Infant School Music Curriculum

Infant School Music Progression Map

Infant School Music Vocabulary Progression

 

Intent

 

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.

 

At Prestbury St Mary’s Federation we intend to provide our children with the opportunities to learn through music, songs and rhyme.

 

From an early age, music should be spontaneous and ongoing. Children need to have the confidence to explore their voices and different sounds, as well as musical instruments, in order to become confident musicians.

 

Reception is where children start their musical learning, through a love of and enjoyment for music, laying down the foundations for KS1 and KS2 where they learn more about the interrelated dimensions of music (pulse, rhythm, pitch, tempo, dynamics, timbre, texture, structure), singing and playing instruments, and that they are all linked.

 

At Prestbury St Mary’s Federation, we want our children to enjoy, understand, interpret and explore music from different historical periods, styles, traditions and genres.

Implementation

 

At Prestbury St Mary’s Federation, our music curriculum is implemented as follows:

 

Music in Reception

As well as learning through music, songs and rhymes in all areas of learning, children in Reception follow the Charanga scheme of work for their weekly music session. This is organised by:

1. Listen and Respond
2. Explore and Create - initially using voices only, but building to using classroom instruments too
3. Singing - nursery rhymes and action songs - building to singing and playing
4. Share and Perform

 

Above all, music in FS2 is spontaneous and ongoing.

 

Music in KS1

 

Our KS1 music curriculum follows Charanga’s Model Music Curriculum scheme, which is an integrated, practical, exploratory and child-led approach to musical learning. All musical learning in this scheme is built around the interrelated dimensions of music: pulse, rhythm, pitch, tempo, dynamics, timbre, texture, structure and notation. These dimensions are at the centre of all the learning.

 

The MMC sets out the sequence of learning to develop musicianship through:

• Singing
• Listening
• Composing
• Performing/Instrumental Performance

 

The MMC explores how musical techniques and skills can be nurtured and developed in all pupils, through all Key Stages. Charanga’s MMC Scheme aligns entirely to the listening, notation, skills and year-by-year progression pathway.

 

Charanga enables children to understand musical concepts through a repetition-based approach to learning. Learning about the same musical concept through different musical activities enables a more secure, deeper learning and mastery of musical skills.

 

 

Rhythm Grids

 

All year groups including Reception have access to class rhythm grids that are used during music lessons as well as throughout the week. Our visual grids help support pupils to develop their understanding of rhythm, composition, improvisation as well as helping to prepare them to explore notation once in KS2.

 

Whole School Services

 

Every week the music co-ordinator leads ‘Singing Celebration Service’ for the whole school. Songs are taught to the children to link with our core value of the term, Bible Stories or the Christian Calendar (Harvest / Christmas / Easter). Children and teachers take pride when singing together as a school; it truly is very powerful.

 

Performances

 

The whole school gathers for a Harvest Service either in the Junior School or at St Mary’s Church Prestbury. Children in Reception perform a Nativity every year to their parents during the final week of December. KS1 perform a carol concert at church which parents are invited to attend.

 

Additionally, we provide whole school musical events such as iSingPop and aim to organise a whole school summer concert showcasing the many musical talents our pupils across the Federation.

 

Continuous Provision

 

Both Reception classes have a designated ‘Listening Area’ where children are able to listen to songs, rhymes and stories on their Coomber CD player with 4 headphones enabling them to enjoy music and literature with their peers. In their outside classroom, they have access to a performance area with instruments, dressing up and a stage.