Music

At Shirehampton Primary School, we want every child to experience the enjoyment, creativity and sense of achievement that music can bring.

Our Music curriculum gives children opportunities to listen, sing, play, perform, improvise and compose, developing their musical knowledge, skills and confidence as they progress through school.

We use Charanga to support the teaching of a progressive and engaging Music curriculum, alongside wider opportunities for children to experience and enjoy music together.

Our Vision for Music

We want children to develop a love of music and the confidence to express themselves musically.

Through our curriculum, children develop their ability to:

• Listen to and respond to a wide range of music

• Sing with increasing confidence, accuracy and expression

• Play tuned and untuned instruments

• Explore pulse, rhythm, pitch and other musical elements

• Improvise and compose their own music

• Use and understand musical vocabulary and notation

• Perform individually and with others

• Appreciate music from different traditions, cultures, periods and styles

Music should be something children experience and participate in, not simply learn about.

What Children Learn

Musical learning begins in the Early Years through Expressive Arts and Design. Children listen and respond to music, sing songs and rhymes, explore sounds, move to music and begin to create and perform their own music.

This provides the foundations for Music in Key Stages 1 and 2.

As children progress through school, they develop increasingly sophisticated knowledge and skills across key areas including:

• Singing and performing

• Listening and responding

• Playing instruments

• Improvising and composing

• Musicianship and musical understanding

Children revisit important musical concepts and vocabulary so that their knowledge and understanding develop progressively over time.

How We Teach Music

At Shirehampton Primary School, we use Charanga to support the teaching and learning of Music.

Charanga provides a progressive curriculum through which children develop their musical knowledge and skills over time.

Lessons are practical and interactive and provide opportunities for children to listen and respond to music, sing, play instruments, improvise, compose and perform.

Children develop their understanding of the interrelated dimensions of music, including pulse, rhythm, pitch, tempo, dynamics, timbre, texture, structure and notation. They learn to use increasingly precise musical vocabulary when discussing and creating music.

Performing & Making Music

Children are given opportunities to make music both individually and collaboratively.

Through singing, instrumental work, composition and performance, children develop confidence, creativity and the ability to work together as musicians.

Performance provides children with a purpose for their musical learning and opportunities to share and celebrate their achievements with others.

Singing & Wider Musical Experiences

Music extends beyond classroom lessons at Shirehampton, with children given opportunities to enjoy making and performing music together.

Children take part in weekly singing assemblies, providing regular opportunities to develop their confidence, enjoyment of singing and experience of performing as part of a larger group.

Throughout the year, children also have opportunities to perform within the wider community, including singing at our local church.

Children who would like to develop their interest in music further can join our after-school choir, providing additional opportunities to sing, rehearse and perform together.

We also offer peripatetic keyboard lessons in school, giving children the opportunity to develop their instrumental skills with specialist tuition.

These wider musical experiences help children develop confidence, creativity and a sense of belonging, while providing opportunities to share and celebrate music with others.

How We Assess Music

Teachers assess children's musical knowledge and skills throughout lessons and practical musical experiences.

Assessment considers children's developing ability to listen and respond, sing and perform, play instruments, improvise and compose, as well as their understanding and use of musical vocabulary.

Assessment is ongoing and helps teachers identify what children know, understand and can demonstrate independently, informing future teaching and opportunities for further development.

Music Curriculum & Progression

Our curriculum documents provide further information about what children learn in Music and how their musical knowledge and skills develop as they progress through the school.

📄 Music Curriculum Overview

📄 Music Progression of Knowledge & Skills