Broomfields
Community Junior School provides full-time education for 461 pupils. The
proportion of pupils with special educational needs is below average. Overall,
pupils' levels of attainment on entry to the school are above average, but have
been rising over the last four years from below average in 1999.
In music, standards
are well above expectations at the end of Year 6 and their levels of
achievement are very good, especially in singing.
Standards in music
are well above expectations at the end of Year 6 and pupils' achievement is
very good.
Ofsted School
inspection report - March 2003.
Background and
rationale
The school was keen
to raise the profile of music throughout the curriculum. The school has always
had a strong musical tradition, but more extra-curricular than curricular. Teaching music in every class with every teacher
is the issue that needed to be addressed - enhancing the skill level and
confidence of all classroom teachers. The pupils were good at listening and
appraising, less good at composition.
Project Report
Description
The project started
with staff doing a self evaluation of their knowledge and ability to teach
musical composition. Each year group has a different focus in musical
composition and these skills and processes are transferable to other stimulus.
Commentary
The project started
with staff doing a self evaluation of their knowledge and ability to teach
musical composition. Each year group has a different focus in musical
composition and these skills and processes are transferable to other stimulus.
Implications
Development of
composition element within each year group. Including the use of formal and
informal notation. Create a music page on the school website.
Evaluation
Classes are now
timetabled to use the music room once a week. Pupils seemed to lack confidence
in music previously as the teachers were not confident teaching it. However as the teachers' confidence has
increased the pupils' responses have improved. Pupils are trying different
things because they are now being given the opportunity to do so. The project has allowed the teachers to
realise that they need to let pupils experiment with instruments for them to
understand the sound that they make before a more 'skilled and discriminating'
sound is made. Musical vocabulary has increased as pupils now understand the
terminology more readily.
The project has
already had an impact on planning. The school is now looking to adopt a
thematic curriculum to ensure that musical aspects are built on and that
planning takes account of music. Year 6 teachers were concerned about teaching
notation to their pupils so the tutor worked with the teachers to help them to
do this.
The tutor has been outstanding - informative,
fun and realistic. Teachers readily accepted the tutor because of his
background and experience. He demonstrated activities in the school setting
with the school's pupils which gave the teachers confidence. He demonstrated a
range of opening activities, starter songs etc., which were recorded onto DVD as
a resource. Individual year group teachers have contacted the tutor for
further guidance. The teachers have really enjoyed the project and its
practical nature.
