We follow the Kapow Primary Mixed-Age Planning in Years 1/2 and Years 3/4, and the EYFS music curriculum in Reception, pupils experience a broad and progressive music education. Music is taught weekly with additional enrichment from our Musician of the month programme.
In addition to class music lessons. Opportunities for live performance are regularly provided through school events, assemblies, concerts, productions and community celebrations, allowing pupils to showcase their learning and develop their performance skills. Further music learning opportunities are carefully planned to align with key dates and events within the academic calendar, enriching pupils’ musical experiences and fostering a lifelong appreciation of music.
Intent
Curriculum Aims
At Shillington Lower School, we believe that every child is musical and aim to nurture a lifelong love of music through a broad, engaging and inclusive curriculum.
Our music curriculum develops the skills, knowledge and understanding needed for pupils to become confident performers, composers and listeners. Children are introduced to a wide range of musical styles and traditions from around the world, fostering respect, appreciation and an understanding of different cultures and communities.
Through singing, playing tuned and untuned instruments, improvising, composing and listening to music, pupils progressively build their musical skills and confidence. They develop an understanding of the key elements of music, learn how music can be represented through notation, and explore the historical and cultural contexts of the music they encounter.
Music at Shillington Lower School also supports the development of important transferable skills, including teamwork, leadership, creativity, problem-solving, decision-making, communication and performance skills. These experiences help children grow as confident learners and individuals, equipping them with skills that will benefit them both in school and beyond.
National Curriculum
At Shillington Lower School, our music curriculum is built around the five key strands of the National Curriculum:
- Listening and evaluating
- Creating sound
- Notation
- Improvising and composing
- Performing through singing and playing
These strands run through every unit of learning, ensuring a balanced and progressive approach to musical development. Pupils develop their listening skills by exploring and evaluating a wide range of music from different cultures, traditions and historical periods, helping them understand how music is created and the impact it has on listeners.
Children learn to create and control sound through singing and playing instruments, developing technical proficiency, coordination and confidence. Through the study of notation, pupils learn how musical ideas can be communicated and recorded, enabling them to read, compose and perform increasingly complex pieces of music.
Opportunities for improvisation and composition encourage creativity, self-expression and critical thinking as pupils experiment with and organise their own musical ideas. Regular performance experiences provide a meaningful context for applying musical skills, fostering collaboration, resilience and confidence, while helping pupils appreciate the value of working together to achieve a shared goal.
Full details of our curriculum Intent, Implementation and Impact along with our long-term overview can be found in the Curriculum document.