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Music

Our music leader is Mrs Twells. 

Our Big Idea

Music is a universal language that inspires creativity, builds confidence, and brings people together. Our big idea is that every child is a musician. Through performing, composing and listening, pupils explore musical identify, celebrate diverse cultures, and experience how music builds community and shared understanding.  We want pupils to leave primary school with a love of music and the skills to enjoy it throughout their lives.  

 

Our Approach

We teach music through practical, engaging lessons where children sing, play, listen, and compose. Learning is hands‑on and inclusive, ensuring every child can participate and succeed. We use Kapow to resource our curriculum where pupils study four units a year.  Our year 5 pupils also learn to play an instrument through high quality whole class music tuition led by two qualified music teachers.  Our approach includes:

  • Weekly music lessons taught by class teachers or specialist staff

  • A strong focus on singing and vocal confidence

  • Opportunities to play tuned and untuned instruments

  • Listening to a wide range of musical genres, cultures, and historical periods

  • Creative composition activities that encourage imagination and teamwork

  • Regular performances that build pride and confidence

Music is also woven into wider school life through assemblies, celebrations, and cross‑curricular links.  

Curriculum Overview

Our curriculum is carefully sequenced so that musical skills develop progressively from Early Years to Year 6. Children learn to:

  • Keep a steady beat and recognise rhythmic patterns

  • Sing with control, expression, and accuracy

  • Explore pitch, tempo, dynamics, timbre, and structure

  • Play instruments 

  • Read simple musical notation

  • Create and perform their own compositions

  • Listen critically and talk about music using appropriate vocabulary

Each year group revisits key skills while exploring new challenges, ensuring steady and secure progression.

Autumn

Spring

Summer

F1

Responding to children’s interests and needs through continuous provision and enhancements

F2

Exploring sound

Music and Movement

Transport       Big Band

Year 1/2 (Cycle A)

Keeping the pulse (my favourite things)

Listening and performing

Instruments (Musical storytelling) – tempo and dynamics

Pitch and Tempo – Superheroes = High and low notes; composing a simple tune

Pitch (Musical me) High and low notes

Year 1/2 (Cycle B)

Call and Response – (Animals) Using dynamics, patterns and composition

Sound patterns: fairy tales

Clapping in time to syllables and creating patterns

Structure (myths and legends) Keeping the rhythm and beat

Musical symbols – under the sea

Conveying mood through movement

Year 3/4 Cycle A

Body and tuned percussion (rainforests) – contrasting melodies and rhythms

Developing singing technique (Vikings)– minims, crotchets, quavers

Pentatonic melodies and composition – pentatonic scale, composition

Adapting and transposing motifs (theme Romans)

Year 3/4 Cycle B

Ballads – lyrics and actions

Changes in pitch: tempo and dynamics (rivers) – singing in harmony, ostinato

Samba and carnival sounds and instruments - syncopation

Traditional Instruments  (India) – creating and performing motifs, musical notation

Year 5

Composition notation – Ancient Egypt

Singing, improvisation, compose and play

Blues – Features of blues, play 12 bar blues, play blues scale in improvisation

South and West Africa – Singing, playing chords, 8 beat break

Composition to represent the festival of colour – create a graphic score, vocal compositions, record and perform. (1 day)

Year 6

Dynamics, Pitch and Texture-Fingal’s Cave – conducting, graphic scores

Theme and Variations  Pop art – performing, naming, copying rhythms.

Listening and Appraising-Features of Baroque music – vocal improvisation

Composition-Composing a leavers song (1 day)

Recoding melodies using letter notation

 

Learning at Home

We encourage families to enjoy music together at home. This might include:

  • Singing favourite songs or learning new ones

  • Listening to a variety of music and talking about what you hear

  • Clapping or tapping simple rhythms

  • Exploring free music‑making apps or online resources

  • Practising instruments if your child is learning one

  • Attending concerts, shows, or community music events

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