‘Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand.’ Stevie Wonder

At Parkgate Primary School, we aim to develop musicians, fostering a lifelong love of music. We will inspire creativity and self-expression by encouraging pupils on their musical journey. We follow the statutory content of the national curriculum and Development Matters in EYFS for music. We use the Kapow music scheme as the basis of our music provision to deliver this curriculum. Through the three pillars of music, technical, constructive and expressive, the scheme focusses on developing knowledge and skills, ensuring incremental progression as children move through the school.  We are committed to delivering exciting lessons which engage all our pupils. The Music curriculum is ambitious and, where required, pedagogy is adapted so that all pupils including disadvantaged pupils, and those with SEND are on the same knowledge journey towards the same endpoints.

At our school, children have access to music through weekly lessons. Other enrichment opportunities include after-school clubs and performances in school. Furthermore, to enrich their 'cultural capital', all children experience a live theatre performance twice a year as M and M theatre productions visit our school.  Added to this, some pupils visit a live theatre performance at the Albany Theatre. Children also have the opportunity to enjoy and experiment with music during outdoor times through song and using musical instruments. 

In lessons, we focus on the knowledge and skills of musical theory, performing, notation and composing and evaluating using tuned and untuned instruments. Children develop confidence and become more adept at working effectively with others, sharing their ideas, negotiating and finding creative solutions. Knowledge and skills are constantly revisited and refreshed to ensure that they become embedded. To support them in this, we prioritise the teaching and practising of key subject vocabulary, as it is explicitly taught.

We have created endpoints for each year to show what journey the pupils are on. This includes what they should know what they should be able to do and where their learning is going. These are assessed throughout each unit. As the children revisit each strand of learning, either in the same year or in subsequent years, their teachers will know what prior learning should have taken place. These endpoints have been created to ensure a meaningful progression of skills across the school. We endeavour to present children with music from a wide range of musical genres.