Cashes Green Primary School and Children's Centre

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Music

Subject leader: Kate Mason (kmason@cashesgreen-pri.gloucs.sch.uk)

Music at Cashes

 Music is important to our children because it both inspires and motivates them to develop and share their creative talents. It increases their self-confidence and imagination, fostering positivity and a real sense of achievement.  As a universal language, it is inclusive and accessible for all children, regardless of ability. It develops listening and concentration skills; important learning skills for across the curriculum.  Music develops an awareness and appreciation of other cultures and opinions and fosters team working.  Children learn to share their views and ideas thoughtfully and safely.

Music is for life!  It is fun, good for the heart and brain, can excite and relax, release stress and improve mental health.

Link to EYFS Framework

Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Link to National Curriculum of Study for Key Stage 1 and 2:

National Curriculum - Music key stages 1 to 2 (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Our Key Knowledge and Skills

 Reception

 Currently being updated inline with the new EYFS curriculum.

Year 1

 Playing and Performing

• Use their voices expressively to speak and chant
• Chant or sing and move in time with a steady pulse e.g. clapping, marching, tapping
• Use their voices to create sound effects
• Sing as part of the Infant Nativity performance
• Maintain the pulse (play on the beat) using tuned and un-tuned instruments
• Describe, name and group a variety of instruments
• Play instruments or body percussion in different ways to create sound effects and follow directions to “perform” a story together. e.g. I’m going on a bear hunt/ I was walking through the jungle
• Follow a conductor, responding to a range of gestures for: start/ stop, loud/ quiet, fast/slow. Have a go at conducting themselves
• Create and follow symbols to represent sounds
• Contribute ideas and control sounds as part of a class composition and performance

Composing and Improvising

• Make sounds and recognise how they can communicate ideas. E.g. make sound effects to a story, poem or picture
• Explore different sounds using their voices and body percussion
• Suggest which instruments would be good to make a particular sound
• Make own short sequence of sounds using symbols or pictures as a support
• Create and choose sounds in response to a stimulus. e.g. a jungle picture
• Explore the concepts of loud/quiet, high/low, fast/ slow
• Experiment with different timbres (sound qualities)
• Make up words and phrases and tap them out

Listening and Appraising

• Listen to different sounds in the environment
• Listen to pieces of music that describe e.g. a bumblebee/ fireworks etc
• Identify the pulse in different pieces of music and tap in time to the steady beat
• Respond to sounds by likening them to a character or mood.
• Respond to music by saying whether they like or dislike it
• Begin to listen and respond to the inter-related dimensions of music (loud/quiet)
• Begin to recognise high and low sounds and show with movement or gesture

Year 2

(in addition to consolidating and building on those skills developed previously)

Playing and Performing

• Explore different types of voices and use their voices expressively when singing according to the mood of the song, including changing the tempo (speed) and the use of basic dynamics (loud and quiet)
• Sing songs with increasing melodic and rhythmic accuracy within a limited pitch (not too high or low)
• Use movements to show phrases
• Follow the shape of the melody when singing songs using hands/ arms or gesture
• Use the “thinking voice”- sing words or phrases in their head
• Handle and play a variety of tuned and un-tuned instruments with control
• Copy short rhythmic patterns on un-tuned percussion instruments, keeping a steady pulse
• Play together using symbols as a support
• Introduce the glockenspiel and learn to play short melodies
• Sing as part of the Infant Nativity performance

Composing and Improvising

• Experiment and change sounds to improve an intended effect
• Select sounds carefully in response to a story or an idea and suggest how they could be added to depict ideas in a composition/ soundscape
• Match instruments appropriately to particular sounds e.g. a guiro for a crackling fire
• Create a sound story in response to a stimulus and make their own short sequences of sound using symbols as a suppor

Listening and Appraising

• Listen and respond to a variety of music from different styles, genres and traditions
• Express their own thoughts and feelings about music and respond in different ways giving simple reasons for their response
• Have a growing awareness of the different instruments they can hear and be able to describe the sound of them
• Listen to and evaluate their own music and that of others, discuss what was good and suggest how it might be improved
• Begin to use musical vocabulary to describe music.
• Begin to offer ideas to improve work.
• Listen for and identify some of the inter-related dimensions of music (dynamics, pitch and timbre, pulse, rhythm, sound effects and so on).
• Sing a familiar song, identify then tap the rhythm of the words
• Listen to and sing back melodic phrases from known songs
• Recall and perform rhythmic patterns to a steady pulse
• Recognise simple changes in pitch

Year 3

(in addition to consolidating and building on those skills developed previously)

Playing and Performing

• Use voices to create and control sounds (including changing tempo/speed, dynamics/ volume and pitch)
• Keep in time with a steady pulse when chanting, singing or moving
• Play singing games and clapping games
• Sing short songs with the range of an octave from memory, in tune, with expression and control of dynamics (loud, medium, quiet).
• Sing words/ phrases of a song in their heads ( use ‘thinking’ voice)
• Be aware of correct posture while singing.
• Play short rhythmic patterns on un-tuned percussion instruments, keeping a steady pulse.
• Play short melodic patterns on glockenspiels and notate them using letter notation.
• create and control sounds on instruments (including changing tempo/speed, dynamics/ volume and pitch)
• Play new pieces by ear and from visual symbols
• Rehearse together and sing in the Junior Carol Concert and End of Year show. 

Composing and Improvising

• Improvise and devise melodic phrases using the pentatonic scale 
• Create layered compositions and soundscapes using simple rhythmic patterns and melodies.
• Compose ostinato sequences using notated rhythms
• Experiment with untuned instruments, improvise rhythms

Listening and Appraising

• Learn new songs and melodies quickly. Be able to sing and play from memory
• Internalise short melodies and play these on pitched instruments
• Begin to use musical vocabulary (related to the inter-related dimensions of music) when discussing/ improving their own work.
• Listen for and recognise some of the inter-related dimensions of music.
• Use an increasing musical vocabulary to discuss likes and dislikes.
• Listen for musical elements that are common in a particular genre of music
• Recognise changes in the music they are listening to.

Year 4

(in addition to consolidating and building on those skills developed previously)

Playing and Performing

• Sing longer and more complex songs in tune, with increased expression and control of dynamics
• Sing in tune alone as well as in a group
• Make improvements to singing during rehearsal
• In a larger group, sing a round and/or partner song in two parts
• .Perform a simple rhythmic part, including rests, on un-tuned percussion.
• Play a simple melodic part, from letter notation, on glockenspiel 
• Maintain a part in a group performance showing awareness of other parts
• Play new pieces from simple notation
• Begin to be able to evaluate their own playing
• Make improvements to playing and performances

Composing and Improvising

• Create simple rhythmic patterns, melodies and accompaniments using voice and instruments using symbols to record their work
• Create layers of sound within a composition, showing an understanding of how sounds fit together. For example playing a melody over a drone
• Be aware of the structure of a song or piece of music and be able to apply a similar structure to their own compositions

Listening and Appraising

• Listen carefully with attention to detail and be able to recall learnt internalised songs and melodies
• Use increasing musical vocabulary (related to the inter-related dimensions of music) when discussing their work.
• Listen for and recognise an increasing amount of inter-related dimensions of music when appraising a piece of music.
• Use an increasing musical vocabulary to discuss musical elements of a piece of music they are listening to
• Recognise that different eras have different genres and styles of music  

Year 5

(in addition to consolidating and building on those skills developed previously)

Playing and Performing

• Sing songs in unison and maintain their own part when singing rounds or songs written in two parts
• Sing with developing breath control, posture and sound projection.
• Sing songs with an awareness of metre, feeling the pulse on the strong beat
• Sing with control of pitch

• Play instruments with more control and rhythmic accurately
• Be able to play more challenging pulse based games.
• Perform pieces from memory

Composing and Improvising

• Improvise rhythmic patterns over a steady beat
• Create music which shows an understanding of simple structure.
• Improvise with increasing confidence with a given range of notes 
• Explore different combinations of sounds e.g. different textures of untuned sounds, different combinations of vocal sounds

Listening and Appraising

• Listen “actively” with concentration to longer pieces of instrumental and vocal music
• Be able to discuss how music has different intentions
• Use a wider musical vocabulary (related to the inter-related dimensions of music) to discuss different kinds of music.
• Recognise and begin to discuss some eras in music.
• Evaluate their own and the work of their peers using appropriate musical vocabulary, discussing what is successful/unsuccessful and why.

Year 6

(in addition to consolidating and building on those skills developed previously)

Playing and Performing

• Sing songs in unison and in two parts with clear diction and musical expression that suits the mood and message of the piece .
• Rehearse with others, showing an awareness of how to evaluate their work and achieve a high quality performance
• Breathe in agreed places to identify phrases
• Follow traditional notation when singing songs
• Be able to sing with confidence in a smaller group or solo part

• Rehearse with others, showing an awareness of how to evaluate their work and achieve a high quality performance
• Begin to be able to use the inter dimensions of music to effect when playing, such as changing tempo, using dynamics, playing staccato or legato depending on the piece and so on

 Composing and Improvising

• Improvise melodic and rhythmic phrases in a variety of styles and genres.
• create own more complex rhythmic patterns e.g. semi quavers
• Use different notations to record and create.

Listening and Appraising

• Listen “actively” with concentration to longer pieces of instrumental and vocal music
• Be able to discuss how music has different intentions
• Use a wider musical vocabulary (related to the inter-related dimensions of music) to discuss different kinds of music
• Discuss more eras in musical history, describing distinguishing musical features between them and offering preferences.
• Evaluate their own work and improve their performance through listening, internalising and analysing

Key Vocabulary

Coverage in our Curriculum