Our vision

At Henleaze Infant and Junior Schools, our music curriculum is designed to help children learn about music so that they develop an appreciation for not only how music is created but also a life-long love of music. In school, a broad balance of performance, listening and composition opportunities creates an enriching curriculum that celebrates music from different traditions and from great composers and musicians. Music lessons are skills-based and interactive, aiming to foster a passion for music in children of all abilities. Music is a strength in both schools, with high quality whole school singing and all children learning  a musical instrument in Year 4. It is our vision that class music lessons give the opportunity for children to see themselves as musicians and there is a focus on developing a secure understanding of the inter-related dimensions of music (pitch, duration/rhythm, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure, notation) through practical music making.

Our Curriculum

At Henleaze Infant and Junior Schools we have designed our own Music curriculum. Subject leaders in both schools have worked together to ensure that the computing curriculum is cumulative, coherent and connected. Across the Henleaze Music sequence, what pupils will know and be able to do across the curriculum has been carefully mapped. Our Music curriculum has been carefully designed to build pupils’ musical knowledge and develop their competency and confidence as musicians. Each unit refers to significant musicians and musical works = exposing pupils to a wide range of music that will inspire them and connect them to the world around them. Our curriculum considers two types of knowledge: 

• Substantive knowledge (Core Knowledge) is mapped within each discipline. The curriculum outlines key aspects of music development in the Working as a Musician section. 

• Disciplinary knowledge (what pupils are able to do) is mapped with granular detail to identify opportunities and experiences across the long-term sequence.

As well as weekly music lessons, all children participate in whole-school music assemblies where music leads revisit key ideas and vocabulary learnt in class. The instrument lessons delivered in Year 4 (currently ukulele) are delivered by a specialist teacher from Bristol Plays Music. Both schools have school choirs (open to all) who perform at Christmas concerts, Henleaze Festival and the KS2 choir also performs at the Bristol beacon in December and at the 2 music evenings in March.

Impact

Each year group has clear cumulative end goals – these are identified for teachers. Formative assessment is embedded, including: questioning, observation, discussion and peer interaction, lesson pauses and use of success criteria enabling pupils to consolidate learning and teachers to gauge understanding. 

Subject overview