We love music at DBJA and firmly believe that every child has the right to study music as a “proper” subject. We are proud of the fact that our pupils receive a weekly one-hour music lesson with a specialist teacher, where our children engage in a rich and varied musical diet. The National Curriculum for Music lies at the heart of lesson planning, and each project focuses on a main practical outcome (e.g. creating a performance, composition or improvisation), alongside developing active listening and analysis skills, as well as widening subject-specific vocabulary and historical awareness. As with other curriculum subjects, written work is routinely marked and assessed, but rather than using exercise books, pupils keep their work in individual folders. Practical work is also assessed and in-keeping with DBJA’s rigorous assessment policy, all marks are logged and tracked. At the end of each unit, pupils are awarded a mark of “Working Towards”, “Met” or “Greater Depth”, which helps to inform end of year attainment levels.

Throughout Year 3, the building blocks of becoming a musician are established. Pupils work through projects on rhythm, orchestral instruments, world music styles and how to create mood through the use of specific elements of music. Year 4 seeks to further develop a music skill set and classes spend half the year learning to play a brass instrument (delivered by Warwickshire Music). Year 4 musicians also create original compositions inspired by paintings and further develop and refine their performing and active listening skills, in addition to widening their theoretical and historical music knowledge. Year 5 focuses on broadening pupils’ understanding of other musical cultures and the cross-fertilisation of musical styles (e.g. through studying blues and reggae music). Here, context is at the forefront of each scheme of work. By Year 6, we hope that our pupils have developed into confident and able musicians. They flex their musical muscles and reflect on their KS2 music knowledge and skills so that by the time they leave at the end of Year 6, our children should be musically curious and well informed. In order to achieve this, we don’t take anything for granted, and alongside developing reflective learners, we understand the importance of reflective teaching. Every child is musical in some way, and it is our responsibility to develop their musicality.

As a faith school, hymn practice is a regular feature of weekly classroom lessons and whole school Collective Worship, and we are very much a singing school. Music is an important part of our Christmas and Easter church services, with carefully chosen solos, ensemble performances and congregational singing. In addition, we have fantastic Music Ambassadors who rehearse twice weekly, and engage in numerous performances, both in and out of school. Uptake for instrumental lessons is robust, with lessons offered on flute, recorder, clarinet, violin, cornet, trumpet, piano, keyboard, guitar (electric and acoustic) and drum-kit. Every child has the opportunity to perform in front of an audience during their time at DBJA, be it through Nativity plays, pantomimes, instrumental showcases, concerts, in assembly or for the Year 6 leavers’ play. We truly wish to encourage all pupils at DBJA to get involved in making music, someway, somehow, so that they know and understand the joy it can bring and how it enriches lives. Music is for life.

Each year group covers a range of topics, listed below: Please click on the topic to see the Knowledge Organiser. This will give you information about the knowledge and skills that the children will be learning. It will also give you information on the vocabulary taught and how this unit links with prior learning.