Davyhulme Primary School is a ‘Music Mark School’.

‘Your school has been nominated by your local Music Service/Hub to become a Music Mark School. They have recognised the value that you place on music.’

“Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. A high-quality music education should engage 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. “DFES

At Davyhulme Primary School we endeavour to provide a variety of musical experiences through our curriculum which develops learning, improves knowledge and promotes pupil well-being through building up the confidence of all children. We believe that music can impact the way that children feel, think and act; we want music to encourage the body and mind to work together, develop motor skills and allow self-expression.

Music is entwined into our daily lives, be it through specific music lessons, listening to famous composers and musicians during whole school assemblies, to instrumental tuitions. Here at Davyhulme Primary, we want to ensure that music is a joyful, engaging, and inclusive experience that enables every child to develop their musical potential and develop an appreciation of the value of music that is deeply personal to them. We want children to have a curiosity for the subject and respect for the role that music may play in any person’s life. We want our children to see themselves reflected in the musicians and composers we listen to and to encounter inspirational and aspirational musical role models that reflect the world; past, present, and future, in all its diversity.

The power of music- “‘Music is all around us. It is the soundtrack to our lives. Music connects us through people and places in our ever-changing world. It is creative, collaborative, celebratory, and challenging. Music can bring communities together through the shared endeavor of whole-school singing, ensemble playing, experimenting with the creative process, and, through the love of listening to friends and fellow pupils, performing. The sheer joy of music-making can feed the soul of a school community, enriching each student while strengthening the shared bonds of support and trust which make a great school.” Model Music Curriculum (MMC)

Aims of the National Curriculum

The national curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils:

• perform, listen to, review, and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of 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

To support the implementation of the National Curriculum, we have adopted a scheme of work called Charanga, which is taught every week.

What is Charanga and how does it work?

Charanga is designed to ensure full coverage of the National Curriculum. It provides wide exposure to musical styles and genres from different times and places and promotes the exploration of the language of music through active listening, performing and composing activities.

 Each unit follows a sequence of learning: listen and appraise, interrelated dimensions of music, singing, playing instruments, improvisation, composition, perform and share. This approach ensures the children get a rich learning experience covering all aspects of music.

There is a clear progression of knowledge to accompany each unit that sets out exactly how the children progress throughout the year and year on year. Knowledge organisers provide a foundation for the learning for each topic and include - vocabulary, genre, style, instrumental parts for improvisation and composition, listening and appraising, musical dimensions.

In addition to the scheme, each year group will also undertake whole-class music tuition from Trafford’s Music Service. We have a school choir, that perform at local nursing homes twice a year. Instrumental tuition is available to those children who wish to take advantage. These children are encouraged to perform in assemblies and concerts. Children attend weekly assemblies which include singing practice. In addition, all pupils participate in yearly musical performances and concerts.