Designing a School Music Policy

Developing a School Music Policy

This support material hopes to guide you through the process of preparing for and formulating your music policy documentation. A 'cut and paste' section is included for you to download, amend and augment. This which will possibly save some valuable preparation time.

A Music Policy should allow the following questions to be answered:

The attainment levels provide a framework for standardised assessment at the end of each Key Stage. (In practice I feel there is still work to be done here to ensure that there is some consistency throughout the country - remember a 'best fit' approach seems most sensible). Programmes of Study establish the matters, skills and processes which pupils should be taught. Additional support may come from published music activity resources but these are not a substitute for a scheme.

If you need a sample scheme then please refer to your County Music Adviser or look at the planning guidance and support materials at www.m4t.or/planning

The Programmes of Study should enable curriculum planning to be facilitated in such a way as to ensure pupils' confidence, knowledge and skills, understanding and critical/aural awareness by a programme which identifies individual pupils' needs and offers breadth, balance and coherence.

Musical activities including notation (of all types), memorising, listening, performing, composing and improving, should address the musical concepts of pitch, rhythm, dynamics, timbre, texture and form/structure.

Planning for Progression/Continuity
A statement is required providing information and how planning is undertaken for progression and continuity:

for a whole class across a key stage(s)
for each individual pupil

An agreed scheme of work would aid the planning process.

Planning a scheme of work could be undertaken in a number of different ways: -

Using the Programmes of Study as they stand in the Orders
Using the non-statutory strands and compiling an objective summary of each along with suggested examples
Planning from a skills/concept base, i.e. identifying firstly all the various skills/concepts such as rhythm, pitch, duration etc., and planning, using the strands, focusing on one or more elements for each unit of work. This method probably allows for the most coherent course of progression, and also enables the biggest variety of teaching styles to flourish. It also provides evidence suitable for a manageable assessment scheme.
Or
Use the Shropshire Schemes of Work as a basis and then amend to suit your own school professional judgements.

Contributions to the Whole School Curriculum

A statement is needed outlining music's contribution within the whole school curriculum to: -

The relationship/contribution of music to other curricular areas should be explored.

School Action Plan
The Policy Statement should be completed with reference to the intended changes to be implemented following the audit/policy discussions, giving some indication of when, how and by whom. This should be related to the School Development Plan and the most recent post-Ofsted action plan.

Monitoring, Evaluating and Reviewing
Policy implementation should be monitored by the Head/Consultant. Evaluation should, where possible, be by the whole school staff. Review should be periodical (perhaps a light touch every year to ensure that major revisions do not need to be made every four years) but may need to be considered in the light of national/local and school initiatives/changes, and also in the light of recommendation following school inspection.

Formulating the Music Policy:

This section suggests a set of headings with some sample statements that when amended and expanded to match your school view, might be incorporated into your policy:

MUSIC
What is music? e.g. sounds organised into patterns, a practical subject, an enjoyable experience, etc.
What are our aims? e.g. to develop an awareness of and an appreciation of organised patterns of sound and silence/to develop aural imagery/to develop a critical, analytical, and above all, a sensitive response to music/to encourage and nurture the expression of ideas and feelings through music/to development vocal and instrumental skills/to be aware of and understanding and traditions, styles and cultures from other times and places/develop the highest possible artistic standards in both staff and pupils.
What musical activities will our pupils participate in? e.g. Performing (playing, singing, presenting etc.); Composing (exploring, improvising, refining etc.) Listening/Appraising (discussing, analysing, understanding, etc.)

PLANNING
Co-ordinated, progressive activities? e.g. development of schemes of work based on units which are themselves based on the development of understanding of the musical elements and skill progression.
National Curriculum Programmes of Study will form the basis of the schemes.
QCA materials - these might provide for activities to link into the 'personalised' scheme
Delivery e.g. discrete/as part of a topic/using a cross-curricular approach, e.g. Science etc./through IT etc.
By whom? e.g. class teacher/co-ordinator/visiting specialist
The enhanced curriculum? e.g. music clubs / ensembles / Music I.T. club / Shropshire Music Service etc.

ASSESSMENT, RECORDING AND REPORTING
How, in terms of pupils musical development e.g. use of class and individual pupil records, along with taped recording/scores/written comments
Match with recording procedures for other curriculum areas e.g. include music (class-based /enhancement /instrumental) on School Record of Achievement

CLASSROOM ORGANISATION
Teaching styles? e.g. didactic, open-ended, project/topic-led, skill based, differentiation by task/outcome/other, etc.
Pupil groupings e.g. paired/small group (friendship, age, ability), whole class, who chooses groupings etc.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
Access for all, regardless of race, creed, or gender - how? e.g. there is equality of opportunity for all, although probably not all pupils will undertake the same tasks, etc.
Access for pupils with SEN e.g. adaptations will be made where necessary to the curriculum, to equipment, to resources, and all activities will be made available, etc.
Access for the musically gifted e.g. through identification, differentiation, and in consultation with the L.E.A., County Music Service etc.

MANAGEMENT AND SUPPORT
Role of the Co-ordinator? e.g. co-ordinating activities and resources, providing expertise, knowledge of current trends /developments, cluster liaison, undertaking a critical role, etc.
Support and nurturing of teacher's own practical skills - how? e.g. Adviser support/time with co-ordinator /team-teaching /suitable CPD/ requesting specific CPD if not already advertised/ demonstration lessons from adviser
Involvement of the Peripatetic Music Support staff - how ? e.g. in consultation with the Adviser/County Music Service - to decide the appropriate type of support
i.e. a) class-based team-teaching b) instrumental learning c) workshops or a combination of these
Outside Agencies? e.g. L.E.A Advisory Team /other local bodies/National Associations.

RESOURCES FOR LEARNING
Organisation/Update/Repair/
Renewal - how? e.g. through the Co-ordinator / a need for short-term and long-term budget planning, etc.
Other resources - what? e.g. radio /TV cassettes /C.D's /Internet /printed resource materials /visiting musicians/parents/cluster co-ordinator, etc.

REVIEW OF POLICY
Monitoring of effectiveness/
Review - how often/
by whom? e.g. termly/annually: by co-ordinator then whole staff

 

Download the 'Policy' documentation as a Microsoft Word file:

Policy - as a 'Microsoft Word' file