Music

Overview

Purpose of study

Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. A high-quality music education should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon.

Aims

The national curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils:  

  • perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians
  • learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence
  • understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.

Attainment targets

By the end of each key stage, pupils are expected to know, apply and understand the matters, skills and processes specified in the relevant programme of study.

Subject content

Key stage 1

Pupils should be taught to:  

  • use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes
  • play tuned and untuned instruments musically
  • listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high-quality live and recorded music
  • experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the inter-related dimensions of music.

Key stage 2

Pupils should be taught to sing and play musically with increasing confidence and control. They should develop an understanding of musical composition, organising and manipulating ideas within musical structures and reproducing sounds from aural memory.

Pupils should be taught to:

  • play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using their voices and playing musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression
  • improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the inter-related dimensions of music
  • listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory
  • use and understand staff and other musical notations
  • appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians
  • develop an understanding of the history of music.

Intent, Implementation, Impact

Progression of Language

Progression of Skills

Song and StyleInstrumentVocabulary to be introduced or recappedKey KnowledgeKey Skills
FSAutumn Term

Me!
PercussionPulseo    To sing or rap nursery rhymes and simple songs from memory.o    Songs have sections.o    A performance is sharing music.o    To know that we can move with the pulse of the music.o    To sing along with a pre-recorded song and add actions.o    To sing along with the backing track.o    Perform any nursery rhymes or songs adding a simple instrumental part
Spring Term

Everyone!
PercussionPulse
Summer Term

Big Bear Funk
Percussion/GlockenspielsPulse
Year 1Autumn Term

Hey You!

Old School Hip Hop
Percussion/GlockenspielsPulseo    To confidently sing or rap songs from memory and sing them in unison.o    Learn the names of the notes in their instrumental part from memory or when written down.o    Learn the names of the instruments they are playingo    Learn about voices, singing notes of different pitches (high and low). Learn that they can make different types of sounds with their voices – you can rap or say words in rhythm.o    Learn to start and stop singing when following a leader.o    Treat instruments carefully and with respect.o    Listen to and follow musical instructions from a leader.o    Play a tuned instrumental part with the song they perform
Spring Term

Round and Round

Bossa Nova
Percussion/GlockenspielsRhythm

Pulse
Summer Term

Your Imagination

Pop
Percussion/GlockenspielsPitch

Rhythm
Year 2Autumn Term

Hands, Feet, Heart

Afropop (South African)
Percussion/GlockenspielsPulse

Rhythm

Pitch
o    To confidently know and sing five songs from memory.o    To know that unison is everyone singing at the same time.o    Songs include other ways of using the voice e.g. rapping (spoken word).o    Learn the names of the notes in their instrumental part from memory or when written down.o    Know the names of untuned percussion instruments played in class.o    Learn about voices singing notes of different pitches (high and low).o    Learn that they can make different types of sounds with their voices – you can rap (spoken word with rhythm).o    Learn to find a comfortable singing position.o    Learn to start and stop singing when following a leader.o    Play the part in time with the steady pulse.o    Listen to and follow musical instructions from a leader.
Spring Term

I wanna play in a band

Rock
Percussion/GlockenspielsDynamics

Tempo
Summer Term

Friendship Song

Pop
Percussion/GlockenspielsDynamics

Tempo
Year 3Autumn Term

Let Your Spirit Fly

RnB
GlockenspielsStructure

Pulse

Rhythm

Pitch
o    Singing in a group can be called a choiro    Leader or conductor: A person who the choir or group follow Songs can make you feel different things e.g. happy, energetic or sad Singing as part of an ensemble or large group is fun, but that you must listen to each othero    To know and be able to talk about the instruments used in class (a glockenspiel, a recorder)o    To sing in unison and in simple two-parts.o    To follow a leader when singing.o    To sing with awareness of being ‘in tune’o    To have an awareness of the pulse internally when singingo    To rehearse and perform their part within the context of the Unit song.o    To listen to and follow musical instructions from a leader
Spring Term

Three Little Birds

Reggae
RecordersDynamics

Tempo
Summer Term

Bringing Us Together

Disco
GlockenspielsTexture

Structure
Year 4Autumn Term

Mamma Mia

Pop
RecordersDynamics

Tempo
o    Texture: How a solo singer makes a thinner texture than a large groupo    To know why you must warm up your voiceo    To know and be able to talk about the instruments used in class (a glockenspiel, recorder and other instruments they might play or be played in a band or orchestra or by their friends.o    To sing with awareness of being ‘in tune’.o    To rejoin the song if lost.o    To listen to and follow musical instructions from a leader.o    To experience leading the playing by making sure everyone plays in the playing section of the song
Spring Term

Stop!

Grime
GlockenspielsTexture

Structure
Summer Term

Lean On Me

Gospel
GlockenspielsNotation
Year 5Autumn Term

Livin’ On a Prayer

Rock
GlockenspielsTimbre

Structure
o    To choose a song and be able to talk about: Its main features, singing in unison, the solo, lead vocal, backing vocals or rapping and to know what the song is about and the meaning of the lyricso    To know and be able to talk about different ways of writing music down – e.g. staff notation, symbolso    To sing in unison and to sing backing vocalso    To experience rapping and solo singing.o    To listen to each other and be aware of how you fit into the group.o    To sing with awareness of being ‘in tune’.
Spring Term

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Old School Hip Hop
GlockenspielsNotation
Summer Term

Dancing in the Street

Motown
RecordersNotation

Timbre
Year 6Autumn Term

Happy

Pop/ Neo Soul
RecordersNotation

Texture
o    To know about the style of the songs so you can represent the feeling and context to your audienceo    To choose a song and be able to talk about: Its main features, singing in unison, the solo, lead vocal, backing vocals or rapping and to know what the song is about and the meaning of the lyricso    To know and be able to talk about different ways of writing music down – e.g. staff notation, symbolso    To sing in unison and to sing backing vocalso    To experience rapping and solo singing.o    To listen to each other and be aware of how you fit into the group.o    To sing with awareness of being ‘in tune’.o    To lead a rehearsal session
Spring Term

You’ve Got a Friend

70s Ballad/ Pop
GlockenspielsMelody

Harmony

Structure
Summer Term

Music and Me

Cultural Music and their own inspirations/ identities
Linked to pupils interest or cultural musicImprovise

Compose

Structure

Schemes of Work