Music

National Curriculum 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.

National Curriculum 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.

Music at Eastwick

The music curriculum at Eastwick meets the requirements of the National Curriculum and our curriculum ethos. It prepares children to be ‘Ready for Everything’ in their futures in terms of: 

• Success in the next stage of their education and beyond: by providing knowledge of musicianship, listening, singing, notation, playing instruments, improvising and composing, performing and evaluation
• their ability to navigate life’s personal Challenge: to perform in front of an audience, to develop their own wellbeing through music and to appreciate and enjoy a wide range of musical styles and genres; by developing resilience through understanding that practice leads to success; building self-confidence through performance
• understanding their place in communities at global, national and local levels and seize the Opportunity of the future: by learning and demonstrating the school value of respect in how they use instruments, collaborate in their learning and performances; 

Curriculum Content

• In Reception, specific teaching opportunities are used to introduce elements of music.
• In Years 1-6, our curriculum follows the Charanga English Model Music Curriculum version 2 scheme. 
• Knowledge is built progressively throughout Key Stage 1 and 2. Pupils revisit all key knowledge themes (see below) in each unit taught.  Each time, key knowledge themes are covered with greater complexity, therefore increasing children’s breadth and depth of knowledge.  Prior knowledge is recalled and utilised so that pupils build on previous foundations.
• Children use glockenspiels from Years 1 to 6 in the Charanga scheme for consistency and to promote progression of knowledge. 
• Further exposure to musical styles and opportunities for children to sing are provided in weekly singing assemblies for Years 1-6. 

Key Knowledge Themes:

pulse

rhythm

pitch

melody

timbre

texture

dynamics

tempo

structure

notation

 Units taught (Years 1-6):