Music at Moor Allerton Hall
MAHPs Music Intent
Aspiration and Inspiration
At Moor Allerton Hall we have designed a music curriculum that raises the aspirations of our children and inspires them to find and use their innate creativity. As music involvement in the school was low, many of the activities and provisions are planned to raise the aspirations of the students so that any provision that is offered is taken up by as many students as possible. Our community consists of a wide variety of cultural backgrounds and our curriculum is designed to both reflect that and expose children from all backgrounds to new learning and experiences which may not be open to them elsewhere. This is part of our commitment to inspire a love of learning and curiosity about the world.
With that in mind we offer a broad and balanced curriculum which we recognise is essential to giving all children, regardless of background, the aspiration to take part in music. Beyond the classroom, we offer a range of activities which we have designed to inspire our pupils.
Skills and Knowledge
Our music curriculum is built on six key elements of music as outlined by the new national curriculum: singing, composing, improvising, playing, critical engagement and SMSC. These elements are the building blocks for being a musician and give children both skills and knowledge while nurturing their creativity. The skills that children learn in their musical activities are interconnected with other subjects throughout the year. This is exemplified in our creative projects, which are linked to a music based activity that utilises the musical skills they have learned through that year. Importantly, as with the skills they learn each year in music, these projects have a clear progression of the skills required year to year.
We have a clear progression of key knowledge that children gain as they progress through school. The interconnectivity with other subjects allows them to develop the building blocks of this knowledge to gain a deeper understanding of their learning by applying it to context.
Implementing Music at MAHPs
Professional Development of Teachers
An essential part of our curriculum design is that it enhances teacher’s understanding and passion for music through weekly teaching and musical events throughout the year. One way this is achieved is through regular staff training delivered by the music lead. To ensure that the music lead can deliver timely updates and developments, they attend regular training and networking sessions for this reason and for personal CPD. To enhance our teacher’s key subject knowledge, they are also expected to engage in the lessons that are delivered by music specialists and to deliver the last 10 minutes of each 40 minute lesson that a specialist delivers.
Planning Music
To ensure that our pupils are getting all the necessary key subject knowledge that they need to progress through each year group, our teaching staff follow the Charanga scheme of work. This has been chosen as it is widely recognised by music specialists to encompass all the six elements of music education through a broad and balanced range of activities. This provides the basic building blocks of knowledge and skills that our extra provision is then built upon, allowing our children to achieve real depth in their learning.
Teaching Music
Music is taught at designated times using the Charanga scheme of work. The learning in these sessions is the building blocks of the rest of our teaching. This foundation must be secure, as music is then taught in several ways that allow children to build on top of those blocks. Firstly, music is taught informally during Daily Live Music in which teachers discuss live performances with the children. This allows them to use their knowledge to explore the world of music. This ties in with the SMSC element, as the music shown is from all over the world, offering multiple opportunities for SMSC based discussions. Secondly, music is taught through ‘Year Group Anthems’. This allows pupils to use the singing skills that they have learned during their lessons to enjoy singing a wider range of material and to make their learning memorable through public performances. Finally, music is taught through singing games, which allow for performance and improvisation. This builds fun and collaboration into children’s musical schema giving them a love for learning and curiosity about the world of music.
Educational Trips and Activities
Our music provision includes both curriculum based and extracurricular activities to ensure our children are getting wider experiences that make learning both memorable and inspirational. Children across school are exposed to professional musicians that engage them through workshops and in project based activities.
Inclusion and SEND Provision
We believe that SEN and background should not be a barrier to musical engagement. Our music curriculum exemplifies our school’s commitment to inclusion by offering specialist provision for all that need it. Our deaf children are given weekly lessons by a professional musician and our composition projects have been designed to use software that is easily accessible by SEN children and designed to be engaging for them. Both of these provisions are designed to allow the scaffolding that allow our SEN children to engage in music on a level with their peers.
To ensure that all pupils, regardless of background are given opportunities to progress from what they learn in school and develop high musical ability, we have designed signposting in several key areas. Firstly, we have made links with local high school music departments who deliver transition lessons at the end of each year. This allows us to introduce any children who may benefit from musical activities for behavioural or societal reasons, so that they can be picked up early in their high school career. Secondly, we have also included piano lessons in our provision, which are provided by a company that offers evening clubs and holiday camps in which children can develop their skills further. Finally, we have included funded piano lessons for three pupil premium children in our budget.
Measuring the Impact of our Music Curriculum
Teacher Assessment
To ensure that assessment is carried out regularly and can be easily digested by teachers and leaders, we have developed a simple assessment tool that can be used to inform planning, interventions and signposting for high achievers.
Pre and Post Assessment
Pre and post assessments are carried out at the start and end of each term. The pre assessment allows teachers to identify any gaps in the children’s key subject knowledge, informing their planning. The post assessments are checked by teachers and allow them to carry out any necessary interventions or to identify areas of strength and weakness in the activities they have carried out. This, in effect, is a ‘plan, do, review’ model and allows for continual improvement of our lessons showing the growth mindset that our staff embody.
Knowledge Development
The pre and post assessments allow teachers to guide children through activities that will develop their knowledge further - whether this is through interventions, directing them to new knowledge or signposting them to activities outside of school.
Pupil Voice
Regular pupil voice assessments are carried out, which allows us to assess whether children are enjoying music and being inspired by it. This then informs developments to our curriculum and our strategy if needed. We also include data tracking of children’s engagement in music in an out of school. Over several years, the latter will give us a clear quantitative picture of our children’s involvement in music and their love of learning within it.
MAHPs Music Curriculum Overview