Music Development Plan
Overview
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Detail |
Information |
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Academic year that this summary covers |
2025/2026 |
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Date this summary was published |
July 2025 |
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Date this summary will be reviewed |
July 2026 |
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Name of the school music lead(s) |
K. Collin/R. Edson |
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Name of school leadership team member with responsibility for music (if different) |
M. Lawrenson |
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Name of local music hub |
Sheffield Music Hub |
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Name of other music education organisation(s) (if partnership in place) |
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This is a summary of how our school delivers music education to all our pupils across three areas – curriculum music, co-curricular provision and musical experiences – and what changes we are planning in future years. This information is to help pupils and parents or carers understand what our school offers and who we work with to support our pupils’ music education.
Part A: Curriculum music
This is about what we teach in lesson time, how much time is spent teaching music and any music qualifications or awards that pupils can achieve.
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Great music education is a partnership between classroom teachers, instrumental teachers, professional performers and a host of other organisations from the performing arts and voluntary sectors. Many children will have their first experience of playing and creating music in educational settings. It is important that high quality music education is available to all. At Meadowhead School, we offer music across all key stages as part of a thriving Faculty of Performing Arts. We recognise the important role that music plays in children’s academic, personal and social development and we provide an enriching and well sequenced music curriculum. All students study music for 1 hour per week in Years 7 and 8 before undertaking an equal rotation of music and drama in year 9. The music curriculum is modelled around the assessed areas of music learning; composition, performing and appraisal and includes a variety of music styles, instruments and genres. The curriculum is designed to build up learners’ instrumental skills and understanding of the elements of music and the department embeds music context and theory through the practical application of music in lessons. The curriculum currently covers topics such as Samba, Keyboard Skills, Film Music and West African Drumming. The topics are rooted in the development of music skills, both from an instrumental perspective and a music technology perspective. At KS4, Meadowhead offers GCSE and Vocational Music on the Eduqas exam board. In KS5, Meadowhead offers Edexcel A-Level Music. The curriculum is staffed by specialist music teachers of high-calibre and is further supported by fully funded instrumental lessons for learners studying courses at KS4 and KS5. Instrumental lessons are also offered at KS3 and staffed by visiting tutors from the Sheffield Music Hub. The department is well resourced with two purpose-built music classrooms and a number of smaller practice rooms which are used frequently in lessons. The department has access to a wide range of instruments, including but not exclusive to pianos, keyboards, a huge range of percussion instruments including full sized drum kits; guitars, ukuleles, string and bass instruments. The school has a full suite of African and Latin American percussion instruments. Music lessons include a range of whole class ensemble work and smaller group or solo performance work. The curriculum encourages learners to be creative and active in music. The department areas include full suites of PC’s and gives students access to music composition programmes Sibelius, Charanga and MuseScore. |
Part B: Co-curricular music
This is about opportunities for pupils to sing and play music, outside of lesson time, including choirs, ensembles and bands, and how pupils can make progress in music beyond the core curriculum.
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Meadowhead school offers peripatetic music lessons across all key stages in partnership with Sheffield Music Hub. Visiting tutors offer tuition in singing, strings, woodwind, guitar, drums and piano. The school is proud to be in partnership with Sheffield Music Hub as it allows us to offer tuition in a whole host instruments and we are responsive to student requests, planning the tuition offer with flexibility and foresight. Meadowhead offers a range of music ensembles including strings group, brass group, woodwind group and choir. These groups meet weekly and are well attended by students. The school runs an annual trust choir concert which takes place in the summer term. This concert is done in collaboration with the school’s feeder primary schools and is a wonderful tool of transition and for promoting music. The concert offers Meadowhead’s choir, along with the choirs of our feeder primary schools, the opportunity to sing and showcase their work to an audience at a yearly event. The trust choir concert has been established for many years at Meadowhead and is always well received. Meadowhead also offers a school production which the Performing Arts department lead on at whole school level. This production includes music, acting and dance and affords opportunities for performance in either/and all performing arts disciplines. Singing (ensemble, duet, solo) and live band and/or instrumental groups are a proud part of our yearly school production. Meadowhead also offers the ‘We Compose’ project with Y10 students. This is a collaboration between the school and music in the round and offers students the opportunity to work with professional composers and musicians in the creation of a composition. Students’ compositions are played in performance by professional musicians and students are invited to watch this concert and see their work performed live. |
Part C: Musical experiences
This is about all the other musical events and opportunities that we organise, such as singing in assembly, concerts and shows, and trips to professional concerts.
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Meadowhead has planned the musical ‘Legally Blonde’ as the 25/26 academic year school production. This production will include music, drama and dance aspects. This show will be open to all year groups and will also afford opportunities for backstage technical roles where students will lead on sound and lighting. Meadowhead will run the annual Trust Choir Concert in July 2025. The choir is open to all year groups and will be done in conjunction with Y5 feeder school students. Meadowhead will offer the opportunity for instrumentalists and choir members to perform at the local care home White Willows. |
In the future
This is about what the school is planning for subsequent years.
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Music is part of an ever-evolving Performing Arts landscape and Meadowhead is proud to be moving forward with its music offer. Development areas include:
Increasing opportunities for trips and visits to either see or perform music |
Further information (optional)
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More information about the Sheffield Music Hub can be found here: https://www.sheffieldmusichub.org/ The Department for Education also publishes a guide for parents and young people on how they can get involved in music in and out of school, and where they can go to for support beyond the school. |