Intent

‘A Griffin musician is an assured music maker and strong team player who is open to a range of musical experiences, is supportive and celebrates all cultures. They participate with enthusiasm and loyalty, demonstrating confidence and the curiosity to develop musically’

– Griffin Schools Trust – Musicianship Statement

At Bramford Primary School, the intention is that children gain a firm understanding of music through listening, singing, playing, evaluating, analysing, and composing across a wide variety of historical periods, styles, traditions, and musical genres. Our objective is to develop a curiosity for the subject, as well as an understanding and acceptance of the validity and importance of all types of music, ensuring an unbiased respect for the role that music may serve in any person’s life.

We are committed to ensuring children understand the value and importance of music in the wider community, and are able to use their musical skills, knowledge, and experiences to involve themselves in music, in a variety of different contexts.

It is our aim to offer an outstanding independent-style music education for all students, predicated on breadth and excellence. We provide a rich programme of free extra-curricular activities. We create an involving and stimulating physical environment and we utilise the local Dudley Performing Arts Music Hub, who provide a team of interesting and talented music specialists and practitioners who are motivated to advance their own knowledge and skills as well as their pupils’ achievement. Through our music provision, we aim to teach young people to discover their talents and passions and to take their places in society through breadth of provision and diversity of ambition.

Implementation

Weekly Music lessons at Bramford are taught through The Griffin Schools Trust Primary Music Curriculum, led by a music specialist. Our curriculum ensures that all pupils access opportunities to sing, listen, play, compose, perform, and critically evaluate their own and others’ performance using technical vocabulary.

Through this carefully curated and aspirational curriculum, our teachers follow a sequenced scheme of work, adapting it where appropriate, and applying their own specific skills and subject knowledge. The curriculum is divided and themed into six, whole-school, half-termly units, each with a specific musical learning focus. This supports all pupils in their musical progression through the Key Stages. This framework nurtures fundamental musical techniques alongside building musical knowledge and literacy, offering a clear pathway towards sound musical appreciation. A firm understanding of staff notation complements developing aural skills, improvisation, memorisation, and composition.

Our Skills and Progression map also ensures that all interrelated dimensions of music are applied and implemented, enabling children to apply their skills and knowledge, musical terminology to dissect it, and understand how it is made, played, written, appreciated, and analysed. This ensures that children develop their musical skills systematically, building their knowledge of music from one year to the next.

Within the EYFS setting, music is an integral part of our children’s learning journey. Rhyme and rhythm are utilised throughout the learning of phonics, handwriting and mathematics. Children learn a wide range of songs and rhymes and develop skills for performing together. Singing and music-making opportunities are used frequently to embed learning, develop musical awareness and demonstrate how music can be used to express feelings.
Alongside our broad and rich music curriculum, a Bramford child also benefits from participating in our instrumental tuition programme. This programme is delivered by our specialist teachers, including those from Dudley Performing Arts Music Hub. These lessons provide children with the opportunity to learn to play an instrument as part of an ensemble and to engender a love of music learning.

Our whole class instrumental programme focuses on the ukulele in year 3. We proudly offer free instrumental hire and tuition to all pupils as we strongly believe that every child should have access to a high-quality music education.

Performance is at the heart of musical teaching and learning at Bramford Primary School and pupils participate in a range of performances. Music strongly leads our school’s Proud Traditions and key celebration points during the year – from our Key Stage One Nativity to our Founder’s Day Big Sing and the Griffin Arts Festival. As well as our own school annual musical, pupils also collaborate with our partner schools within The Griffin Schools Trust, performing in various events during the year. Pupils who are confident musicians are also encouraged to perform in solo performances as well as being supported in entering the Annual Griffin Schools Trust Music Medal Competition and the local Dudley Music Hub Events.

Singing is a strength at Bramford and pupils have many opportunities to demonstrate this either through cross-trust and collegiate activities, weekly singing assemblies, annual school shows and within their day-to-day lessons with their class teachers.  Students who demonstrate excellence in singing are invited to join the Griffin Children’s Chorus, who perform at St Giles Church in the Barbican and this also at Coventry Cathedral. Through our external arts partnerships and Trust-led projects, we offer our students the opportunity to participate in and attend high-quality, inspirational and aspirational experiences that truly widen their horizons.

At Bramford, we understand and value the importance of a whole school approach to delivering our music programme. Through coaching and mentoring individuals, our ECT programme, and bespoke whole school twilight CPD sessions, we support staff in developing their skills, knowledge, pedagogical understanding, and confidence in embedding music into their own practise.

We are committed to ensuring children understand the value and importance of music in the wider community, and are able to use their musical skills, knowledge, and experiences to involve themselves in music, in a variety of different contexts.

It is our aim to offer an outstanding independent-style music education for all students, predicated on breadth and excellence. We provide a rich programme of free extra-curricular activities. We create an involving and stimulating physical environment and we utilise the local Dudley Performing Arts Music Hub, who provides a team of interesting and talented music specialists and practitioners who are motivated to advance their own knowledge and skills as well as their pupils’ achievement. Through our music provision, we aim to teach young people to discover their talents and passions and to take their places in society through a breadth of provision and diversity of ambition.

Impact

Whilst in school, children have access to a varied programme, which allows them to discover areas of strength, as well as areas they might like to develop.
The Music provision at Bramford provides active participation opportunities and contributes to:

• The development of community identity and sense of place
• An appreciation of the diversity of our cultures and backgrounds
• Improved well-being, sense of self and the use of music as a tool for expression.

A Bramford child chooses to enjoy music in many ways, as a listener, composer or performer. They can dissect music and comprehend its parts. They can sing with confidence and understand how to further develop skills less known to them. They create and share their own music.

Through their music learning, pupils demonstrate and have an ability for:

• creative and critical thinking
• exercising thoughts, ideas and imagination, and taking risks in learning
• learning in a way which involves task persistence, problem-solving, ownership, empathy, and collaboration
• acquiring a sense of confidence in themselves
• structuring thinking in the light of different kinds of experiences
• understanding the value of teamwork and considering contrasting viewpoints and opinions.