Music is highly valued at Aspull Church School. For each and every child, we aim to foster a passion for music that they will take into their adult lives as a means of enjoyment, support and expression. Music is universally accessible and a language that we can all understand. It embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. Our curriculum is designed to engage and develop all learners. We create opportunities to ensure that children develop their talents as musicians. They become careful listeners, confident performers and have the freedom to be creative thus discovering a sense of achievement.
Our curriculum aims to ensure that all learners can:
Perform, listen to and evaluate music from a range of historical periods, cultures, genres, styles and traditions.
Sing, developing an awareness and use of the musical elements to self-evaluate and progress onto singing in parts and using their voice as an instrument to accompany, improvise and compose.
Understand how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and musical notation.
Use a range of tuned and un-tuned instrument with control.
Music is embedded in our school curriculum and features highly throughout each academic year. Weekly discrete lessons ensure that the music curriculum objectives are met. Music is encompassed in the EYFS curriculum with children given the opportunities to listen, explore, sing and make sounds using body and instrumental percussion. Taking part in the CHIMES project, which is delivered by a specialist music teacher from Wigan Music Service for a series of weeks, begins their school musical journey with much enthusiasm. Years 1 to Year 3 classes are taught using units from the ‘Charanga’ scheme of learning. We are very well resourced which enables the children to use a selection of instruments to develop their learning further. Year 4 children take part in the Wider Opportunities Project which provides them with an opportunity to learn a string instrument for a year. Termly concerts provide an opportunity for the children to showcase their learning to parents. Following this, in Years 5 and 6, children develop their understanding of musical notation by learning the recorder, in addition to exploring other instruments such as ‘bamboo tamboo’ and using their voices to develop part singing. Currently we are fortunate to have a music specialist teaching Year 5 and a skilled musician teaching Year 6.
Children from Year 3 upwards have the opportunity to join the school choir. The choir meets after school on a weekly basis to practise. We rehearse regularly to ensure a sense of belonging and progression. We have several opportunities to perform during the year. We take part in the national Young Voices concert and a local charity Christmas ‘Sparkle’ concert on an annual basis. In addition to this we sing with other local schools at the Community Carol Concert and numerous other collaborative opportunities. We also sing in church for special Christian occasions throughout the year and take part in Greater Manchester Music Hub concerts and competitions.
In Key Stage 1 children can join a singing group. They practise during a lunchtime session each week and perform during Collective Worship termly. We are fortunate to have volunteers from Aspull Methodist Church who lead this.
Our Key Stage 2 children can learn to play a range of different instruments with lessons being made available in school from the Wigan Music Services peripatetic teachers. The children have the opportunity to perform in front of school and in church on numerous occasions and annually at our very successful ‘Music Makers’ concert which encourages every musician from all associated members of the school community to take part.
We endeavour to provide an abundance of musical opportunities for our children. Each class of will have the opportunity to visit the Bridgewater Hall to see the Halle Orchestra, a Wigan Music Services/GM Music Hub concert and attend a musical theatre production throughout their school journey. On an annual basis all children enjoy the ‘Music Alive’ concert provided by the Music Services team.
We join together to sing throughout the week as part of daily collective worship and enjoy whole school sing and praise sessions weekly where all children have the opportunity to unite in song. We are often complemented by visitors on the high quality of our singing and this was also recognised in our most recent OFSTED inspection. We are very proud of how well we sing together and how much joy it gives us.
We have the opportunity on a daily basis to enjoy listening to music by a selection of composers whilst entering and leaving the hall. Displays around school encourage the children to develop an awareness of the history of music. Other opportunities throughout the year enable our children to develop their confidence and performing skills. We stage a whole school Christmas musical and Year 6 perform a leaver’s music of a very high standard. Opportunities to perform together as a class or Key Stage are also found throughout the year to showcase curriculum learning, perform in church for religious festivals or engage in theme weeks. Teachers also plan to use music to enhance learning in other curriculum areas.
The impact of Music is measured in a variety of different ways. With so many opportunities to perform, our children have the opportunity to showcase their talents often. They receive many positive comments from parents and audiences outside of school for the productions and concerts performed.
A high percentage of our children choose to learn a musical instruments and we have a good retention rate for those learning. Many past pupils re-visit us to take part in our ‘Music Makers’ concert which is both testament to our success and a great inspiration for our beginners.
Weekly music lessons provide teachers, and HLTAs responsible for teaching music, with the opportunity to track children throughout each unit of work. Work is recorded on ipads at the beginning and end of the unit to enable children to self and peer evaluate. Teachers currently use the statements in our school tracking system to assess children against the success criteria.
Our ‘Music Champions’ allow us to take feedback from the children about their musical experiences in school which then contributes to future planning and resourcing.
The overall impact of music at Aspull Church School is clearly evident through the way that our children interact when enjoying musical experiences. They are often heard singing what they have been taught in class with friends outside on the playground. Our children are happy to sing, eager to participate and keen to perform.
