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Intent

The intention of Academy 360 music scheme is first and foremost to help children to feel that they are musical, and to develop a life-long love of music. We focus on developing the skills, knowledge and understanding that children need in order to become confident performers, composers and listeners. Our curriculum introduces children to music from all around the world and across generations, teaching children to respect and appreciate the music of all traditions and communities.

Children will develop the musical skills of singing, playing tuned and untuned instruments, improvising and composing music, and listening and responding to music. They will develop an understanding of the history and cultural context of the music that they listen to and learn how music can be written down. Through music, our curriculum helps develop transferable skills such as team-working, leadership, creative thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, and presentation and performance skills. These skills are vital to children’s development as learners and have a wider application in their general lives outside and beyond school.

Skills

The intent of our music curriculum is to develop pupils who:

Can sing and use their voices individually and in a group
Create and compose music on their own and with others
Use technology appropriately when composing
Have opportunities to learn a musical instrument
Understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated

Listen to, review and evaluate the work of great composers and musicians from a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions
Enjoy and have an appreciation of a range of different musical styles e.g. Classical, Jazz, Hip Hop, Pop, Rock etc.
Use and understand musical language and include musical features in their own work
Make judgements about the quality of music
Have opportunities to play a wide variety of instruments
Have different opportunities to take part in performances

Implementation

Academy 360’s music scheme takes an holistic approach to music, in which the individual strands below are woven together to create engaging and enriching learning experiences:

Performing
Listening
Composing
The history of music
The inter-related dimensions of music

The music scheme of work overview combines these strands within a cross-curricular topic designed to capture pupils’ imagination and encourage them to explore music enthusiastically. Over the course of the scheme, children will be taught how 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 – pitch, duration, tempo, timbre, structure, texture and dynamics – and use these expressively in their own improvisations and compositions.

The music scheme follows the spiral curriculum model where previous skills and knowledge are returned to and built upon. Children have the opportunity to develop their understanding and knowledge of the history of music, musical notations, as well as the interrelated dimensions of music and more. In each lesson, pupils will actively participate in musical activities drawn from a range of styles and traditions, developing their musical skills and their understanding of how music works. Lessons incorporate a range of teaching strategies from independent tasks, paired and group work as well as improvisation and teacher-led performances. Lessons are ‘hands-on’ and incorporate movement and dance elements, as well as making cross curricular links with other areas of learning.

Differentiated guidance is available for every lesson to ensure that lessons can be accessed by all pupils and opportunities to stretch pupils’ learning are available when required. Knowledge organisers for each unit support pupils in building a foundation of factual knowledge by encouraging recall and key facts and vocabulary.

In addition, to further develop children’s skills, weekly singing assemblies take place and termly performances. Children also have opportunity to work with music specialists and be part of the school choir. They can also choose to engage in after school clubs and one-to-one private music lessons.

Impact

The impact of Academy 360’s music scheme can be constantly monitored through both formative and summative assessment opportunities. After the implementation of Academy 360’s music scheme, children should leave primary school equipped with a range of skills to enable them to succeed in their secondary education and to be able to enjoy and appreciate music throughout their lives.

The suspected impact of Academy 360’s music scheme of work is that children will:

Be confident performers, composers and listeners and will be able to express themselves musically at and beyond school.
Show an appreciation and respect for a wide range of musical styles from around the world and will understand how music is influenced by the wider culture, social, and historical contexts in which it is developed
Understand the ways in which music can be written down to support performing and composing activities
Demonstrate and articulate and enthusiasm for music and be able to identify their own personal musical preferences
Meet the end of key stage expectations outlined in the National Curriculum for music.

A360-Music-Development-Plan.docx

Primary

Intent

At Academy 360, the intention of our music curriculum is to inspire all children to see themselves as musical and to develop a lifelong love and appreciation of music. We aim to nurture confident performers, composers and listeners by developing the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to engage with music meaningfully and creatively.

Our curriculum introduces pupils to a wide range of musical traditions from around the world and across generations. Through this, children learn to respect and celebrate diversity, promoting the British Values of mutual respect, tolerance, individual liberty and respect for different cultures and beliefs. Music also provides opportunities for pupils to work collaboratively, take responsibility and contribute positively, supporting democracy and the rule of law within a creative context.

We are committed to ensuring equality of access for all pupils, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. Lessons are inclusive, adaptive and ambitious, enabling every child to succeed and thrive musically. High expectations are maintained for all learners, with appropriate support and challenge provided to ensure progress.

Oracy is embedded throughout our music curriculum using Voice 21 approaches. Pupils are encouraged to articulate ideas, reflect on their learning, evaluate performances and collaborate effectively through structured talk, discussion and performance opportunities.

Alongside musical development, our curriculum explicitly supports the Skills Builder framework. supporting success across the curriculum and in later life. In primary music, these skills are taught explicitly and reinforced through practical, collaborative and performance-based learning.

Listening is developed as pupils listen carefully to music from a wide range of genres and cultures, follow instructions, respond to musical cues and evaluate the work of others.
Speaking is embedded through Voice 21 approaches, with pupils discussing musical ideas, explaining choices, giving feedback and reflecting on performances using appropriate musical vocabulary.
Teamwork is strengthened through ensemble work, group composition and shared performances, where pupils learn to cooperate, respect different viewpoints and contribute positively.
Leadership is encouraged as pupils take on roles within group work, lead warm-ups, direct performances or support peers during rehearsals.
Creativity is central to music learning, particularly through improvisation and composition, where pupils explore ideas, experiment with sound and make independent musical decisions.
Problem solving is developed as pupils refine performances, adapt compositions, overcome technical challenges and make improvements based on feedback.
Staying positive is fostered through rehearsal and performance, helping pupils build resilience, manage mistakes and develop confidence in performing in front of others.
Aiming high is promoted by setting high expectations, encouraging pupils to improve their work, perform with confidence and take pride in their musical achievements.

Through regular opportunities to perform, compose, discuss and reflect, music provides a meaningful and engaging context in which pupils can practise and embed these essential life skills from an early age.

Skills and Knowledge

Through the music curriculum, pupils will:

Sing and use their voices confidently, individually and as part of a group
Create, improvise and compose music independently and collaboratively
Use technology appropriately to support composing and performing
Learn to play a range of tuned and untuned instruments
Understand how music is created, produced and communicated
Listen to, review and evaluate music from a range of historical periods, genres, styles and cultures
Develop an appreciation of a wide range of musical styles, including Classical, Jazz, Hip Hop, Pop and Rock
Use and understand musical language and apply musical features in their own work
Make informed judgements about the quality and effectiveness of music
Take part in performances that build confidence, resilience and a sense of achievement

Implementation

Academy 360’s music curriculum takes a holistic approach, weaving together the following strands to create engaging and meaningful learning experiences:

Performing
Listening
Composing
The history of music
The interrelated dimensions of music

These strands are delivered through a spiral curriculum, ensuring that key skills and knowledge are revisited, reinforced and built upon over time. Pupils learn to sing fluently and expressively, play instruments accurately and with control, and use the interrelated dimensions of music — pitch, duration, tempo, timbre, structure, texture and dynamics — in their own compositions and improvisations.

Lessons are practical, inclusive and engaging, incorporating independent tasks, paired and group work, discussion, movement and performance. Cross-curricular links are made where appropriate to deepen learning and engagement. A range of adaptive strategies and differentiated guidance ensures lessons meet the needs of all learners, including SEND and disadvantaged pupils, while providing opportunities to stretch and challenge.

Knowledge organisers support pupils in building secure foundations of vocabulary and key facts. Oracy strategies from Voice 21 are embedded throughout, encouraging pupils to explain ideas, reflect on learning and give constructive feedback.

Beyond lessons, pupils benefit from weekly singing assemblies, termly performances, opportunities to work with music specialists, choir participation, after-school clubs and one-to-one instrumental lessons, further enriching their musical experiences.

Impact

The impact of Academy 360’s music curriculum is monitored through ongoing formative and summative assessment. By the time pupils leave primary school, they are equipped with the musical skills, confidence and enthusiasm needed to succeed in secondary education and to enjoy music throughout their lives.

As a result of our music curriculum, pupils will:

Be confident performers, composers and listeners
Show respect and appreciation for a wide range of musical styles and cultures
Understand how music reflects social, historical and cultural contexts
Use musical notation to support composing and performing
Communicate ideas effectively using musical and spoken language
Demonstrate enthusiasm for music and identify personal musical preferences
Develop key Skills Builder skills that support learning, wellbeing and future success
Meet the end of Key Stage expectations set out in the National Curriculum

Please see the link below to view the Music Curriculum Overview.
Music-Curriculum-Overview.pdf

mmc_progression_of_knowledge_skills_and_elements_years_1_6.pdf

mmc_musical_spotlight_descriptions.pdf

a360_music_development_plan.docx.pdf