Music
Intent
The intent of our music curriculum is to inspire and foster a love for music, empowering children to explore, create, and appreciate music in a supportive and engaging environment. This curriculum aims to develop students' understanding and enjoyment of music through active participation, enhancing their creativity, emotional expression, and cultural awareness.
Through hands-on musical experiences—singing, playing instruments, listening, moving, and composing—the curriculum nurtures essential musical skills, including rhythm, pitch, tempo, and dynamics. Students will build foundational knowledge of musical concepts, vocabulary, and notation while cultivating critical listening skills and an appreciation for a variety of music genres and traditions from diverse cultures.
Curriculum
| Expressive Arts and Design (Being Imaginative and Expressive) |
EYFS | Children sing a range of well-known nursery rhymes and songs. Children perform songs, rhymes, poems and stories with others, and (when appropriate) try to move in time with music. |
Year | Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 | Spring 1 | Spring 2 | Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
1 | My Musical Heartbeat | Dance, Sing and Play! | Exploring Sounds | Learning to Listen | Having Fun with Improvisation | Let’s Perform Together |
2 | Pulse, Rhythm and Pitch | Playing in an Orchestra | Inventing a Musical Story | Recognising Different Sounds | Exploring Improvisation | Our Big Concert |
3 | Writing Music Down | Playing in a Band | Compose Using Your Imagination | More Musical Styles | Enjoying Improvisation | Opening Night |
4 | Musical Structures | Exploring Feelings When You Play | Compose with Your Friends | Feelings Through Music | Expression and Improvisation | The Show Must Go On |
5 | Melody and Harmony in Music | Sing and Play in Different Styles | Composing and Chords | Enjoying Musical Styles | Freedom to Improvise | Battle of the Bands |
6 | Music and Technology | Developing Ensemble Skills | Creative Composition | Musical Styles Connect Us | Improvising with Confidence | Farewell Tour |
Impact
An effective primary music curriculum has a profound impact on children’s personal, social, and academic development. By actively engaging in music, students gain essential skills that extend beyond the classroom, fostering creativity, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence. Music education encourages self-expression, boosts confidence, and provides a constructive outlet for emotions, allowing children to explore and communicate their feelings in healthy and enriching ways.
At its core, an impactful music curriculum promotes inclusivity and cultural awareness. Students gain a deeper understanding and respect for diverse musical traditions, broadening their worldview and fostering empathy. Through exposure to music from various cultures, they develop an appreciation for the universal power of music to connect people and communities.
From an academic perspective, music education strengthens cognitive skills that are directly transferable to other subjects, such as maths and the arts. The curriculum supports memory, concentration, and pattern recognition, skills that are foundational for academic success. Research consistently shows that students involved in music education demonstrate enhanced literacy and numeracy, improved problem-solving abilities, and increased perseverance in complex tasks.
Socially, music education builds teamwork, patience, and communication skills as children collaborate in group activities and performances. These experiences instil a sense of responsibility, cooperation, and mutual support, preparing students to work effectively with others in future endeavours.
Ultimately, an effective primary music curriculum lays the foundation for a lifelong appreciation of music, empowering children with the skills, confidence, and cultural awareness to thrive in a diverse world. It shapes well-rounded individuals, nurturing their artistic expression, enhancing their cognitive and social abilities, and inspiring a love of music that they carry forward into their lives and communities.
Music Enrichment at St John's
