Music

At Village Primary School we offer engaging and enriching lessons across the whole curriculum. As well as working with Miss Sheraton and Mr Gibson to develop our singing and drama skills, we also teach discrete music lessons in school. Music Express is a scheme of work which offers a topic-based, cross-curricular approach to support children’s learning in music and across other subjects through music. A steady progression plan has been built into Music Express, both within each year and from one year to the next, ensuring consistent musical development.

By using Music Express as the basis of a scheme of work, we can ensure that they are fulfilling the aims for musical learning stated in the National Curriculum:

The National Curriculum states ‘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.’

Music Express includes many examples of music styles and genres from different times and places, including the classical Western canon. These are explored through the language of music via active listening, performing and composing activities, which enable understanding of the context and genre.

The National Curriculum states ‘That all pupils:
• 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.‘

Music Express provides a classroom-based, participatory and inclusive approach to music learning. Throughout the scheme, children are actively involved in using and developing their singing voices, using body percussion and whole body actions, and learning to handle and play classroom instruments effectively to create and express their own and others’ music. Through a range of whole class, group and individual activities, children have opportunities to explore sounds, listen actively, compose and perform.

The National Curriculum states ‘That all pupils:
• 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 Express builds experience and develops understanding of the dimensions (elements) of music throughout the scheme. Each unit has as its focus one process such as performance or composition, or one dimension, such as pitch, but the learning progresses within the context of all the inter-related processes and dimensions of music. A wide variety of notations, including picture, graphic, rhythm and staff notation are integrated, wherever appropriate, with practical music-making activities throughout the scheme. Notations are used progressively to promote understanding and use of the representation of sound in symbols by all children.

 

Yr1 Yr2 Yr3 Yr4 Yr5 Yr6
Exploring Sounds and performance Explore the use of the voice in different ways such as speaking, singing and chanting To improvise in making sounds with the voice

Sing with a sense of the shape of a melody

 Sing in tune. Perform simple melodic and rhythmic parts Sing in tune with awareness of others. Perform simple melodic and rhythmic parts with awareness of others. I create songs with an understanding of the relationship between lyrics and melody. Whilst performing by ear and from notations, I maintain my own parts with awareness of how the different parts fit together and t Perform significant parts from memory and from notations with awareness of my own contribution.

Sing a harmony part confidently and accurately
Beat and Pitch (composing music) Create a sequence of long and short sounds with help, including clapping longer rhythms. Investigate making sounds that are very different (loud and quiet, high and low etc.) Choose carefully and order sounds in a beginning, middle and end. Use sounds to achieve an effect. (including use of ICT) Create short musical patterns. To compose music that combines musical elements. Carefully choose sounds to achieve an effect. Order my sounds to help create an effect. Create short musical patterns with long and short sequences and rhythmic phrases.

 

 Compose music that combines several layers of sound. Awareness of the effect of several layers of sound. Compose by developing ideas within musical structures. Improvise melodic and rhythmic phases as part of a group performance. Improvise within a group. Improvise melodic and rhythmic material within given structures. Use a variety of different musical devices including melody, rhythms, and chords.
Listening Reflect on music and say how it makes people feel, act and move. Respond to different composers and discuss different genres of music. Notice how music can be used to create different moods and effects and to communicate ideas.

Sort composers in to different genres and instruments in to different types.

 To notice and explore the way sounds can be combined and used expressively. Listen to different types of composers and musicians. To notice, analyse and explore the way sounds can be combined and used expressively. To comment on musicians use of technique to create effect. Notice and explore the relationship between sounds. Notice and explore how music reflects different intentions. Notice, comment on and compare the use of musical devises. Notice, comment on, compare and explore how music reflects different intentions.
Notation N/A N/A N/A Know how many beats in a minim, crotchet and semibreve and I recognise their symbols. Know and use standard musical notation of crotchet, minim and semibreve. Begin to recognise Staff notation for EBGD