Our Music Curriculum
Our school Music curriculum was developed prior to the new National Curriculum being launched in 2014 by staff in consultation with the Local Music Authority (now the local Music Hub – Severn Arts), The Chantry School at Martley, (the local high school that the majority of our year 6 pupils attend after leaving here) and a retired University professor of Music Education from Birmingham University. This curriculum formed a two year rolling programme of study due to the school’s split year group classes and has been used with minor alterations since the academic year 2014-2015.
This curriculum, and the school’s passion for music teaching, has been rewarded with the Music Mark for the years 2018-2019 and 2019-2020.
The Music curriculum that is included within this policy has been revised in June 2022 for use in the school years 2022-2023 and 2023-2024. At its heart are the same key elements that were present within the original curriculum (designed in 2014) but it now reflects the greater range of resources available within school and online. It continues our strong focus of instrumental teaching and singing but this now appears alongside specific piece / genre studies which are taken from a range of styles both popular and classical and from different stages of musical history. Teaching of the Key Musical Elements is embedded throughout. There is also an increase of focus on music technology due to major developments in this area since 2014. This again uses a two year rolling programme.
The new scheme uses units from music schemes including Music Express, Charanga, BBC Ten Pieces and Sing Up.
Children's musical learning at Grimley and Holt
Children have weekly Music lessons that follow the curriculum overview plan outlined below, with the major focus on completing the skills progressions outlined in this policy. This is in line with the whole school approach. Music will also be used within other subjects and where possible included within one Mantle of the Expert topic for each class, each year.
The Music sequence
Whole School Curriculum Overview Plan for 2022-2023 (Year A) and 2023-2024 (Year B)
Codes to the overview plan below link with our musical skills progression as follows: P = performing – including instrumental skills and singing; IC = Improvising and composing LR = Listening and reviewing. The number in brackets refers to the number of weeks allocated for that part of the curriculum.
Year A 2020-2021 | Autumn Term | Spring Term | Summer Term | |||
| 1st Half Term | 2nd Half Term | 1st Half Term | 2nd Half Term | 1st Half Term | 2nd Half Term |
Reception | Singing nursery Rhymes
Me (Charanga unit) (P / LR) (6) | Un-tuned Percussion (P) (3)
| Un-tuned Percussion (P / IC) (6) | Singing Action Songs
My Stories (Charanga Unit) (P / LR) (6) | Tuned percussion (P / IC) (6) | Popular Music Study (Funk)
Big Bear Funk (Charanga Unit) (LR / P / IC) (6) |
Nativity practice (P) (3) | ||||||
Year 1 / 2 | Sounds around us and Body percussion (Music Express) (P / IC) (3) | Classical Music Study – 20th Cent
Adams Short ride in fast machine (BBC 10 pieces 1) (LR / IC) (3) | Singing games and songs (P) (3)
| Instrument teaching
Ocarnia (P / IC) (6) | Popular Music Study – Hip Hop
Hey You – (Charanga unit) (P / LR / IC) (6) | Beat-boxing rhythms (P) (2)
|
Inter-related elements & Instrument introduction (LR) (3) | Nativity practice (P) (3)
| Classical music study – Baroque
Vivaldi – Four Seasons (LR / IC) (3) | Classical Music Study – Romantic
Saint- Saens -Carnival of the animals (IC / LR) (4) | |||
Year 3 / 4 | Popular Music Study – 80’s Pop
ABBA -Mama Mia (Charanga unit) (P / LR / IC) (6) | Instrument Teaching
Recorder (P) (6) | Classical Music Study – Classical
Mozart’s Horn Concerto 4th mvt – Rondo (BBC 10 pieces 1) (LR / IC) (3) | Singing Rounds and songs from around the world
(P) (3)
| Rhythm Work
Charanga – rhythm grids
(P / IC) (3)
| Music technology
(Garage Band) (IC) (3)
|
Instrument Teaching Recorder (P) (3)
| Popular music study – Music from WW2
The role music played in the war years. (LR / P)(3)
| School Play
(P / LR) (3) | Classical Music Study – Romantic
Greig – Hall of the Mountain King (BBC 10 Pieces 1) (LR / IC) (3)
| |||
Year 5 /6 | Singing
Young Voices preparation
(P / LR) (12) | Instrument teaching
Keyboard
(P /IC / LR) (6) | Classical Music Study – 20th Cent
Reich – Clapping Music (P / LR / IC ) (3) | Musicals Study and Song Writing
(P / LR / IC) (3)
| Music Technology
(Garageband / bandlab) (IC) (6) | |
Classical Music Study – Baroque
Purcell -Abdelazer – Rondeu (BBC 10 pieces 3) (LR / IC) (3) | School Play
(P / LR / IC ) (3)
| |||||
Year B | Autumn Term | Spring Term | Summer Term | |||
| 1st Half Term | 2nd Half Term | 1st Half Term | 2nd Half Term | 1st Half Term | 2nd Half Term |
Reception | Singing nursery Rhymes
Me (Charanga unit) (P / LR) (6) | Un-tuned Percussion (P) (3)
| Un-tuned Percussion (P / IC) (6) | Singing Action Songs
My Stories (Charanga Unit) (P / LR) (6) | Tuned percussion (P / IC) (6) | Popular Music Study (Funk)
Big Bear Funk (Charanga Unit) (LR / P / IC) (6) |
Nativity practice (P) (3) | ||||||
Year 1 / 2 | Instrument teaching
Tuned Percussion (P / IC) (6) | Inter-related elements & Instrument introduction
(LR) (3) | Singing games and songs (P) (3)
| Instrument teaching
Ocarnia (P / IC) (6) | Classical music study – Classical
Beethoven 5th Symphony (BBC 10 pieces 1) (LR / IC) (3) | World Music Study – South African music –
Hands Feet Heart (Charanga unit) (LR / P) (6)
|
Nativity practice (P) (3)
| Music Technology –
Voice changing software – basic layering (Voice Plus/ GarageBand) (P / IC / LR) (3) | Music and Storytelling
Using Prokifiev -Peter and the wolf (IC) (3) | ||||
Year 3 / 4 | Popular Music Study – Reggae
3 Little Birds (Charnaga unit) (P / LR / IC) (6) | Instrument Teaching
Recorder (P) (6) | Classical music study – Romantic
Dvorak – Largo from New World (BBC 10 Pieces 3) (LR / IC) (3)
| Instrument Teaching
Djembe Drums (P / IC) (3)
| Classical music study – 20th Cent
Copland – Rodeo Hoedown (BBC Ten Pieces 3) (LR / IC) (3)
| Orchestra family study
using Britten -Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (LR) (3) |
Instrument Teaching – Recorder (P) (3) | Film Music Study -20th Cent
– Music of John Williams (LR / IC) (3)
| School Play
(P / LR) (3) | Local Musician study
The Music of Edward Elgar (LR / IC) (3) | |||
Year 5 /6 | History of music study
The Developments of classical and popular music
(LR / IC) (10)
| Instrument teaching
Keyboard
(P /IC / LR) (6) | Popular Music Study – Rock
Livin’ on a Prayer (Charanga)
(P / LR / IC) (6) | World Music Study
Music from around the world (LR) (3)
| Music Technology
(Garageband / bandlab) (IC) (6) | |
Christmas Carol Study (folk based)
(LR / IC) (2) | School Play
(P / LR / IC ) (3)
| |||||