Music Policy Statement

It is important that the activities to be included in the Music Curriculum should be selected on the basis of a rationale, so that the sum of the experience fulfils the aims and objectives of the subject, in answering the needs of the pupils.

Music should have a place within the School curriculum for three fundamental reasons:

It contributes to the general education of a child through musical activities

1. It encourages the understanding and expression of thoughts and feelings, which may be more readily accessible through music than through other forms of communication.
2. It proves an appropriate body of knowledge, promotes understanding, and develops skills as a basis for further study or leisure, or both.

It is the aim of the department for all children to enjoy music. They should be involved in as practical a way as possible in order to broaden their interests, knowledge and awareness of music generally, as well as bringing out each child’s potential. The department believes in an active musical experience for pupils and a large number regularly participate in bands, choirs and ensembles.

Practical activities in the classroom will involve pupils in the handling of sound through a variety of learning experiences, appropriate and sequencial to their musical development. The three areas of study – listening to, composing and performing music bring about in pupils a need to acquire and deepen skills, in order to participate fully in the variety of experiences open to them. Music must be interactive if they are to build up musical ‘wholeness’.

Through good classroom management, we hope to allow the teacher to cater for special educational needs and physical impairment. Well designed schemes of work stimulate the most able, support the least and still aim to bring out the potential in each child.

Music, as an expressive art, has the power to allow everyone to communicate through its unique language of sound and transcend other barriers of communication. We ensure that out pupils are given the necessary tools of music language to be able to fully participate. Through music, many hidden curricular objectives are served, and the physical, as well as the mental benefits make music a very important contributor to the whole education of the child. The department promotes equal opportunities in all forms and constantly relates to and refers music in school, to music in the outside world.

Context

  There are two full time specialists in the department supported by nine visiting instrumental teachers. The department shares a technician with drama and dance.

The music block is separate to the main school and includes two large, well equipped classrooms, four practice rooms, a drum studio and music office. There is also a suite of three practice rooms/band rooms in a separate mobile recently opened.

The school has a concert band, junior band, senior choir, junior choir, chamber choir, flute choir, brass band, string group. Karaoke club and several rock bands. The school has also provided opportunities for pupils to experience drumming workshops, Indian music workshops, samba drumming and Gambian drumming. In July 2005 a number of students took part in the Swindon carnival after experiencing the samba workshop. There are regular and frequent opportunities for performances both at school and in the wider community including the Evening of Entertainment, GCSE/AS recital, chamber concert and most recently added-the whole school music competition. Christmas is a busy time with the Carol service at Bath Road Methodist Church as well as Carols in the Gym. 2006 saw us take the Carols ‘on the road’ by entertaining at a local nursing home and leading the Lethbridge School Carol Service. The band also perform at the bi-annual PTA craft fayre and all extra-curricular clubs will perform at the Summer fayre in July 2007 alongside some year 6 pupils.

Commonweal School offers up to 15 places each year to any pupils in the local area who can demonstrate an above average ability in three arts subjects – Dance, drama and music.

Commonweal has been represented in the Swindon Young Musician of the Year competition held annually with some successes.

The concert band have in the past taken tours to Europe and this is set to be reinstated in February 2008 with a planned trip to Paris with the chamber choir.

Large numbers of students opt to take music GCSE at key stage 4 and results are impressive. The fast track option has been successful in the past and offers some year 10 students the opportunity of taking AS in year 11.

2006 saw the introduction of the Arts Award. A recognised qualification open to students who show interest in any area of the arts.

Aims and Objectives

The following are the aims and objectives of the music department and are supportive to the overall aims of the school. The objectives are bourne out as consequence of the aims.

Aims  

• To share in the ethos of the school and develop the intellectual and social potential of all pupils.
• To develop a sensitive response to sound in general and in particular those organised patterns of sound called ‘music’.
• To develop insight through music into areas of experience some of which cannot easily be verbalised.
• To develop the necessary skills and concepts whilst engaged in musical activity.
• To offer pupils the opportunities to experience the personal satisfaction and self-confidence derived from striving after the highest possible standard whilst engaged in musical activity.
• To develop awareness of musical traditions and development in a variety of cultures and societies.
• To encourage the development of initiative, confidence and a sense of responsibility.
• To encourage the pupils to co-operate with others.
• To acquire interests and skills which give personal satisfaction in the use of leisure time.
• To ensure that each child should endeavour to fulfil their maximum potential.
• To give all pupils experience of success and achievement, and enable them to progress to the full extent of their ability, developing and fostering their talents irrespective of gender, religion, ethnic origin or family circumstances.
• To develop a set discipline procedure in which both staff and students are secure.

Objectives

 By the end of key stage 3 all pupils should be able to:

• Compose using sounds of various kinds, both acoustic and electric.
• Recognise various instruments, both orchestral and classroom, by their visual appearance and their timbre.
• Have a general knowledge of the history of music, both ‘Classical and ‘pop’ idioms and be able to recognise different styles.
• Sing individually and in a group. To maintain a simple part while others are singing or playing, to take part in a round or canon.
• Perform in a range of styles, interpreting signs, symbols and musical instructions.
• Perform a solo part with fluency and expression.
• Perform in a group maintaining a part independently of other individuals/groups.
• Compose, arrange and improvise music, developing ideas within musical structure.
• Revise their compositions and notate them appropriately for subsequent performance.
• Listen with understanding to a wide variety of music with increasing complexity, identifying and discriminating within musical elements and demonstrate knowledge of different forms of notation.
• Show knowledge of the historical development of music and an understanding of a range of musical traditions from different periods and cultures.
• Show a knowledge and understanding of a range of individual musical works and appraise particular performances, live or recorded.

Teaching Staff