Cowley Hill
Music
Cowley Hill Music Curriculum Statement
Curriculum Intent:
We believe music is a human right and a lifelong joy. At Cowley Hill, our intention is that children develop their practical skills, understanding and knowledge of music through listening, singing, playing, evaluating, analysing, and composing across a wide variety of historical periods, styles, traditions, and genres. Children will develop and enhance their skills through being able to describe, explain, convince, justify and prove.
Children will develop a curiosity and acceptance of the validity and importance of all types of music, alongside an understanding of the value of music. Children will develop practical skills, musical understanding and knowledge through musical experiences to involve themselves in music within a variety of contexts.
We aim to equip pupils with cultural capital, preparing children with the essential musical knowledge and skills for what comes next. The exploration of new skills and experiences helps to nurture resilience, curiosity and creativity. Through this journey, children develop new forms of cultural capital that makes a difference in individual mind-sets, which consequently shapes their future.
Curriculum Implementation:
Our tailor-made music curriculum ensures children sing, listen, play, perform and evaluate, which is in line with the National Curriculum. This is accessed through weekly music lessons taught by a music specialist teacher. All children have access to cross- curricular links throughout the school, enrichment experiences in house and within the wider community. These include Choir Club, School of Rock Club, annual talent show, school concerts and weekly singing practise. Children have the opportunity to attend enrichment trips including Young Voices, Herts Singing Gala, Youth Makes Music and Choral Outreach.
Curriculum Impact:
The impact of our music provision is measured across a range of processes:
Through music being integrated throughout school life, children are immersed in a musical culture.
Through our in class teaching and end of unit tasks, teachers are able to assess children's progress and attainment.
Through our enhanced enrichment and extra- curricular provisions, children are able to access a range of high quality musical performances either virtually or live.
Through pupil voice meetings, children are able to demonstrate their subject knowledge and understanding, discuss the skills they have learnt as well as highlight how the music provision has impacted them.
The impact of our curriculum is under constant review and development to ensure that it appropriately meets the needs of our children, supporting and challenging pupils to achieve their full potential.
Our curriculum is regularly monitored by:
- Assessing children’s existing understanding and vocabulary, before and after the unit is taught.
- Assessing children’s’ learning behaviours working towards an objective such as confidence, engagement, self-motivation, resilience, curiosity.
- Moderation of effective planning and lesson sequences.
- Summative assessment of children’s discussions about their learning.
- Assessment of recorded work, which may include work in books, images of practical activities, electronic work stored on Google Classroom.
- Interviewing the children about their learning (pupil voice).
- Moderation staff meetings where children’s books are scrutinised and there is the opportunity for a dialogue between teachers to understand their class’s work.