Music
Early Years
Children in Nursery and Reception are taught by a specialist music teacher or by their class teacher. Throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage, children build up a repertoire of simple songs and chants. They are encouraged to express their ideas and feelings through movement to music; using their bodies to create different sounds; playing percussion instruments and developing their listening skills through simple games. Children are given the opportunity to develop their creativity through suggesting ways in which songs, actions and sounds can be changed and manipulated.
Key Stage 1
Years 1 and 2 are taught once a week by a specialist music teacher or by their class teacher. They also take part in weekly singing assemblies.
Across the Key Stage, children develop their knowledge and understanding of the different elements of music such as pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo and structure. They combine these elements when composing their own music to accompany stories and create different moods.
Children use their voices to sing songs, speak rhymes and chants, as well as learning to play tuned and untuned percussion instruments. They experience a variety of live and recorded music performances, learning to listen to details and talk about the sounds they hear.
Language Unit classes
Children from the Language Unit are taught along broadly the same lines as their equivalent mainstream classes. In Key Stage 1, music lessons focus on developing confidence through repetition of simple songs and chants. Children are encouraged to communicate ideas verbally and non-verbally through movement and body percussion sounds.
Key Stage 2
Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 are taught once a week by a specialist music teacher or by their class teacher. All of Key Stage 2 take part in weekly singing assemblies.
Across the Key Stage, children have the opportunity to experience a wide range of music across an array of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of great musicians and composers. Children are encouraged to listen with attention to detail and recall sounds, rhythms and melodic patterns from memory. They learn to sing and perform on tuned and untuned percussion instruments, both in groups and individually, increasing confidence and control by applying their knowledge of the elements of music.
The children also create their own instrumental and vocal music for a variety of different purposes through improvisation and composition.
In Key Stage 2, children explore different ways in which music can be written down, such as the use of graphic scores and symbols, as well as learning to read and write more traditional methods of notation.
Language Unit classes
Children from the Language Unit are taught along broadly the same lines as their equivalent mainstream classes. In Key Stage 2, music lessons focus on teamwork and increasing concentration through performing together as a class. Children also develop their independence through making decisions about how sounds can be created and combined.
Clubs
In KS2, children have the opportunity to join an after school club where they learn to sing harmonies and perform a wide range of music from traditional world music to pop songs, or learn a musical instrument.
Music Curriculum Overview - Whole School
Planning Overview - Years 1 - 4
Knowledge and Skills - ReceptionKnowledge and Skills - Year 1Knowledge and Skills - Year 2Knowledge and Skills - Year 3Knowledge and Skills - Year 4Knowledge and Skills - Year 5Knowledge and Skills - Year 6Learning ProgressionMusical Progression - KS1Musical Progression KS2My Music Passport - Years 1 to 2Scheme OverviewMusical Vocabulary - Years 1 - 6
