Music - Windmill L.E.A.D. Academy

Legal Framework

The Expressive Arts and Design section of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (2017) and the National Curriculum Music Programmes of Study (2014) form the roots of Windmill L.E.A.D Academy’s music curriculum. From this national documentation, Windmill L.E.A.D Academy’s music curriculum has been devised, developed and personalised to our school community, having evolved from our values, vision, and mission statement.

Our music curriculum is underpinned by the national curriculum’s music aims to ensure that all pupils:

perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians
learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence
understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.

Intent

At Windmill, we understand that music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. A high-quality music education should engage and inspire children to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon. Through our teaching of music, we will teach skills which transcend the music curriculum; improvising and composing, listening and appraising, performance (instrumental) and performance (vocal).

At Windmill, we endeavour to continue our learners’ music education by:

encouraging this natural expression of self through a range of musical opportunities;
developing children’s knowledge and understanding of the music, and musicians and their contribution to music across time periods and cultures
guiding learners to explore and develop their own ideas, finding inspiration from unlimited and undefined sources.

We aim for all Windmill musicians to:

Perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians.

Be confident and creative when singing and using their voices.

Be resilient and adaptable when creating and composing music on their own and with others as part of collaborative teamwork.

Be courageous and positive when learning a musical instrument.

Use technology appropriately demonstrating respect for equipment or instruments being played.

Have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence, whilst reflecting upon prior knowledge and past successes.

Understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated through a diverse range of musicians.

Understand the interrelated dimensions of music: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.

Throughout the key stages, we use the Music Express scheme to help us deliver excellent music lessons fully aligned with the national curriculum. As our children progress into Key Stage 2, they receive expert music tuition from Nottingham Music Hub, learning the recorder, clarinet and violin as whole class ensemble groups. We have a weekly music assembly for both KS1 and KS2 children where our children learn about great composers and musicians and performance and dynamics as a choir. Our successful Windmill Choir take part in many concerts and our vision is to develop our own orchestra as our music provision flourishes. In November 2018, we were awarded the Music Mark for Schools.

Our music curriculum is divided into four concepts. These concepts are the ‘big ideas’ in music and travel through the curriculum, being built upon, progressively, year upon year as our children move through the school.

The concepts are as follows:

A: Improvising and Composing

B: Listening and Appraising

C: Performance (Instrumental)

D: Performance (Vocal)

As underpinned by research, fundamental skills, represented within concepts A and B are taught explicitly and progressively, using a variety of teaching and learning styles. Children are taught these key skills using a range using music from a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians.