Year 1 Autumn 1

Finding the Beat (duration)

Children will focus on finding the beat and understanding how to use rhythms that follow it. They will practise singing and using body percussion while learning how tempo affects the beat. Year One will also be introduced to a range of untuned percussion and the many ways in which we can create musical rhythms with them.

Year 1 Autumn 2

The Snail and the Mouse (tempo)

Children will explore tempo in songs and learn how to describe different tempos: fast, moderate, and slow. They will strengthen their understanding of pitch as they learn new songs about a snail and a mouse, and develop their singing skills both creatively and technically.

Year 1 Spring 1 

Sounds of the City (timbre)

Children will listen to the sounds of the city, create their own sound effects and compose some music related to sounds found in different places.

Year 1 Spring 2

Great Fire of London (pitch)

Children will learn songs about the Great Fire of London, developing their use of tempo and dynamics. They will also develop their knowledge of pitch to play simple tunes on xylophones.

Year 1 Summer 1

Walking the Dog (structure)

Children will learn about musical structure and rhythm based on Gershwin’s ‘Walking the Dog’. They will compose their own rhythms and simple melodies based on their walk to school/ favourite place.

Year 1 Summer 2

Playground Games (duration)

Children will sing songs and compose musical phrases about their school, developing their notating skills and learning how to keep time. They will learn/be reminded of lots of clapping games that will demonstrate their skills and hopefully bring more joy to the playground!

Year 2 Autumn 1

Who’s Out There? (pitch)

Your children will explore the idea of pitch this term as they travel to a different planet. They will begin to recognise higher and lower sounds and the shape of different melodies used by their ‘alien friends’. They will sing and compose short melodies and begin notating pitch through waves and dots.

Year 2 Autumn 2

Musical storytelling (timbre/pitch)

This term Year 2 will listen to a range of winter-themed music and songs that will inspire them to create their own musical stories and sounds. They will play a number of games to further develop their pitch and will apply this when playing simple tunes on glockenspiels.

Year 2 Spring 1

Carnival of the Animals (timbre/tempo)

Children will explore the classical music of ‘Carnival of the Animals’. They will respond creatively to different timbres, tempos and dynamics of the different animals and will follow an exciting story that brings it to life.

Year 2 Spring 2

Sun Sea and song (pitch)

Children will learn sea shanties and songs sung by the coast. They will develop their sense of pulse with body percussion and think about how dynamics is used in classical music that represents the sea.

Year 2 Summer 1

Music and the Monarchy (duration)

Children will be learning about the structure of music written for monarchs around the world and throughout time. They will be introduced to instruments that commonly play fanfares and compose their own for royalty – using notation and kazoos!

Year 2 Summer 2

Minibeasts (pitch and duration)

Children will further develop their understanding of rhythm and pitch when they listen to and make music based on minibeasts and the way they move. They will play pitched percussion and will also be introduced to a music app that helps them create layered music.

Year 3 Autumn 1

Stone Age rhythms (duration)

Children will further develop their understanding of rhythm through listening and identifying, as well as through percussive playing. They will begin to develop ways of notating rhythm – as their Stone Age ancestors may well have done!

Year 3 Autumn 2

Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra (timbre/dynamics)

Children will be exploring classical music and the ‘Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra’. They will be exposed to the different timbres within the orchestra and become well-versed in identifying instruments and how they are played.

Year 3 Spring 1

Volcanoes (pitch/duration)

Children will develop their soundscape skills for natural phenomena, following their geography topic. They will practise identifying instrument sounds and further understand how dynamics can affect an audience.

Year 3 Spring 2

Recorders (playing an instrument)

Children will learn the basic skills of recorder playing and will begin to read music! They will also compose their own tunes using the notes they have learnt.

Year 3 Summer 1

Roman Army (texture/duration)

Children will develop their use of rhythmic notation and compose music that reflects a Roman army. We will also be learning a range of songs that embed our historical learning and further our use of pitch and dynamics.

Year 3 Summer 2

African Drumming (instrument/duration)

Children will learn how to play the djembe, a West African drum, alongside other percussion. They will learn technique, how to play polyrhythmically and traditional West African songs through call and response.

Year 4 Autumn 1

Reading Rhythms (duration)

The children will focus on writing and reading rhythms. They will develop ways to notate rhythms and compose short rhythmic phrases to fit within a well-known tune, using a variety of untuned percussion.

Year 4 Autumn 2

Sing like a Viking (pitch)

Children will develop their singing technique and percussion-playing skills as they learn a range of Viking-inspired songs. They will work towards a performance – improving their pitch and ability to keep in time.

Year 4 Spring 1

A River’s Journey (structure/timbre)

Children will explore classical music that depicts a river’s path and will learn songs that convey the feelings and emotions associated with a river. They will create percussive ostinatos that reflect the course of a river and use dynamics to enhance the soundscape.

Year 4 Spring 2

Rock and Roll (structure)

Children will listen to a variety of rock and roll music. They will understand the structure and learn how to play a walking bass to accompany well-known songs.

Year 4 Summer 1

Ancient Melodies (pitch)

Children will learn about the pentatonic scale and its use in ancient times. They will learn to improvise using the pentatonic scale on tuned percussion and play as an ensemble.

Year 4 Summer 2

Variations of a theme (notation/pitch/duration)

Year 5 Autumn 1

Musical Theatre (pitch)

Children will explore the history of musical theatre while developing their use of the voice. They will listen and respond to a variety of musical numbers and work towards performing their own song as a class.

Year 5 Autumn 2

Rap (computing and music)

Year 5 will explore the genre of rap, using lyrics rhythmically and for a desired audience. They will use music tech to compose beat tracks to accompany their raps and develop their performance as a rap battler.

Year 5 Spring 1

Ukulele (playing an instrument)

Children will learn basic ukulele playing skills this term. They will learn the parts of the ukulele, the notes of the strings, basic chords to accompany familiar tunes, and how to strum with confidence while being creative. These instruments are so versatile and a great alternative to the guitar, where the skills are interchangeable.

Year 5 Spring 2

Ukulele composition (playing and composition)

Children will continue their instrument lessons and begin to notate and compose for their new instrument,

Year 5 Summer 1

Rondo Form (structure)

Children will explore the structure of a rondo and have fun creating their own using tuned percussion and instruments of their choice.

Year 5 Summer 2

Samba sounds (timbre/duration)

Children will learn about the sounds and rhythms of samba music, using rhythmic notation and call-and-response. They will learn rhythms to play polyrhythmically on various percussive instruments and practise playing in a marching band.

Year 6 Autumn 1

Popular music through the decades (structure)

Children will learn about some of pop music’s most influential songwriters and musical genres. They will learn about the structure of chords and songs and use tuned instruments to accompany songs. They will further develop their listening and singing skills, matching pitches with varying intervals.

Year 6 Autumn 2

Advanced variations of a theme (structure/notation)

Year 6 will listen to a range of classical music that will develop their understanding of dynamics and texture. They will learn new musical terminology and be able to respond confidently to unknown extracts and explore the use of variations of a theme.

Year 6 Spring 1 and 2

Finish this? ENO project

Children take part in an annual composing project for the English National Opera! They will be completing a piece of music that will be pitched to the original composer against other schools across the country. They will put many elements of music into practice, including dynamics and texture, and use their instrumental skills to make musical choices about suitable timbres and tempos, as well as how to notate their group compositions.

Year 6 Summer 1

Becoming performers (pitch)

Children will spend time learning their production songs, becoming aware of the importance of warming up their voice and how to use breathing to create phrasing in musical numbers.

Year 6 Summer 2

Film music (texture/timbre/dynamic)

This last full term of music for Year 6 will be a mash-up of skills, developing performance and singing techniques, understanding notation to sing and play, learning about the art of film music and using music tech for compositions,