Music

“Life without music would be a mistake.” Friedrich Nietzsche

Intent: At St John’s, we want children to develop a life-long appreciation of music. Our curriculum looks at developing knowledge and understanding in music and developing the skills alongside this to support children to perform, listen and compose confidently. Children will explore music across traditions, communities and generations from all around the world.

In our school, the teaching of music inspires children to develop a love of music, their talent as musicians and to increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. The children will develop the musical skills of singing, playing tuned and untuned instruments, improvising and composing music, and listening and responding to music. Opportunities to experience and play music promotes teamwork, concentration and problem-solving skills: developing identity and improving social cohesion within the school and wider community.   

Implementation: Our music curriculum follows ‘The interrelated Dimensions of Music’ progression. Our teaching is based around the repetition of key curricular content with overtime, the gradual introduction of new ideas, methods and concepts. 

Our curriculum is made up of individual strands of music which includes performance, listening, composition, the history of music and the inter-related dimensions of music. 

At St Johns we use the Charanga scheme of work to support the teaching of Music. This starts in YR. And builds in complexity, revisiting the interrelated dimensions of music recursively. Over the course of each year the children will be taught to sing fluently and expressively and play tuned and untuned instruments accurately and with control. They will learn to recognise and name the interrelated dimensions of music such as pitch, duration, tempo, timbre, structure, texture and dynamics. All of which they will use in their own improvisations and compositions.  

These strands are embedded in classroom activities, as well as the weekly singing assemblies, various concerts and performances, the learning of instruments, and during our after- school clubs. We actively seek enrichment opportunities such as visiting, Music for Youth Primary Prom at the Royal Albert Hall, The Young Voices Concert and Oxfordshire Schools Concert events.

Progressing through each key stage, children will re-visit concepts they have previously learned and then build on these by tackling more complex tasks and improving on the simpler tasks already encountered. They will continue to develop their understanding and knowledge of the history of music and musical notation. 

Students learn how to play an instrument, from three of the instrument groups of wind, strings and percussion – tuned and untuned. In doing so, they can understand the different principle of each method of creating notes, as well as how to read basic music notation. They also learn how to compose, focussing on different dimensions of music, which in turn feeds their understanding when listening, playing, or analysing music. Composing or performing using body percussion and vocal sounds is also part of the curriculum, which develops the understanding of musical elements without the added complexity of an instrument. 

Opportunities to perform throughout the school year allow children to showcase their talents. These take place through: end of unit performances, Christmas, Easter and Summer Key Stage performances and specialist peripatetic celebration performances.

The school also offers the teaching of musical instruments through peripatetic teaching where specialised teachers visit the school on a weekly basis to teach small groups of children the choice of brass, piano, violin, cello and guitar. 

EYFS: Music in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is a joyful, foundational tool for child development. Through singing, clapping, and exploring instruments, children enhance their communication and language skills. Simple rhymes and rhythms boost memory and listening, while group activities foster social bonds.

In addition, music supports physical development as little ones dance or tap along, refining motor skills. It also sparks creativity, letting children express emotions and ideas freely. From nursery rhymes to sound games, music engages curiosity and builds confidence.

In EYFS, music is woven into play, making learning fun and instinctive, laying a vibrant groundwork for future growth.

Music Development Plan: As set out in the National Plan for Music Education, all schools should have a music development plan. As an Oxfordshire Music Mark school, St John's uses the OCC Pitch Up evaluation tool to review our music provision and to plan how this can be further improved.

Music Development Plan 2024 - 2025

Impact: At St Johns, children develop the skills that support a life-long appreciation of music along with the ability to critically reflect and discuss their personal response. Children have opportunities to forge their own musical journey. Music will also develop an understanding of culture and history, both in relation to students individually, as well as ethnicities from across the world. The children are able to enjoy music, in many different ways- either as a listener, creator or performer. They can discuss music and comprehend its parts. They will sing, feel a pulse, add rhythms and create melodies in a group, and they can further develop these skills in future and continue to enjoy and embrace music in their lives. 

Assessment involves a ‘cold’ and ‘hot’ recorded task. Children are recorded, singing and playing ensembles at the start of a unit of work. This recording is compared to a then outcome and critically evaluated / appreciated by children and Class Teacher. 

Curriculum Plans:

Click on the links below to download the music curriculum documents:

Whole School Music Overview

Music Knowledge and Skills Progression

The Interrelated Dimension of Music Progression