Burley St Matthias Primary School

At Burley St Matthias, Music is taught by a specialist Music teacher from ArtForms, as a spiral curriculum in Reception, Y1, Y2, Y5 and Y6. The pupils learn to play the ukelele in Y3 and 4.

We believe that music plays an important part in every child’s creative education. Our inclusive and practical approach focuses on developing the children’s ability to use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs, speaking chants and rhymes. Rhythm is initially taught aurally through songs and games in Reception, which builds as the children move up through the school, when they are taught more formal notation.

Our music curriculum is based on the statements laid out in the Early Years Foundation Stage and the Music National Curriculum for Key Stages 1 and 2. We use the Model Music Curriculum (publishing.service.gov.uk) as a practical framework through which the statutory requirements of the curriculum can be met. Rather than following one music Scheme, we use a variety of resources (Sing Up, Charanga, Sparkyard, BBC Ten Pieces) to ensure that our pupils have a rich and varied music education. The language of music is explored through active listening, appraising, performing and composing, which enable understanding of musical context and genre.

We provide access to a variety of untuned and tuned percussion instruments. Ensemble work is taught in all year groups and the pupils gain confidence through working with others to compose and perform, in class and assemblies. They are encouraged to assess and improve their performances through positive evaluation and practice. Music is a practical subject and evidence is collected by taking short videos of pupils’ work, to show progression at the beginning and end of a topic.