Music

At Frodsham Manor House we want our pupils to enjoy music, develop a love of music for the rest of their lives and we endeavour to develop their talents for music making. Through music we develop a sense of wonder, creativity and increase self confidence and it brings our school community together. Within our classes we may be nurturing the next conductor of the Halle Orchestra or Elphaba in Wicked. We really do want our pupils to Reach for the Stars! We support the vision of the National Plan For Music Education to “enable all children and young people to learn to sing, play an instrument and create music together, and have the opportunity to progress their musical interests and talents including professionally.” (NPME June 2022).

Our commitment to music education is shown through our excellent resources which include whole class sets of Samba Drums, African Drums, Recorders, Ocarinas, Glockenspiels, Percussion Trolley, Indian Dancing Sticks, as well as the Brass and Woodwind Instruments which Year 5 loan. We are also very grateful for community links with organisations and individuals who support music behind the scenes. 

·       The first pillar is the ‘technical’ development necessary for pupils to translate their intentions successfully into sound.

·       The second pillar is the ‘constructive’ pillar. This refers to knowledge of how musical components come together both analytically and in the creative process.

·       The third pillar, the ‘expressive’ pillar, is focused on the more indefinable aspects of music: quality, meaning and creativity.

Our curriculum allows opportunity to;

• Perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians
• Learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence
• Understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the interrelated dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations

Our Whole Class Instrumental units from Year 2 upwards, including Wider Opportunities in Year 5 focus on;

·       The enjoyment of playing in a group

·       The ability to learn music by ear

·       Develop ensemble playing skills

·       Develop skills specific to the individual instrument

·       Develop musical understanding (Structure, genre, features etc)

·       Provide opportunity for the teaching of music notation

We have adopted the Sing Up Music Curriculum for the majority of our lessons and use their objectives for units which are not from Sing Up. We are also supplementing this with some examples from other schemes including BBC Ten Pieces. Sing Up units consist of 3-6 lessons. Units normally flow from a particular song (listed below) and include singing, playing, listening, appraising, improvising and composing. There are also Snapshop activities for progression and assessment. The National Plan for Music Education suggests an hour a week for music within the curriculum which we aim for throughout all year groups. The National Plan explains how singing should be the golden thread through primary school music

We teach sound before symbol. It’s more valuable to experience concepts first and label them later. Learning through discovery means children have ownership of their learning and will be much more likely to hold onto it. We follow a multi-sensory approach to music lessons. Music is invisible, an abstract medium, and to understand it we need to experience it in a variety of ways – through rhythmic movement, gesture, song, notations etc.  If children can feel it, see it, and hear it, they develop a much fuller understanding of music and its individual elements. We do not follow one particular pedagogy through our music curriculum but there are elements of Dalcroze and Kodaly approaches woven through out lessons and we use Kodaly rhythmic terms when teaching notation. Our taught music curriculum is enriched by our whole school ethos towards singing. We are a Sing Up Platinum School and singing happens in all of our music lessons as well as weekly singing practices as one community. Our voices are then used to help create links with the wider community and beyond.

There are opportunities to learn an instrument are throughout the school. We start with glockenspiels and ocarinas in KS1, then add in recorders, a choice of wind instruments for Wider Opportunities as well as many opportunities to develop rhythm skills in Samba, with African Drumming and learn how chords develop on Boomwackers. Children are also learning notation as they progress through the school.

Music lessons are inclusive and reasonable adjustments are made for all to access. All children can shine in music lessons and on stage.

Our music curriculum also has opportunities to be developed throughout the school day and help to develop a musical culture. One of our approaches includes our Musician Of The Month (see long term plan below). We also have weekly singing assemblies when we can bring together our part singing for greater impact.

Opportunities for live music in school is essential to raise aspirations and we have long term partnerships with a range of arts organisations. Children may be working alongside a professional musician, singer or songwriter as part of our provision.

Assessments will be through snapshots recorded using photographs and films, alongside quizzing techniques on playing instruments, learning notation etc. Assessment also happens in every lesson. These ongoing assessments help to identify whether we revisit, consolidate or move on. 

We want our pupils to leave us with a love of music which they continue throughout their lives. Some may continue to learn an instrument and end up as professional musicians. All will have a sense of community, social development and achievement by working on projects together. Children should show greater control, an awareness of musical structure, appreciate music from a range of times, cultures and traditions.  Our children enjoy music making in whatever form this takes.

The impact of our Music Curriculum can be seen by;

·       Celebrations of our achievements in concerts, recordings, productions

·       Reflecting on standards achieved through snapshots, pre-learning, quizzing, pupil voice against progression statements reaching age related expectations

·       The reviewing, adapting and adjusting our music curriculum

·       Pupil engagement and enjoyment in the subject alongside feedback from all stakeholders

·       Pupils developing confidence, responsibility and leadership skills

·       Show appreciation and respect for a range of musical styles from different places and different times

·       Children opting for additional musical opportunities within school and in the community

We hope that children leaving us in Year 6 take with them a love of music and many happy memories of making music together at Manor House.

Music for Life

We also work in a close and long standing partnership with Music for Life. These are lessons which families pay for. We currently can offer guitar lessons with Stuart , piano with Rachel,  violin with Steven,  Brass with Jacky, Woodwind with Martha and voice.  If you wish to find out more please have a chat with Mrs Anstice and check out www.musicforlife.org.uk

There are many additional opportunities for music throughout the year including theatre visits, participating in musical theatre opportunities with Theatre in The Quarter and Broadway Bound, Music for Life Days, Jazz Workshop, Key Strings, drumming workshops, choir, Samba Gang, Singing Leaders, Nativity Production, Summer Production,  Summer Concert, Young Voices, Amasing, Cathedral Carol Concerts  Panto, Stars in their Eyes and Singing Playgrounds.