Music Curriculum Rationale 2023/24

At Mab Lane we are musicians! We want our children to love music. We want them to have no limits to what their ambitions are and grow up to believe that: “if you can DREAM it, you can do it”. The music curriculum has been carefully crafted so that all our children have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument.

We want our children to remember their music lessons in our school, to cherish these memories and embrace the musical opportunities they are presented with! 

Before the Covid Pandemic, our children in KS2 had the opportunity to become part of The Resonate Choir, giving them the chance to perform with other primary schools across Liverpool. They also had the opportunity to join Resonate Super Starters, were the children get to learn to play an instrument of their choice. Bringing music alive is important at Mab Lane Community Primary School.

Curriculum Intent

The music curriculum promotes curiosity and a love and thirst for learning. It is ambitious and empowers our children to become independent and resilient. 

We want to equip them with not only the minimum statutory requirements of the music National Curriculum but to prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. We are committed to putting music on the map here at Mab Lane Primary.

We enrich their time in our school with memorable, unforgettable experiences and provide opportunities, which are normally out of reach – this piques their interests and passions. Our children also get to experience Young Voices, the largest school choir in the world, at the Amazing Manchester Arena. We firmly believe that it is not just about what happens in the classroom, it is about the added value we offer to really inspire our children.

Curriculum Implementation

Our Music curriculum has been carefully built and the learning opportunities and assessment milestones for each year group crafted to ensure progression and repetition in terms of embedding key learning, knowledge and skills. At Mab Lane Primary School we use the Model Music Curriculum – which provides our teachers with a range of resources for each year group in the school from ages 5-11. This scheme provides lesson plans, assessment, clear progression, and engaging and exciting whiteboard resources for every lesson. Our music scheme is based on listening and Appraising; Musical Activities – creating and exploring; and Singing and Performing. It brings real-world music learning processes into schools and other formal settings, engaging and inspiring all and promoting inclusion and diversity.

Music subject specific characteristics, which we expect the children to demonstrate, have been developed and shared with all stakeholders. These characteristics underpin all work in music and form a focal point for display areas and provide a common subject specific vocabulary for staff and pupils. These characteristics are:

• A rapidly widening repertoire, which they use to create original, imaginative, fluent and distinctive composing and performance work.
• A musical understanding underpinned by high levels of aural perception, internalisation and knowledge of music, including high or rapidly developing levels of technical expertise.
• Very good awareness and appreciation of different musical traditions and genres.
• An excellent understanding of how musical provenance – the historical, social and cultural origins of music – contributes to the diversity of musical styles.
• The ability to give precise written and verbal explanations, using musical terminology effectively, accurately and appropriately.
• A passion for and commitment to a diverse range of musical activities.

Curriculum Impact

We use both formative and summative assessment information in every music lesson. Staff use this information to inform their short-term planning and short-term interventions. This helps us provide the best possible support for all of our pupils, including the more able. The assessment milestones for each phase have been carefully mapped out and further broken down for each year group. This means that skills in music are progressive and build year on year. 

Our staff use music formative assessment grids to systematically assess what the children know as the topic progresses and inform their future planning. These formative assessment grids then inform summative assessment judgements for each topic.

Assessment information is collected frequently and analysed as part of our monitoring cycle. This process provides an accurate and comprehensive understanding of the quality of education in music. A comprehensive monitoring cycle is developed at the beginning of each academic year. This identifies when monitoring is undertaken. Monitoring in music includes: lesson observations and/or learning walks, pupil/parent and/or staff voice.

All of this information is gathered and reviewed. It is used to inform further curriculum developments and provision is adapted accordingly.