At TPA we love to make music – we enjoy singing and performing throughout our time at school. Pupils have the opportunity to learn to play instruments, improvise, compose, sing, listen, develop notational knowledge and perform. As a school we are very well resourced musically, we have class packs of a range of instruments to ensure that children are able to play collectively.  

We are proud to be a Music Mark school. We work in partnership with Richmond Music Trust to take part in singing festivals. They enhance our music curriculum by working with different year groups. Currently, they are teaching Year 3 the violin!

We use 'Charanga' as scheme to support the delivery of the curriculum and ensure that classroom music is carefully sequenced and enjoyable.  

Musical Enrichment

Assemblies – Song is a key part of every whole school assembly, the song choices cover a wide range of musical styles from around the world. Singing assemblies ensure that singing skills are developed, with an emphasis on performance.

School productions – We have a calendar of school productions throughout the year. All year groups take part in Christmas productions, Year 3 perform in the spring term and Year 6 finish their time at TPA with a summer production.

Clubs and music lessons – We have a very active school choir which rehearses weekly and has been involved in concerts both in and out of school.  The choir performs at school events and also sings in the Richmond Music Festival with other local schools.

All year 3-6 children have been given the opportunity to take up instrumental lessons these are promoted through music demonstration assemblies. Currently we have peripatetic guitar, piano and recorder lessons taught by specialist external instrumental teachers .(Funded by parents/carers)

Performance opportunities - throughout the year we encourage children to perform in class during music lessons or during the whole year group performances mentioned above. We also encourage performances if children learn music outside school too!

Live music opportunities - we recognise that it is important to model performance to children.  As a school we are fortunate to have staff members who can play for the children in assemblies at at special events.  We also seek opportunities to invite musicians into school to perform.

Whole School Music Events

We are always looking at opportunities to create collective musical experiences though house competitions, designated whole school music projects and large scale choral opportunities.

Music Curriculum Intent

At TPA, we aim to ensure that Music is an enjoyable learning experience where children have the opportunity to learn and play a range of instruments, as well as building their confidence whilst performing in front of their peers and a wider audience. Music is a form of expression that is celebrated and we aim for our children to become inspired to develop a love of music and to develop their talents as a musician, therefore increasing their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. 

Implementation

We use Charanga Musical School online programme as a basis for our weekly music lessons to ensure high quality, enjoyable music provision with clear National Curriculum coverage across all year groups. The learning within each scheme is based on: Listening and Appraising; Musical Activities - creating and exploring; and Singing and Performing. 

Next to the discreet music lessons, singing and other musical activities are used to enrich subjects and other parts of the curriculum. Assemblies and plays also provide an opportunity to practise singing. Children in Year 3 also get the chance to learn an instrument with the Richmond Music Trust. We encourage listening to a wide range of music with concentration and understanding and background music can be heard daily around school. 

All learning starts with revisiting prior knowledge and making meaningful connections. Charanga ensures planning demonstrates this. Staff will model explicitly the subject-specific vocabulary, knowledge and skills relevant to the learning to allow them to integrate new knowledge into larger concepts. Music assessment is ongoing throughout the curriculum themes. Summative assessment is completed at the end of each theme to inform leaders of the improvements or skills that need to be developed further. 

Impact

Pupil voice is used to enable leaders to assess the impact of the Music curriculum and whether children know and remember more. Pupil performances in class and throughout the school show the high standards expected and are celebrated whenever possible.