Music education at Ribbon Academy aims to ensure that each child grows musically at their own level and pace, whilst fostering musical responsiveness and developing an appreciation of organised sound patterns. Throughout our curriculum design, we strive for our pupils to: ·
- establish a sensitive, analytical and critical response to music.
- perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods,
- recognise genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians
- learn to sing by developing vocal skills to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others,
- have the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument,
- understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.
We believe it is important to expose children to different genres and styles of music to encourage, a wider appreciation. Music sessions are fully inclusive for all children. Our children are made to feel like they are all achieving at their individual level.
Our Music Overview outlines the essential details to ensure full coverage of the National Curriculum whilst providing our teachers with the tools required to ensure our children excel as musicians. These details include: –
- progression of teaching topics
- identification of computing skills to teach, learn and practise
- prioritised knowledge and facts to know, supporting an understanding and composition behind music
Our HLTP Music Specialist delivers Music lessons to all children across school on a weekly basis, making the most of their expertise and the wide range of equipment and instruments we have available in our ‘Music Room’ such as; Samba Drums, Ocarinas, recorders, boomwhackers, glockenspiels, clarinets etc… We provide our children with experience using a broad range of instruments whilst ensuring a clear progression of skill and knowledge. Class teachers are then responsible to provide children with opportunities to apply these skills throughout the week and the Wider Curriculum, where appropriate. As an addition, Durham Music Service are supporting the enrichment of our Year 4 curriculum with specialist teaching for the whole class in learning to play the clarinet.
In addition, The ‘Charanga Music School’ scheme is an additional teaching tool that supports our HTLP and class teachers with week-by-week support, for each year group through lesson plans, clear progression and exciting whiteboard resources. This tool is one part of our ‘Singing Overview’ which maps out the stimulus for learning this overview provides with clear whole-school song and more age-appropriate songs, where vocal and performance skills can be practised. In additional to performing in school assemblies, during the autumn and summer terms, children will take part in music festivals where they showcase their talent with family members. This is their time to shine and celebrate what they can do, in front of an audience.
Music Tuition
Music tuition is also available at Ribbon from Durham Music Services. From Year 4 upwards, children can play either a woodwind instrument such as the flute or saxophone or a brass instrument such as a trumpet or a clarinet. Parents who want their children to participate in the scheme, pay additional music lesson fees on a termly basis.
Each year the Academy will select and fully fund a small number of pupils who show enthusiasm and talent in playing a musical instrument. These pupils will receive lessons, instrument hire and dedicated tuition within school hours each week, in order to nurture and develop their potential.
The pupils selected will:
- be in receipt of Pupil Premium funding
- be funded for the whole academic year
- be from any year group
Funding will be for one year initially, although selection once does not preclude the same pupil being selected again during their school lifetime.
Pupils who engage in lessons, can also access a wealth of opportunities beyond the classroom such as County ensembles, large scale events through both Durham Music Service and other professional organisations. In recent years Ribbon pupils have performed at the Sage Gateshead, Durham Regatta, Brass Festival and taken part in transition and local musical events at local secondary schools.
