Discover Music
Music at Aspire
Aspire School offers a needs-based approach to learning and teaching. We are aspirational with our learning offer and believe that all pupils can achieve great things. We want all of our pupils to reach their full potential and our Music curriculum can be adapted to suit all pathways as appropriate, with pupils able to move between pathways.
We are using the Sounds of Intent – Count Me In! scheme of work to support the pupils skill and knowledge development in Music. This scheme offers a wide range of musical influences, different instruments and the opportunity for pupils at all levels to come together to perform as group if appropriate.
To provide further music opportunities for the pupils, they will also be offered activities using Music for the Brain suggestions– an extension from the Count Me In scheme – to provide greater coverage and cross curricular learning to embed the music skills learnt in the curriculum.
It is our intention that all pupils in all pathways engage in music, taking into account their individual needs and previous knowledge. Individual learning intentions will be set by the class teacher to challenge and motivate individuals and will be followed according to the long term plan for each pathway. These may be linked to over-arching topics, taught as stand-alone sessions or embedded into continuous provision to provide a rich, engaging curriculum for all our pupils to inspire them and support their development.
This curriculum is not restricted by age groups, but by the personal learning needs of each pupil and therefore progression may not be linear throughout their school career. Lessons are planned by the class teacher using the songs and suggestions from the Count Me In scheme to ensure that the skills and activities are appropriate manner for pupils current cognitive ability, SEMH and sensory needs which may not match their age. This could mean that a pupil in Year 6 is still following KS1 skills if this is appropriate for them.
As we are aspirational for all our pupils, we also offer an age-appropriate or above programme of study for those who attain this level. In our EYFS classes, they will be using the Count Me In Scheme for their Music lessons in addition to the Development Matters Early Learning Goals to support and assess their pupils.
Sounds of Intent
We use Sounds of Intent for music at Aspire as it is a model of musical development that sets out how we all engage with music, from children in the early years to older people with dementia, from those with profound learning difficulties who are still learning to process sound, to others who are regarded as advanced musicians in their culture. Sounds of Intent is not specific to a particular style or genre of music meant to support our children to:
- understand how to engage with music in different ways
- differentiate what they do according to their musical abilities, interests, preferences and needs
- gauge the impact of their work.
Domains and levels
Sounds of Intent identifies three different ways in which people engage with music, called ‘domains’. These are ‘reactive’, ‘proactive’ and ‘interactive’
These 3 domains are then mapped across 6 levels to give 18 headlines for musical engagement
Count Me In
We deliver this music curriculum in a variety of ways to suit the children in each pathway. One of the resources we use is the Count Me In scheme.
If you would like to find out more about Sounds of Intent or Count Me In, please visit the following website: