Music

In the PKC music curriculum musical knowledge is developed through singing, listening, composing (including improvising) and performing. These musical practices are woven throughout the curriculum and are carefully sequenced so that pupils can build procedural knowledge and technical skills which allow them to begin to realise and develop their own expressive intentions through music.

Each unit has a musical focus, such as pulse, rhythm, tempo, pitch, timbre, dynamics, form/structure, texture or harmony or a combination of these. These are sometimes called the elements of music. Pupils explore how music is constructed using the elements of music by listening analytically or using them as components to build their own compositions. Different pieces and genres of music are explored as examples of the different musical focus in each unit. The different genres of music which are explored in the curriculum introduce them to the wonderfully diverse story of music and build pupil’s declarative knowledge of musical culture and history. Music is drawn from a variety of traditions, including western and non-western classical music, folk, and a variety of modern traditions including rock, pop and jazz. Pieces are drawn from all over the world and from periods spanning seven centuries.

Each unit, over the course of six lessons, follows the same structure. At first, the children listen to and encounter music which will form the focus of their musical learning. They then explore the key musical ingredients and cultural context of the piece of music through active music making. Practising, improvising and/or composing then allows them further to experience and investigate the key musical focus before performing the music they have made to their peers. Evaluation of their own and others’ performances concludes the process.

We provide a subject rationale that explains the thinking behind how the curriculum has been designed, and ‘unit rationales’ that explain how each unit fits in with the wider narrative of the curriculum. Our unit rationales signpost teachers on how to help pupils develop their musical skills. Videos which accompany lesson planning guide teachers in teaching practical elements of the curriculum such as singing, playing and composition. We also provide assessment materials which include knowledge organisers, and advice about how children can evaluate and assess their own work.

We encourage music subject leaders to attend our music CPD sessions. These sessions help subject leads to establish a sound understanding of our music curriculum and provide support for their teachers in the classroom.

The PKC helps schools deliver a full music curriculum for year 1 through to year 6. We meet and go beyond all National Curriculum requirements.

The curriculum is informed by Model Music Curriculum (2021). This curriculum is for classroom music and as such does not seek to cover learning an instrument (such as the recorder or ukelele) in a whole class setting or wider musical opportunities.