Music
"A high-quality music education engages and inspires pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, increasing self-confidence, creativity, and sense of achievement."
National Curriculum for Music, Department for Education (DfE)
Intent
At Wessex Gardens Primary School, our music curriculum is designed to ignite a lifelong passion for music while developing essential musical skills in rhythm, melody, notation, and performance. We aim to provide all pupils, regardless of background, with access to high-quality music education, ensuring they can engage with music both practically and analytically. By fostering creativity, expression, and collaboration, we empower pupils to explore and appreciate diverse musical genres and traditions. From the Foundation Stage through to Year 6, our curriculum builds confidence in singing, instrumental performance, and musical literacy, equipping pupils with the skills needed to express themselves musically and engage with music on a deeper level.
Impact
Through a structured and progressive approach, pupils at Wessex Gardens will develop key musical skills including rhythm recognition, pitch awareness, improvisation, composition, and ensemble performance. By the end of Year 6, pupils will:
- Confidently read and notate music, demonstrating understanding of musical structures and terminology.
- Perform independently and collaboratively, with accuracy and expression, across various genres and contexts.
- Develop a strong appreciation of different musical styles, historical contexts, and cultures, becoming well-rounded and active listeners.
- Exhibit transferable skills such as teamwork, discipline, problem-solving, and creativity, which will support their wider academic and personal development.
Our curriculum aims not only to develop technical musicianship but also to foster a lifelong appreciation for music and the creativity it nurtures.
Implementation
The Wessex Gardens music curriculum follows a clear, structured progression from Foundation Stage to Year 6, ensuring a comprehensive development of musical knowledge and skills:
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Foundation Stage:
Pupils begin by developing early rhythm and pitch awareness through movement, singing, and simple percussion. They start to recognise patterns, explore dynamics, tempo, and engage with early music literacy through games and activities. -
Key Stage 1 (Years 1-2):
Focus is placed on building fundamental skills such as pulse, rhythm, and pitch. Pupils start following notation and improvising, creating short musical phrases using solfa notation and rhythmic symbols. They also explore different musical moods and structures, encouraging creativity and expression. -
Lower Key Stage 2 (Years 3-4):
Pupils expand their knowledge of notation, rhythm, and melody, performing with greater accuracy and control. They explore time signatures, articulation, phrasing, and more complex rhythmic and melodic structures. By Year 4, pupils begin sight-reading and writing music on a 5-line stave. -
Upper Key Stage 2 (Years 5-6):
Pupils refine their musicianship by learning key and time signatures, articulation, and musical form. They engage with increasingly complex pieces, both composing and performing. Year 6 culminates in a full-stage musical production, allowing pupils to showcase all their learning in a real-world context.
We also use the DaCapo approach, which combines a structured, skill-building syllabus with a fun and creative atmosphere. DaCapo sessions take place weekly from Nursery to Year 6, offering a mix of accessible and engaging activities that help pupils develop a wide range of musical skills. These include:
- Singing and Movement: Pupils sing songs and move to the rhythm, which strengthens their understanding of rhythm, pulse, and musical expression.
- Percussion: Using unturned percussion, pupils explore rhythm and sound, developing coordination and timing.
- Musical Literacy: Children practice reading rhythms in stick notation, writing and reading pitches on a reduced stave, and interpreting pictorial notation.
- Solfa Pitches and Hand Signs: Pupils sing and use hand signs to represent solfa pitches from the pentatonic scale, improving their ear training and pitch recognition.
- Aural Skills: Children follow aural cues to start, stop, and vary movements (e.g., walking, tiptoeing), enhancing their listening skills and responsiveness.
- Voice Development: Pupils explore different "voices" (e.g., talking, humming, animal voices, and internal "thinking voices") to understand vocal versatility and expression.
- Creativity and Innovation: Pupils are encouraged to use their creativity to suggest new ways to sing songs and notate sounds made by percussion instruments, promoting innovation.
Through this curriculum, pupils gain not only technical music skills but also the ability to apply their creativity, express themselves, and collaborate effectively in musical contexts. The DaCapo approach, paired with our structured progression, ensures that music education at Wessex Gardens is both fun and academically enriching, creating well-rounded musicians who are confident in their ability to engage with and enjoy music throughout their lives.