Music

Music Curriculum Scheme of Work: Kapow
Music Lead: 

Impact

At Orchard Meadow pupils will be provided with opportunities to create, play, perform and enjoy music through development of their teamwork, listening, performing and appraising skills. They will also learn to appreciate a wide variety of musical styles not only from different areas of history but also different cultures as well. They will also be able to form opinions and make judgements about a broad range of musical genres and styles.

All our teaching is inspired and modelled through ‘The Voices Foundation’ and ‘Musical Futures’ approach. These organisations encourage learning that is led through voice and song, is highly practical and inclusive of all children regardless of academic ability or need.

Music is a unique way of communicating feelings, thoughts and ideas. 

Music is a vehicle for personal expression which can be highly motivating and contribute to children’s personal development. Music reflects the culture and society we live in, and so learning music enables children to better understand the world they live in. It also plays an important part in helping children feel part of a school community. Besides being a creative and enjoyable activity, music can also be a highly academic and demanding subject. It develops a range of key learning skills which can improve children’s learning across the curriculum.

See below how the content within the Music curriculum supports our Key Drivers:

Local context and enrichment

We believe children should have access to as many local musical opportunities as possible. Throughout the year various small KS2 groups as well as all Year 3 visit The Dragon School for Orchestra, Percussion and Choral days as well as The Year 3 Singing Day. The link with the Dragon School provides opportunities for children to work with professional musicians and singers and all days end with a performance in which parents/careers are invited to.

As a music department we have also made links with Magdalen College School. The offer one or two musical performances by sixth formers on a range of instruments that cover a variety of styles.

We also have connections to a fantastic organisation called ‘The Oxford Philomusica.’ They offer our schools free projects where we work alongside professional working musicians to create a musical performance from scratch. Previous themes include, opera, space and the different seasons. They provide our children with opportunities to play and perform using strings, percussion and voice. 

Every year we also perform at the ‘The Festival of Voices.’ This is a local music event at Dorchester Abbey. Children learn and sing a range of different songs including songs from different cultures and a variety of musical contexts. Students sing alongside other schools and they are not only accompanied by a professional band but also led by an experienced conductor.

Implementing our vision

Please click here to view our Music Curriculum Overview and see the summary below to find out more about what our pupils study in music.

Music clubs

We also believe it is important to provide children with extra-curricular musical opportunities. Clubs that we run at Orchard Meadow include: choir, recorder club and rock band. Not only do these clubs give the children opportunities to develop as musicians but also progress their skills in an area that they are really passionate about.

As human beings the first sounds we respond to are musical, the sound of our mother’s heartbeat and the sing song of different voices and tones. It lulls us to sleep when we are babies and helps us acquire our language as we grow. It’s part of children’s play and expresses our identity as we navigate our way into adulthood. Look around any crowded street, bus or train almost anywhere in the world and you see people experiencing music.

As well as being a vital subject in the Orchard Meadow school curriculum, music is ultimately part of who we are and who we become.