Music

Our aim is for pupils to develop a lifelong relationship with music through rich and shared musical experiences, and to use music to broaden their understanding of different cultures, and develop skills of cooperation, communication, and respect.

The aim of the Music at The Meadows is to engage and inspire pupils through practical music making. We are committed to providing engaging learning within supportive and inclusive classrooms, developing our pupils’ creativity, individuality, resilience, confidence and respect for each other and themselves.

Curriculum Key Concepts

At The Meadows, the music curriculum has its foundations based on the National Curriculum while incorporating elements from the Model Music Curriculum (March 2021). These elements are integrated into our teaching framework, with adaptations to suit our learners and our specific educational setting.

Our learners are encouraged to explore music across three main strands, listening, performing and composing. By the end of KS3, we aspire for learners to have achieved the following:

Listening:

• For all pupils to be able to accurately describe the technical features of a piece of music using appropriate musical vocabulary and evaluate its impact on the listener or occasion it was composed for.
• For pupils to have developed their cultural capital by broadening their musical landscape, and understanding the similarities and differences of music across different cultures around the world.
• For pupils to share their opinion on new musical experiences confidently, but with respect to cultures and traditions different to their own.

Performing:

• For pupils to fluently perform melodies that use the range of an octave, with either a simple LH root note baseline, or chord accompaniment to a melody.
• For pupils to add expression through appropriate tempo, dynamics and
• For pupils to develop resilience when reflecting on their musical performances and draw confidence from their achievements, positively recognising areas for improvement.

Composing:

• For pupils to be able to compose a melody for a specific purpose, making stylistic choices to suit mood, genre, and intended occasion.
• For pupils to apply the elements of music stylistically to their compositions and improvisations, to achieve a desired musical outcome.

Outline of Learning

As a subject returning to the curriculum in 2024-25, all pupils in KS3 will initially engage with a music curriculum that develops a strong foundation for future study (Curriculum A).

Following this in the academic year 2024-25, Pupils in Year 8 and 9 will then build upon this foundation and access a second year of music curriculum (Curriculum B), that will further develop their skills in achieving the end points.

An outline for each curriculum can be found below, with further details provided in the associated SOL.

Delivery of Curriculum

Music at The Meadows utilises the current lesson structure to encourage a bespoke learning approach for each student. Recognising both the small class nature of each cohort, and the lack of consistency in their previous musical education, flexibility in the delivery of music lessons is key to ensure maximum progress from their starting points.

In this vein - music lessons at the meadows will be structured as follows:

Episode 1: Recall Focus

• Revisiting knowledge and ensuring that learning is long term and Episode 2: New Learning
• Using the outline provided below, pupils will be exposed to new concepts linked to the curriculum below, working towards end outcomes as stated below.

Episode 3: Individual Application

• Pupils will work independently, in pairs, and in small groups as appropriate, primarily using keyboards, to practically explore the concepts and learning introduced in Episode Expectations will be personalised to each pupil, with differentiation between expected tasks or outcomes.
• Pupils will review their learning as a class or individually with the Teacher, deepening knowledge and addressing misconceptions.

Episode 4: Independent Learning

• Pupils will engage in practical music making activities that follow their own interests and develop their own musical Initially this will be through choice of keyboard repertoire, yet as the pupils progress and demonstrate responsibility in this independent learning, they will be offered a broader range of instrumentation, (examples may include but not limited to, guitars, drums, and ukuleles)

Curriculum A - Academic Year 2024-2025

Curriculum B - (Intended) Academic Year 2025-2026