer:

The Piano Club
The Goldfinch Choir
The Music Technology
The Recorder Club
The Ukulele Club
The Ocarina Club

Classroom Music

• In the Early Years, music is incorporated consistently into daily routines and is used to enhance teaching of the core curriculum.

• We have one specialist for music, who provides and delivers a range of enrichment sessions throughout the school. These sessions involve lessons with musical instruments, singing, performing arts as well as the history of music.

• Each Year group follows a variety of projects from various resources like BBC 10 pieces, Music Express Books, Sounds of Music, Sing Up scheme of work, which cover different areas of the music curriculum.

Tuition

As part of the vision for Goldfinch Primary, every child has an opportunity to experience instrumental playing (tuned and untuned instruments), either as an individual, in a small group or as a whole class.

• Ukulele tuition

• Ocarina tuition

• Recorder Tuition

Performance Opportunities

• School Productions

• Assembly performances

• Local community performances

• School Competition

Assessment

Assessment in music is holistic and takes account of a wide range of musical skills and understanding. It is rooted in the reality of musical activity that the children undertake. Consequently, assessment is based on the musical attainment evidenced in a range of learning activities in which children sing, play, perform, compose, and listen. Progress is made over time, and evidence from a series of assessments is made to show this.

There will be sufficient opportunities through practical music-making, listening to children talking and playing, and watching children responding, to be able to form assessment judgements which are appropriate to the work they have done, and are used to inform the next stage of their musical journey.

A range of assessment tools are used to track musical progress:

• performances

• video and audio recordings

• enquiry tasks

• pupil voice and self-assessment

• written work

• participation in music clubs
 

Inclusion

All children have access to the music, regardless of their ability, gender, physical disability or their social, cultural or ethnic background. Provision is made to support individuals or groups of SEND children or those with a disability so that they can participate effectively in music lessons. Likewise, provision is made for our more able children. We set high expectations for all children and encourage them to achieve their best.

Impact

Music enriches the lives of people, and so we wish to involve as many children as possible in musical activities. Through the rich opportunities that our music curriculum offers, when children leave Goldfinch Primary School they will have built a love of music and have increased levels of self-confidence. The different genres of music they are exposed to will provide great inspiration to help them with their own compositions, developing them as a listener, creator, and performer.