Download Chapter 8: Term Planners and Practice Booklets

Term Planners and Practice Booklets
(to be read in conjunction with Instrumental / Vocal Teaching Activities
Using Croydon Music Stars and Croydon Music Stars Handbook)
For small group / individual tuition use the Term Planner and Lesson Record
For large group / ensemble teaching use the Ensemble Planner
For SoundStart and other whole class teaching use weekly lesson planners
Electronic templates of the planners are available in the teachers’ section of the CMA
website.
Lesson Planning
There are three stages to good planning:
Planning Stage
Time scale
Long Term Planning
A Year or more
Medium Term Planning
A Term or
Half Term
Short Term Planning
A Lesson
CMA documentation
SoundStart Scheme of Work,
Croydon Music Stars
Term Planner and Lesson Record, Practice
Booklet: Learning objectives
Term Planner and Lesson Record
Lesson Planning and Recording
Long term planning is provided by the Scheme of Work. There is a separate Scheme of
Work for each SoundStart or Sound Progress. For the initial stages of instrumental
learning the Scheme of Work is provided by the criteria in the Croydon Music Stars
handbook. Teachers will design individual pathways for more advanced pupils. More
ideas can be found in the documentation for A Common Approach on the Music Mark
website: (http://www.musicmark.org.uk/marketplace/resources/common-approach)
Medium term planning is recorded in the Learning Objectives on the Term Planner and the
Targets. They should be completed at the beginning of term, using the prior learning
evidenced in the previous Term Planner and from the relevant Scheme of Work.
Short term planning is recorded in the Lesson Planning and Recording notes in the Term
Planner. They should be completed each week, including notes of what was covered in
lessons, how pupils responded, and specific work set and plans for the following week.
The Term Planner and Lesson Record uses the headings from the Music Mark Framework
for Progression in Musical Learning. There are fewer headings in the Practice Booklet and
Music Lesson Report for pupils and parents / carers.
Lesson Planner
Objectives: use criteria from the progression framework, amended (or extended) to fit the
specific instrument/voice.
Grade equivalent level: as needed on CMA registers at the end of term:
Working at: record the assessment type and level a pupil is currently working at (if any):
Music Star, Music Medal or Grade
Assessment: for the pupil assessment use: W - working towards, M - met, E – exceeded
Practice Booklet
All pupils should have a practice booklet for their record of their targets and the work they
have been set. There are two booklets, one for primary school beginners until they have
completed their Croydon Music Stars and one for older more advanced pupils,
Information for Parents and Carers
Explain to pupils that this first section is something parents and carers should read, and
point out the format for the email address and your name so that you can be contacted.
The information includes the link for online learning. Please contact the office for a code to
enable pupils to access the Sound Works website.
Targets and Practice Schedule for each half term
At the beginning of each half term have a discussion with each pupil about medium term
development targets which you and / or they have identified to work on over the half term.
Note these down here and in your term planner and lesson record sheet for that group.
Refer to the Progression Framework / Croydon Music Stars for the different strands and
criteria which can be used and adapted to create targets. For the practice schedule, write
in the exercises, scales and pieces which should form part of the regular practice routine.
This should be updated as necessary at each lesson. Rewriting the schedule in full once
each half term rather than every week maximises the music making time in lessons.
Comments on Achievement in Autumn Term
At the end of the Autumn Term discuss with each pupil their progress over the term. The
student and then the teacher should write down their comments and sign them. Ask the
student to show this page to their parents / carers and ask for a signature and any
comments from a parent / carer. This provides parents and carers with an interim report,
and initial report for beginners. The full annual report should be completed in the Summer.
Music Centre Information
Encourage pupils who are the appropriate standard and are not yet members to come to
the CYM Open Day to experience the enjoyment of making music with others. Encourage
more advanced students to visit the CMA website and find out about groups they can join.
Practice Booklets with plot your practice pathway (for more advanced pupils)
There is space for using simultaneous learning for seven pieces. The steps are:
 Write down the name of the piece and a note or two about its style and character.
 Decide what new learning and preparatory work is involved, and note these in the
relevant ovals as you go over them with the pupils and they try out the practical
activities following your modelling as appropriate.
 Broadly speaking the ovals on the left are the starting point and more activities are
then added on the right.
 Ask pupil to draw lines when practising at home to plot their own order, starting with
the box with the name of the piece and going through the learning and the activities
putting that learning into practice.
 Once pupil has completed the preparatory work they are ready to play the piece.
The manuscript page can be used as required, by you or the pupil, for example if they wish
to notate a short composition.
Practice Books with Croydon Music Stars (for primary school beginners until they have
completed their Croydon Music Stars)
See separate Using Croydon Music Stars document for guidance for recording in the
practice booklet when the criteria are met and tasks completed.