Music at Paddocks  

Why is Music important? - Our Curriculum Intent

The intention of music at Paddocks is first and foremost to help children to feel that they are musical, and to develop a life-long love of music. In lessons, children are introduced to music from all around the world and across generations, teaching children to respect and appreciate music.  They become confident performers, composers and listeners.  Through music, our curriculum helps children to develop the skills, attitudes and attributes that can support learning in other national curriculum subjects as well as in their general lives beyond school. This includes listening skills, the ability to concentrate, creativity, intuitions, aesthetic sensitivity, perseverance, the ability to work in a group, self-confidence and sensitivity towards others. 

Our Vision

Music is an essential part of life, integral to the development of the whole person. We believe that the opportunity to engage in musical experiences is crucial for this development. Learning music develops all aspects of a child’s learning, from the physical action of using an instrument to the mathematical skills needed to keep a pulse. These abilities are directly transferable to other areas of the curriculum, allowing them to flourish, and will be invaluable in their future life.

What does Music look like at Paddocks? - Our Curriculum Implementation

At Paddocks, we take a holistic approach to music, in which the individual strands of performing, listening, composing, the history of music and the inter-related dimensions of music are woven together to create engaging and enriching learning experiences.  Music is taught weekly and follows the Kapow Primary scheme which follows the spiral curriculum model where previous skills and knowledge are returned to and built upon.   Children progress in terms of tackling more complex tasks and doing more simple tasks better, as well as developing understanding and knowledge of the history of music, staff and other musical notations, as well as the interrelated dimensions of music and more.   In each lesson, pupils participate in musical activities drawn from a range of styles and traditions.  Lessons incorporate a range of teaching strategies from independent tasks, paired and group work as well as improvisation and teacher-led performances.  The lessons are differentiated to ensure that they can be accessed by all pupils and opportunities to stretch pupils’ learning is incorporated within most lessons.

All year 4 children are taught guitar by a peripatetic teacher through the WCET scheme.  There are opportunities for children throughout the school to join either the KS1 or KS2 choirs which meet weekly.  Years 5 and 6 children can also join an African drumming group.  As part of Golden Time, there is also opportunities for children to join in musical activities ranging from singing to playing instruments.   All children take part in performances and concerts during the school year, KS1 Nativity, Years 3/4/5 performance and Year 6 End of year production. The whole school joins together in a weekly singing assembly led by a music specialist.

What do our pupils think? - Our Curriculum Impact

“It’s exciting learning the guitar because you get to play and learn new pieces.”

“I enjoy listening to fast music that makes me think about people running away. 

“ We’ve learnt to play some notes on our glockenspiels and what a rest is. It’s quite tricky because I’ve never done it before.”

“ It’s good fun when we sing in assembly. We used instruments in class to tell a story. It was fun.”

The impact of the curriculum is constantly monitored through both formative and summative assessment opportunities, provided through the Scheme of Work.  Pupils should leave Paddocks equipped with a range of skills to enable them to succeed in their secondary education and be able to enjoy and appreciate music throughout their lives.

Progression