Music
Music can change the world, because it can change people. - Bono
Combe Pafford School Music Vision Statement:
Our vision at Combe Pafford School is to foster an enjoyment, appreciation and curiosity for music.
At Combe Pafford, we recognise the mental health benefits of music and appreciate that music is able to reach all children regardless of needs and ability. We are committed to ensuring children understand the value and importance of music in the wider community, and are able to use their musical skills, knowledge, and experiences to involve themselves in music, in a variety of different contexts using a wide range of musical instruments and techniques including technology and instruments.
Our whole curriculum is shaped by our school vision, which aims to enable all children, regardless of background, ability, additional needs, to flourish to become the very best version of themselves they can possibly be. The music curriculum is designed to support pupils to engage and participate with enjoyment.
The music curriculum ensures children have the opportunities to sing, listen, play, perform and evaluate, to their individual abilities.
Model Music Curriculum:
The Model Music Curriculum explores how musical techniques and skills can be nurtured and developed in all pupils, through all Key Stages. It recognises that such skills may be expressed instrumentally, vocally or through music technology. The Model Music Curriculum takes as its starting point the ambition that every young person should be able to experience music and to make progress. The new National Plan for Music Education (NPME) was launched in June 2022 and outlines a vision for music in all schools, which is: Schools are advised to strive for excellence in their music provision, aiming to surpass the national curriculum and empower students to unlock their musical potential.
Three interconnected areas of focus at Combe Pafford School:
Curriculum Music
We teach an adaptive version of the KS1-3 National Curriculum, supported by a clear skills and knowledge progression. This ensures that skills and knowledge are built on year by year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all children. During the year, all children will have the opportunity to develop their understanding, skills and techniques in music. The curriculum aims to provide pupils with the essential skills to access the community music appropriate to their preferences and needs to ensure their future lives are enriched. See CPS Music Curriculum map and CPS Listening Curriculum.
Instrumental and vocal lessons
From September 2024, we have three strands of peripatetic options available for all children.
- Option 1: Rocksteady Music School This is an incredible opportunity for children to learn to play their favourite songs in their very own band with a choice of drums, keyboards, electric guitar, bass guitar or vocals. This is a group session.
- Option 2: 1:1 drum tuition with an experienced and qualified drummer
- Option 3: 1:1 or very small group brass or keyboard lessons with an experienced Music teacher
Please email the office if you would like more information about peripatetic lessons at Combe Pafford School.
Exposure to/engaging in musical events
In the wider community, music is a way of bringing people together. This could be at cultural events, such as Remembrance Day, Religious events such as Christmas or Diwali, or other local groups such as choirs, theatre groups, music making groups etc. These are some of the most inclusive activities communities provide and offer a wealth of opportunity for adults with special needs to engage meaningfully in community life. The benefits to all involved are really significant. The events themselves support people's wellbeing and mental health. We take advantage of using these events in the wider community to ensure all children at Combe Pafford have access to music beyond the classroom.
Every child has the opportunity to attend additional extra-curricular clubs and be musically creative in their own right. We have termly visits from visiting musicians to perform in assemblies.
We have a close link with the Devon Music Hub and ‘Live Music Now’ to ensure we take advantage of opportunities.
Intent
Music should be an enjoyable experience for pupils and teachers. At Combe Pafford School, our vision is to offer our pupils an adapted music curriculum that encompasses a wide range of musical genres and instruments to appeal to a diverse musical background. Our aim is to enable students to access music as a subject through listening, movement, composition, improvisation and performance, as well as offer opportunities and to remove barriers so that every student can experience and engage with music on a level that is appropriate for them. Music offers young people the opportunity to explore their feelings and express themselves in a variety of ways. It is widely recognised that music has a positive impact on our mental health. It can boost self-esteem and confidence, lift our mood, improve concentration, and help us regulate and relax. It is also known to improve cognitive performance, memory and even aid sleep.
Within our music curriculum, we intend to:
Deliver an inclusive, broad and balanced, yet adapted music curriculum that encompasses all our students as far as KS3. We will provide opportunities for students to listen to, perform, compose and record a wide range of music, and hope that in doing so, they benefit from the many positives music has to offer.
Implementation
Music is taught as a weekly, discrete subject by specialist music teachers in our specifically-built, sound proof music studio. However, class teachers are also encouraged to use music as a teaching tool also across the curriculum. Areas of learning, such as timetables in maths, vocabulary in languages and movement in dance can all incorporate different elements of music.
Listening and appraising:
Students will listen to and appraise a wide range of musical genres, and will be encouraged to share their favourite music and explain why they like it.
Creating and exploring:
Students will have the opportunity to compose their own music, beginning by recreating sounds using their bodies and percussion instruments; creating sound stories; reading and creating graphic scores, and progressing to perform and record their own compositions using their voice, a range of musical instruments and technology.
Performing and Live Music:
Children will be exposed to opportunities to perform to their class in their music lessons when they feel confident. Students will have opportunities to perform to the wider school and parents in annual events such as Christmas plays and nativities, and end of year shows. This demonstrates that music is important and integral to the life of the school.
Extracurricular activities, such as Music clubs and weekly peripatetic music lessons, also provide children with experience of making music.
There will be opportunities for students to enjoy live performances from visiting musicians, and, when opportunities arise, to take children to see live performances outside of school.
Impact
The impact of teaching music will be seen across the school with an increase in the profile of music.
Whole-school and parental engagement will be improved through performances, extracurricular activities and opportunities suggested in lessons/overviews for wider learning.
Participation in music develops wellbeing, promotes listening and develops concentration.
We want to ensure that music is loved by teachers and pupils across school, encouraging them to want to continue building on this wealth of musical ability, now and in the future.
Ultimately, it ends back at our Combe Pafford Music vision statement: Through our intent and implementation, we want the community of Combe Pafford school to continue to foster an enjoyment, appreciation and curiosity for music.
Last Updated: 16th December 2024