Music

“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.”

(DfE National Curriculum in England: Music, 2013)

At St Peter’s we aim to inspire a love of music that not only develops a subject-specific skills, but also challenges children to consider their understanding of history, art, technology and culture.  Our curriculum endeavours to expose pupils to the works of great musicians and composers (historical and current), and to develop an appreciation of quality listening and appraising.  We are passionate that music belongs to every pupil of every ability.  Our musical opportunities – whether it be curriculum time, instrumental lessons, whole-school singing or extra-curricular activities – nurture pupils’ talent and creativity, but most importantly, teaches our children to use their voices, take part and celebrate their unique gifts.

Curriculum Design

Partnered with the online learning platform Charanga, music is delivered weekly throughout the academic year.  Lessons follow an established, consistent structure that is practical, interactive and allow children to apply their knowledge and interpretation of all key musical skills: listening, appraising, improvising, composing and performing. Mrs Banks is the subject leader.

Music is embedded, with weekly singing assemblies, peripatetic lessons and whole-class ensemble tuition accessible to all children.

We aim to ensure that all pupils:

  • A rapidly widening repertoire which they use to create original, imaginative, fluent and distinctive composing and performance work. 
  • A musical understanding underpinned by high levels of aural perception, internalisation and knowledge of music, including high or rapidly developing levels of technical expertise. 
  • Very good awareness and appreciation of different musical traditions and genres.
  • An excellent understanding of how musical provenance - the historical, social and cultural origins of music - contributes to the diversity of musical styles.
  • The ability to give precise written and verbal explanations, using musical terminology effectively, accurately and appropriately.
  • A passion for and commitment to a diverse range of musical activities.
  Year 1 & 2 Milestone Year 3 & 4 Year 5 & 6
Perform
This concept involves understanding that music is created to be performed.

• Take part in singing, accurately following the melody.

• Follow instructions on how and when to sing or play an instrument.

• Make and control long and short sounds, using voice and instruments.

• Imitate changes in pitch.

• Sing from memory with accurate pitch.

• Sing in tune.

• Maintain a simple part within a group.

• Pronounce words within a song clearly.

• Show control of voice.

• Play notes on an instrument with care so that they are clear.

• Perform with control and awareness of others.

• Sing or play from memory with confidence.

• Perform solos or as part of an ensemble.

• Sing or play expressively and in tune.

• Hold a part within a round.

• Sing a harmony part confidently and accurately.

• Sustain a drone or a melodic ostinato to accompany singing.

• Perform with controlled breathing (voice) and skillful playing (instrument).

Compose
This concept involves appreciating that music is created through a process which has a number of techniques.

• Create a sequence of long and short sounds.

• Clap rhythms.

• Create a mixture of different sounds (long and short, loud and quiet, high and low).

• Choose sounds to create an effect.

• Sequence sounds to create an overall effect.

• Create short, musical patterns.

• Create short, rhythmic phrases.

• Compose and perform melodic songs.

• Use sound to create abstract effects.

• Create repeated patterns with a range of instruments.

• Create accompaniments for tunes.

• Use drones as accompaniments.

• Choose, order, combine and control sounds to create an effect.

• Use digital technologies to compose pieces of music.

• Create songs with verses and a chorus.

• Create rhythmic patterns with an awareness of timbre and duration.

• Combine a variety of musical devices, including melody, rhythm and chords.

• Thoughtfully select elements for a piece in order to gain a defined effect.

• Use drones and melodic ostinati (based on the pentatonic scale).

• Convey the relationship between the lyrics and the melody.

• Use digital technologies to compose, edit and refine pieces of music.

Transcribe
This concept involves understanding that compositions need to be understood by others and that there are techniques and a language for communicating them.

• Use symbols to represent a composition and use them to help with a performance.

• Devise non-standard symbols to indicate when to play and rest.

• Recognise the notes EGBDF and FACE on the musical stave.

• Recognise the symbols for a minim, crotchet and semibreve and say how many beats they represent.

• Use the standard musical notation of crotchet, minim and semibreve to indicate how many beats to play.

• Read and create notes on the musical stave.

• Understand the purpose of the treble and bass clefs and use them in transcribing compositions.

• Understand and use the # (sharp) and ♭ (flat) symbols.

• Use and understand simple time signatures.

Describe music
This concept involves appreciating the features and effectiveness of musical elements.

• Identify the beat of a tune.

• Recognise changes in timbre, dynamics and pitch.

• Use the terms: duration, timbre, pitch, beat, tempo, texture and use of silence to describe music.

• Evaluate music using musical vocabulary to identify areas of likes and dislikes.

• Understand layers of sounds and discuss their effect on mood and feelings.

• Choose from a wide range of musical vocabulary to accurately describe and appraise music including: 

    • pitch 

    • dynamics 

    • tempo 

    • timbre 

    • texture 

    • lyrics and melody 

    • sense of occasion 

    • expressive 

    • solo

    • rounds

    • harmonies

    • accompaniments

    • drones

    • cyclic patterns

    • combination of musical elements

    • cultural context.

• Describe how lyrics often reflect the cultural context of music and have social meaning.