Music
“Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. 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.” (The National Curriculum)
Intent (Why do we teach what we teach?)
Music teaching at Markyate Village School aims to follow the specifications of the National Curriculum. Music is more than just a subject – it surrounds us, fuels our emotions and is engrained in every culture. Skills that are fostered within the music curriculum are diverse and can be used anywhere; listening skills, collaboration, concentration, self-control, problem-solving, patience and adaptability, to name a few.
Our music curriculum is supplemented by the Sing Up Model Music Curriculum, so that our learners:
- Develop a passion for music, in which pupils learn to appreciate music and develop a life-long love of music
- Develop their skills, knowledge, vocabulary and understanding, to enable them to become confident performers, composers and listeners
- Develop musical skills through singing, playing tuned and untuned instruments, composing music and responding to music they listen to
- Are introduced to a variety of genres from around the world and across generations, recognising how we use music as a medium to explore and appreciate British and other cultures
- Take part in performances with an awareness of audience
Implementation (How do we teach it?)
Music lessons are broken down into half-termly units. Each unit of work has an ongoing musical learning focus, with the individual strands of performing, composing, listening, singing and playing weaved throughout the lessons, which are taught once a week as a discreet lesson, and within many cross-curricular areas. Our music curriculum is taught:
- Progressively so that it begins in the Early Years, where the children’s musical awareness is developed to support their imagination and creativity. This early love of music is then developed throughout the school, whereupon, children are encouraged to perform, rehearse, sing and explore their own musicality
- So that the individual strands of music are interwoven in lessons to create engaging, enriching learning that progresses through the years and throughout the key stages
- Pupils’ knowledge is built upon year-on-year, and they are taught how to sing fluently and expressively, play tuned and untuned instruments with accuracy and control. They will learn to recognise and name the interrelated dimensions of music: pitch, duration, tempo, timbre, structure, texture and dynamics and use these in their own composition and improvisations expressively
- Supplementing our curriculum with Sing Up’s Music scheme of work ensures that previous skills and knowledge are returned to and built upon. This allows pupil progress to be developed as they will be able to undertake more complex tasks, whilst tackling simple tasks with greater ease and accuracy. As pupils’ skills are developing, their understanding of the history of music, composition skills and interrelated dimensions of music are also being furthered
- So that pupils actively participate in a range of musical activities and tasks that are drawn from a range of musical styles and traditions to develop their musical skills and their understanding of how music works. Pupils take part in weekly singing assemblies where they are able to hone their performance skills, celebrate diversity by learning new songs from other cultures as well as learning new key vocabulary
- So that the cross curricular value of music and the enjoyment that it can bring are used in other subjects to strengthen long term memory of key facts such as number bond songs/rhymes or historical facts
- If pupils wish to learn how to play a musical instrument, they are enabled to do this with the direction of specialised music teachers who visit the school to deliver lessons
- Weekly KS2 choir
- EY perform a nativity
- At Harvest time, all key stages learn songs to perform
- Each class has a class assembly to perform to families, to include singing and performing
- Year 6 put on a production that includes music and drama
- Each year, we hold a music concert, to showcase choir and all those learning instruments, to include solos, duets and ensembles
- Choir perform at several events, including in assemblies and external concerts such as Young Voices and Herts Gala
Curriculum mapping, knowledge organisers and progression documents show how the curriculum is developed from EY to year 6. Progression snapshots are planned into each term, to record and evidence progression of skills and knowledge. As music lead, I am able to watch videos as supportive evidence.
Impact (How this can be seen at Markyate School)
- Our children are engaged and excited by our music curriculum. The skills that they are taught equip them with a range of skills to enable them to appreciate music throughout their lives
- Our children have become confident performers, composers and listeners, who are able to express themselves musically at school and beyond
- Our children show an appreciation and respect for a range of music from a variety of genres across a variety of generations
- Our children demonstrate and express their enthusiasm for music
- Our children progress throughout the music curriculum which enables them to meet the expectations outlined at the end of each key stage for the National Curriculum
- Pupil voice highlights that music is interwoven across all curriculum areas and the children benefit from this
We measure our impact using the following methods:
- Pupil discussion and pupil voice
- Governor monitoring with our subject music link governor
- Photo and video evidence of the pupils practical learning including progress snapshots being recorded and uploaded
- Dedicated music leader time
- The uptake in extra curricula clubs and additional 1:1 music teaching
Progression of Skills Overview
Progression of Skills (detail)
National Curriculum Information
Choir Sing at the Royal Albert Hall April 2023
On Sunday 30th April, 12 children made the journey into London to perform at the Royal Albert Hall, as part of a Hertfordshire schools' concert. Travelling through London via the underground was a great experience for the children; they were sensible and cautious despite being very excited!
The Royal Albert Hall is a magnificent building, and the children were in awe of its splendour. We started the afternoon with a rehearsal, where we experienced how all the different ‘parts’ of each song fitted together. Some secondary school, for example, sang tenor or soprano, and the primary schools sang the melodies. The overall sound was amazing.
Rufus Frowde, the director and conductor, is an ex-pupil of Markyate school and to see him in action, conducting the whole event, was brilliant. The music accompaniment was Herts symphony orchestra, and their sound was truly wonderful.
The parents arrived at 7pm, ready for the show. And what a show it was! Dancers performed throughout, again, all from secondary schools in Hertfordshire, and there were performances from competition winners such as composition of songs and rap.
For me, a highlight was our 12 children seeing first hand where hard work and being part of a music group in school, can lead. The older children clearly had a fantastic musical experience within secondary school, and it showed our primary choir children just how enriching music can be as they continue their education. I think it inspired them to keep performing.
And they performed brilliantly! Singing their hearts out throughout the whole show, the practice really did pay off. Parents who saw the show said; ‘Amazing! What a show! Beautiful music and an amazing sound.’
The children were in high spirits as we made our way home on the train, continuing to sing on the journey! Despite it being 11.30pm when we arrived in Markyate, there was no sign of tired children!
Mrs Vaites and I were so proud of them all; fabulous behaviour and a positive mindset from them all. Well done Markyate choir, you did us proud. Here’s to 2025!
By Mrs Lawes, Music Subject Lead
A Musicale Workshop, March 2023
Year 4, 5 and 6 had a professional company called Musicale deliver a music workshop. The pupils experienced the exciting musical world of the Symphony Orchestra! Lully & Clare, two professional local orchestral musicians, play with many of the leading orchestras in the UK. They led an interactive and thrilling journey, showing the children a glimmer into the exhilarating world of classical music! The interactive session included introductions to composition & conducting, listening to both live performances & some of the best hand -picked orchestral excerpts, alongside games, activities & songs! An amazing experience for the children in KS2 who said it was brilliant, interesting and made them learn lots about the different types of instruments within an orchestra.
Thank you to Lully and Claire for delivering such a wonderful workshop and we will definitely repeat this for the younger children soon.
By Mrs Lawes, Music Subject Lead
The School Choir Sing at the O2, January 2023
On Thursday 19th January 2023, 43 very excited children (and 6 equally as excited adults) made their way into London for the annual Young Voices performance. This followed months of hard work and effort from the children (years 3 – 6) who learned a variety of songs ranging from a Nile Rodgers disco medley to Calon Lan, a welsh song meaning Pure Heart, and a mash up of Spike Milligan’s poems made into songs, which were bonkers but brilliant and inspired many children to go and look up some of his poetry.
There were almost 9000 children performing on the night and almost as many proud parents, siblings, grandparents and friends there to support. The performance really is a spectacle. Not only do the choirs sound amazing, but the band, the lighting, the dancing and the special artists all make it a fabulous show, not only to perform in, but to watch as an audience member.
A highlight for the children was ‘Urban Strides,’ a street dance group who have danced for artists such as Justin Bieber. They are inspirational. Equally as amazing are ‘The Beatbox Collective’, a group of young adults who make the most phenomenal sounds and are mesmerising to watch. And of course, the most amazing Heather Small (M People) whose voice was soulful and beautiful. We were lucky enough to join her in singing her hit ‘Proud’. Young Voices collaborated with Place 2 Be, a mental health charity which supports children with mental health issues. With this in mind, a song entitled ‘Message’ was written specifically for the concerts. Lyrics include ‘ You’re sending out a message, the world is shaped around you with your super power shining through, everyone’s connected ; I’m the stars and they are me, everybody matters, I’m not free until you’re free.’ A fabulous message to promote the importance of supporting mental health in young people, on such a large scale. By Mrs Lawes, Music Subject Lead
Music: Things to do at home
