Welcome to Music

At Ark Bentworth, we understand that music has an unparalleled capacity to stimulate pupils’ cognitive, physical, emotional and social development.  Through music we can express, represent and communicate our ideas and perceptions, experience personal challenge as well as a sense of communal belonging and be creative, yet also disciplined. 

We aim to provide a progressive and practical curriculum in which music is the ‘target language’ and pupils can develop the knowledge, skills and habits needed to enjoy a life-long relationship with music.  We work in partnership with Ark Music to ensure that pupils have access to high quality musical experiences, encounter great music making and experience a knowledge-rich curriculum.  Through Ark Music, we provide a robust vocal curriculum that ensures key musical knowledge and skills are taught in a sequential and connected manner.  We also ensure that musicianship skills are further developed through an instrumental programme, from exploring hand-held and tuned percussion to whole class instrumental learning through djembe and ukulele lessons.  Embedded within both programmes are carefully planned, progressive composition and improvisation activities which enable pupils to develop both their creative and their collaborative skills, from exploratory, play-based learning to song writing projects.  Musical notation is another core element of both vocal and instrumental learning at Ark Bentworth, beginning with an approach inspired by the composer and music educator, Kodály, but also including other forms of notation such as grid or graphic notation that support the study of world music and modern classical music.  In designing our music curriculum, we take account of diverse musical traditions from singing call and response folk songs to learning about 12-bar blues, from composition projects inspired by 20th century classical music to immersion in world music through African drumming workshops and weekly djembe lessons.