Rufford Park Primary School and Nursery

Music

Continue looking at the fantastic opportunities we have here at Rufford Park Primary! 

Our visit to Young Voices at Sheffield Utilita Arena, January 2025...our third year in a row! It's great to participate in a fantastic festival of singing, with thousands of other children.

Our curriculum runs on a two year cycle. Here is a breakdown of the key lessons and themes taught in music at Rufford Park.

Here is Rufford Park's Music policy - set out as Three Is: Intent, Implementation and Impact.

Rufford Park Music – Our Three Is.

Article 31: Every child has the right to relax, play and take part in a wide range of cultural and artistic activities.

Intent (Why do we teach what we teach?)

Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. At ­­­­­Rufford Park Primary School, we are dedicated to creating an enjoyable and engaging experience of music for all children. By encouraging the children to participate in a variety of musical experiences, throughout their time at our school, we are actively increasing their creativity, self-confidence and sense of achievement, whilst at the same time, allowing all pupils to develop their love of music.

We aim to provide a music curriculum which will enable each child to be successful in reaching their full potential.

Children are introduced to a variety of genres of music from around the world and across generations, recognising the multicultural nature of our school and how we use music as a medium to explore and appreciate British and other cultures.

Children will develop transferrable skills which are key in their development as learners and have a wider application in their lives, both inside and outside of school e.g. team-working, leadership, creative thinking, decision-making and performance skills.

Children will be able to make relevant links to other areas of the curriculum.

Children will leave Rufford Park Primary School with confidence and passion for music in one of its many different forms.

Implementation (How do we teach it?)

At Rufford Park Primary School, our music curriculum ensures that children sing, listen, play, perform and evaluate. This is implemented in classroom activities as well as through our peripatetic lessons, whole class instrument lessons and music performances.

Our children experience music in many different ways:

Whole School Music

• Events such as Red Nose Day, Christmas Productions and Assemblies, Easter Performances, Ukulele Gigs and School Leavers’ Concerts provide opportunities for whole school shared music making with particular songs being prepared for these special days.
• Celebration assemblies can also provide opportunities for children to perform a favourite song through music and also play their instruments.
• Classical and contemporary music is played as the children enter Whole School Assemblies and each piece is discussed as part of the assembly.qa2

Classroom Music

• In the Early Years, music is incorporated consistently into daily routines and is used to enhance teaching of the core curriculum. A trolley of musical instruments is always out on display and the children are encouraged to use these instruments in their learning and play.
• It is in EYFS where children’s musical awareness is developed to support their imagination and creativity. This early love of music is then developed throughout the school, whereupon, children are encouraged to perform, rehearse, sing and explore their own musicality
• We have a specialist, peripatetic teacher, who delivers singing throughout the school, in weekly singing sessions. These sessions are delivered by phase (KS1, LKS2 and UKS2) often along with the Music Lead (a music specialist teacher). They deliver a bespoke series of sessions, building on singing skills throughout the school, ensuring progression. These skills are put into practice in a variety of performances throughout the school year.
• Almost every year group follows a variety of projects from the Sing Up scheme of work, which covers different areas of the music curriculum. The individual strands are interwoven in lessons to create engaging, enriching learning that progresses through the years and throughout the key stages. Music lessons comprise of: performing, listening, composing, the history of music and the interrelated dimensions of music.
• The one exception to this is in Y5, when the children all learn to play the ukulele, taught by a music specialist. Throughout this year, all elements of the music curriculum are taught – including singing, performing, composing, listening and evaluating.

Tuition

As part of the vision for Rufford Park Primary, every child has an opportunity to experience instrumental playing (tuned and untuned instruments), either as an individual, in a small group or as a whole class.

• Woodwind tuition
• Brass tuition
• Children in LKS2 experience Recorder lessons as part of their music sessions
• Y5 Ukulele lessons

Performance Opportunities

• Live music performances from visiting bands, groups and musicians – annual programmes
• School Productions (inc Nativity, Y3-5 Easter Production and Y6 End of Year)
• Assembly performances
• Local community performances
• Local to Leeds events – Big Sing, Young Musicians Proms
• National events – Young Voices

Extra-curricular

Extra-curricular music includes:

• Weekly choir practice for Y3 – Y6 children.

Impact (What has been the impact and how do we know?)

The impact of the Music curriculum at Rufford Park Primary can be seen through:

• Our children being engaged and excited by our music curriculum. The skills that they are taught equip them with a range of skills to enable them to appreciate music throughout their lives
• Our children becoming confident performers, composers and listeners, who are able to express themselves musically at school and beyond
• Our children showing an appreciation and respect for a range of music from a variety of genres across a variety of generations
• Our children demonstrating and expressing their enthusiasm for music
• Our children progressing throughout the music curriculum which enables them to meet the expectations outlined at the end of each key stage for the national curriculum

Participation in music develops wellbeing, promotes listening and develops concentration. At Rufford Park we want to ensure that music is loved by teachers and pupils across school, encouraging them to want to continue building on this wealth of musical ability, now and in the future.

2023-2024 Music Curriculum

We continue to provide children with opportunities to be immersed in musical experiences and strive to promote the importance of music including taking part in a number of music-focused school trips and events. 

The children have access to peripatetic lessons through the Music for Schools Foundation which provide focused and tailored music lessons delivered by specialist teachers. If you would like to find out more information please email the School Office. As part of our commitment to increasing opportunities for all children to learn a musical instrument, all children will be taught to play the ukulele by a specialist teacher from Artforms in Year 5.  

At Rufford Park, all children from Year 2 upwards are invited to join the choir where we are building a repertoire of songs ready to perform at various events throughout the year. Since 2021, the choir has attended Young Voices in Sheffield (2023, 2024), the Tree of Lights Festival in Yeadon (2021, 2022, 2023), the Leeds Youth Music Celebration Festival at Leeds Arena (2023) as well as the City of Leeds Youth Music Prom (2022, 2024).  

All children in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 take part in singing assemblies each week where they practise their listening and responding skills and develop their vocal range and ability to perform a range of songs. 

Music Progression Map

Each school has to set out their development plan for Music - please find Rufford Park's Music Development Plan below.

Music Curriculum Map

Rufford Park Primary School Music News

Lots of exciting music events happen each term at Rufford Park. Here are some of the key musical moments from Autumn Term 2024.