01293 525449
01293 525449  


Music


At Gossops Green, our music curriculum provides all pupils with high-quality music education which engages and inspires them to develop a love of music and nurtures their talents as musicians, increasing self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. Pupils develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to perform, compose and appraise music.

As musicians, children experience a sequentially planned spiral music curriculum that results in the acquisition of a progressive accumulation of skills. Our Music curriculum is designed to allow ALL children access to, and experience of music allowing self-expression and development in order, for everyone to realise their full potential in this universal language.

We are very proud to have been awarded the Music Mark in recognition of our commitment to music at Gossops Green.

Children learn music through playing a range of instruments as they move through the school, including:

Violin

Ukulele

Keyboard / Piano

Tuned percussion

Untuned percussion

Performance is also an important part of children’s musical journey and the children participate in the following performances during their time at the school, which are open to parents and carers to watch:

  • Reception perform a traditional Nativity every Christmas
  • Year 1 perform a Christmas show every December
  • Year 2 celebrate Harvest in the Autumn Term
  • Year 3 hold class assemblies in the first half of the Summer term
  • Year 4 host a Christmas Carol Concert
  • Year 5 celebrate Easter at the end of the Spring Term
  • Year 6’s Musical Production is performed at the end of the Summer Term

Peripatetic Music Lessons

We work very closely with West Sussex Music and are also able to offer a wide range of instrumental tuition taught by specialist teachers. Individual or group lessons can be organised for children from Year 2 upwards during the school day. These do incur an additional cost, although financial help is available for children whose parents are in receipt of certain benefits.

We want to make sure that nothing stops you making music”

If you would like to sign your child up for lessons, please use the contact details below for the specific instrument your child is interested in learning.

Music Curriculum Intent

In terms of DELIVERING EQUITY, by the end of Year 6, our music curriculum will have instilled inquisitive and knowledgeable appreciators of a diverse range of musical styles. Most importantly, our pupils will have the cultural confidence to respond in a personal way to music, using the language of appreciation. They recognise the joy of performance and sharing this experience with an audience, whilst developing communication and building resilience; both invaluable qualities for secondary education and for future adult life.


Progressive layering of knowledge, embedded in long-term memory, scaffolds pupils to:

  • Develop the essential characteristics of a musician
  • Build a rapidly widening repertoire which they use to create original, imaginative, fluent and distinctive composing and performance work.
  • Increase musical understanding underpinned by high levels of aural perception, internalisation and knowledge of music, including high or rapidly developing levels of technical expertise.
  • Develop awareness and appreciation of different musical traditions and genres.
  • Understand how musical provenance – the historical, social and cultural origins of music – contributes to the diversity of musical styles.
  • Use musical terminology effectively, accurately and appropriately.
  • Develop a passion for, and commitment to, a diverse range of musical activities.

Application of Conceptual Understanding – occurs when new information and ideas are incorporated into pupils’ existing knowledge through:

  • Appreciating a range of composers and their compositions
  • Identifying similarities and differences between composers and their works
  • Knowing about great composers and musicians and understanding the historical and cultural development of their works.
  • Nurturing a genuine interest in the subject and an ability to evaluate their own and others’ performances and composition

Music Implementation

To achieve our intent, our Music curriculum will provide the following:

  • Fortnightly lessons from Year 1 upwards
  • Music topics that are progressively sequenced and spaced so that pupils organise their knowledge, skills and understanding around the following learning concepts: Perform – understand that music is created to perform; Compose – appreciating that music is created through a process which has a number of techniques; Transcribe – understand that compositions need to be understood by others and that there are techniques and a language for communicating them: Describe – appreciating the features and effectiveness of musical elements
  • At each Key Stage, a wide range of content, ensuring that children get a rich learning experience covering all aspects of music.
  • A clear progression of skills and knowledge to accompany each unit, setting out exactly how the children progress throughout the year, and year on year.
  • Children given the opportunity to learn to play musical instruments as part of the curriculum.

Music Curriculum Impact

  • Pupils develop a love of music
  • Pupils understand a wide range of musical vocabulary and use it with precision
  • They develop an increased understanding of the impact that music can have on their own and others’ lives
  • Pupils are able to demonstrate progression of knowledge and skills which they continuously build on and embed
  • They develop resilience, communication skills and taking creative risks
  • Pupils develop an understanding of history and culture though studying musicians from different traditions along with great musicians and composers

Music Websites and Apps to Explore

Xylo

An online xylophone for children to explore.

Music Play Online

Please contact Mrs Underwood for the student login code.

Sing Up at Home

Children will be very familiar with Sing Up as we use it a lot in our Singing Assemblies. This is an opportunity for children to sing some of their favourite songs at home.

Marimba Real

This app, available from the iOS store, allows children to explore 5 percussive musical instruments.

Prodigies Bells and Tune Train

These apps, available from the iOS store, are ideal for EYFS and Key Stage 1 children.

Treble Cat Lite

This app, available from the iOS store, is ideal for Years 3 and 4 and focuses on reading musical notation.

Piano Infinity

This app, available from the iOS store, is ideal for Years 5 and 6 and focuses on the layout of the keyboard and paying simple melodies.

Music Skills Progression Documents