A Fresh Take on Music Education - New Curricular Resources
Josh Cadman
Director at Sing Education | Drawing together first class music teacher, training and curriculum resources for primary schools.
Embracing the mandatory provisions, structural goals and progressive targets set forth in the DfE’s Model Music Curriculum and National Plan for Music Education can be daunting for schools, headteachers and music leads. Let Sing Education be your guide.
Cheese.
Wine.
Friendship.
Some things naturally get better with age.
Cheese ripens and acquires its optimal taste and texture. Wines develop their nose and complex flavour profile. Friendships deepen and mature with the passing of time and the embrace of life’s curveballs.
But learning never stands still.
And educators mustn’t either.
For even more information, practical tips and guidance to help you design a well-rounded school music programme, click here to download your FREE GUIDE “Making Your Music Development Plan Sing.”
That’s why Sing Education have spent the last months updating our music curriculum. We took a bottoms-up approach to reviewing, revising and republishing all the elements of our bespoke music resources.
From our long and medium term planning documents to our pupil voice framework and questions, our Director of Education, Alice Cadman, left no stone unturned. We also engaged with our Teaching and Training Managers, as well as our classroom and instrumental music specialists to revamp all of our curricular/co-curricular resources such as lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations, videos and sheet music.
As a result, Sing Education are now able to deliver what we believe to be the most comprehensive set of professional curricular materials available for national primary school music education.
Follow our journey…
Why Music Education Matters
High quality music education unlocks not just musical talent but also pupil wellbeing, maths ability and a lifelong commitment to learning.
Implementing comprehensive music education in primary schools has the potential to bring about remarkable improvements. It can enhance a school’s academic reputation, enrich learning outcomes across other areas of the core curriculum, and foster emotional well-being for students at risk of social isolation, low self-esteem or anxiety.
“Learning about music and having the opportunity to play musical instruments and make music together is a vital part of a rich and rounded education.
It has also been proven that music plays a key role in brain development. This is because it helps with the nurturing of language, motor skills, emotional intelligence and collaboration skills.” GOV2
Whether catering to early learners, students with special needs, or those with English as an additional language, music offers a powerful tool for promoting self-expression and language acquisition.
For even more information, practical tips and guidance to help you design a well-rounded school music programme, click here to download your FREE GUIDE “Making Your Music Development Plan Sing.”
Direction of Travel for Music Education
With the Government’s publication of the Model Music Curriculum in 2021 and the revised National Plan for Music Education in 2022, headteachers, music coordinators and classroom leaders have been given a rich - yet complex - set of statutory mandates and supporting guidance for the teaching of music.
Coming to grips with the mandatory provisions, structural goals and progressive targets can be a daunting challenge - especially considering the pressures teachers already face delivering core subjects like English, maths and science to the DfE’s high standards.
So what guidance do these documents set forth?
“The 2021 Model Music Curriculum (MMC) sits at the heart of the Government’s agenda for supporting curriculum music in schools during Key Stages 1, 2 and 3. The curriculum development has been teacher led, with input from leading musicians and education sector bodies.
The MMC is a non-statutory resource that provides a practical framework through which the statutory requirements of the curriculum can be met. By setting out a model of how the curriculum can be delivered, it offers guidance and ideas for teachers, and provides a
springboard from which to approach teaching.” GOV1
And how are they meant to work in concert together?
The MMC complements the National Plan for Music Education and is intended to be used by specialist and non-specialist music teachers at Key Stages 1 and 2 (Primary level), building on an Early Years Foundation, and by specialist music teachers in Key Stage 3 (Secondary level). It has been developed with this in mind to provide a strong core set of competencies and shared knowledge. Many schools will want to go well beyond this core and to use it to supplement current practice. GOV1
What Should Music Education Accomplish?
Music is meant to play a central role in education - certainly from Early Years through Key Stage 3 at a minimum but also with the potential for dedicated, talented pupils able to progress through to GSCE, A-level and university/conservatoire study. Music education can lead to a lifetime passion and appreciation, a career in audio production or first chair in a national orchestra.
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And to do so primary and secondary pupils require a well-scoped, progressive approach to learning - from the foundations of pulse and rhythm to the more “technical aspects of music like the basics of how to read music and concepts like staccato and legato.” GOV2
“Music is at the heart of a school and its wider community. It is part of the National Curriculum from the age of 5 to 14, and it should be taught in a carefully planned, sequenced way just like maths, English or science.
Pupils are supported in their musical progression from Year 1 – where they’ll be introduced to beat, rhythm and pitch - through to secondary school, where pupils will be introduced to more technical aspects of music…
At Key Stage 1 and 2, listening to a variety of music styles and sounds is designed to broaden pupils’ musical horizons and encourage them to be open minded about the music they listen to.” GOV2
For even more information, practical tips and guidance to help you design a well-rounded school music programme, click here to download your FREE GUIDE “Making Your Music Development Plan Sing.”
Sing Education - A Music Curriculum That Never Stands Still
At Sing Education, we pride ourselves on our bespoke curriculum, designed to provide children with active music-making and progressive musical learning from Early Years through to the end of year 6.
Our music lessons follow a sequenced and progressive curriculum, fully in line with the Model Music Curriculum and Development Matters, building pupils' skill and knowledge incrementally to prepare them for KS3 and the wider world of music.
We have produced a rich set of resources which we call the "Music Curriculum Pack" so that school leaders, music leads, teachers, parents and Ofsted can gain a clearer understanding of the pedagogy and progression across our music curriculum.
Our updated pack now contains the following important resources:
1. Music Long Term Plan
A map of all the Schemes of Work and focus areas
2. Music Medium Term Planning
Including a yearly overview, expected standard statements, Scheme of Work overviews, keywords and listening
3. Music Expected Standard Statements
All the Expected Standard statements arranged in a table to easily see progression from Nursery to year 6
4. Music Intent and Implementation Template
5. Music Pupil Voice Questions
We are continuously developing our resources for teachers, schools and parents so stay tuned for more.
To learn more about Sing Education, including how our music provision, online instrumental lessons and at home learning resources contribute to a well-rounded music curriculum, please visit www.singeducation.co.uk/schools
For even more information, practical tips and guidance to help you design a well-rounded school music programme, click here to download your FREE GUIDE “Making Your Music Development Plan Sing.”
About Us
Founded in 2014 and serving more than 16,000 children each week, Sing Education is a first class provider of primary school music education. Focusing on high-quality, singing-led tuition, we deliver a complete solution for schools which includes teacher recruitment, training and management, bespoke curricular resources and educational consultancy services.
Through music lessons, singing assemblies, choirs, after school clubs and instrumental tuition, Sing Education works with students from Nursery right through to Year 6. Our core philosophy is that “Every Child Has A Voice,” and, as educators active in the classroom, our directors and teachers know firsthand how much young learners benefit from exciting, rewarding music education.
Sing Education currently partners with schools throughout Greater London and Kent, as well as Yorkshire and the Humber.
Not yet on the list? Please enquire about our expansion plans for additional areas we will serve during the 2023-24 academic year.
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