'Where words fail, music speaks’- Hans Christian Andersen

Intent

At Aston Clinton School we aim to engage, motivate and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. 

Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with  music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon.

Music is a unique way of communicating; it is a vehicle for personal expression, and can play an important part in personal and cognitive development. Music at Aston Clinton aims to reflect the culture and society that we live in, and so the teaching and learning of music enables children to better understand the world they inhabit. It can be a highly academic and demanding subject but we also aim to make it a creative and enjoyable activity.

Music plays an important part in helping children to feel part of  a community and so we provide opportunities for them all to create, play, perform and enjoy music, to develop their skills, to appreciate a wide variety of musical forms and to begin to make judgements about its quality. 

Implementation

We recognise that musical teaching and learning is not neat or linear and that children do not learn in straight lines. Repeating a musical skill doesn’t mean their progress is slowing down or their development is moving backwards; it enables pupils to reinforce musical understanding in order to improve the quality of their musicianship. 

Our Music Curriculum Plan allows children to develop new music skills and concepts whilst also revisiting and embedding established musical skills and concepts. Achieving mastery in Music means gaining both a deeper understanding of musical skills and concepts whilst also learning something new. Our Curriculum Plan ensures the curriculum is covered and the skills, knowledge and vocabulary taught are progressive from year group to year group. 

Music is a foundation subject in the National Curriculum and the Music curriculum at Aston Clinton is in line with the 2014 Primary National Curriculum in England requirements for KS1, KS2 and the Foundation Stage curriculum. Music teaching will deliver the requirements of the National Curriculum through the Charanga scheme of work, ensuring consistency and progression throughout the school. 

We are also part of Buckinghamshire’s whole class practical musicianship program (wider opportunities).  This is designed to support the KS2 curriculum, provide a wider range of pupils with excellent, practical musical experiences and inspire more of them to get involved in longer term music making. 

Impact

The impact of the Music curriculum on the learning of our children will be measured using formative assessment throughout the year by teachers. 

Children will have access to a varied programme of music, which will allow them to discover and develop areas of strength as well as areas they wish to improve. Our children will inherit a rich and diverse musical palette that in turn will allow them to experience achievement, self-confidence, awareness of self and others, and self-reflection. Their musical experiences in school will ensure they have a broad and deep understanding of culture and history, both locally, nationally and internationally. Our hope is that children will develop a passion for music – as a listener, creator and performer.

Children will be able to talk passionately about their musical knowledge, preferences, abilities, and about significant figures in music history. They will be aware of prospective careers and avenues accessible to them in the future.

For more details about your child's learning, please use the following link to the year group learning pages.

Peripatetic Music Lessons

We are pleased to be able to offer peripatetic music lessons to children in Years 3 to 6.  Details are available using the following link: