Music
Our aims
At Scotton Lingerfield Primary School, we want every child to feel musical and enjoy taking part in music. Our curriculum develops children’s confidence as singers, instrumentalists, composers and listeners, giving them opportunities to express themselves and experience the enjoyment of making music together.
Children encounter music from different cultures, traditions and historical periods. They learn to listen carefully, explore different styles and develop their own musical interests, while appreciating the music enjoyed and created by others.
Through rehearsing, composing and performing, children also learn to cooperate, persevere and contribute to a shared achievement.
How we teach music
We use Kapow Primary to support our music teaching, following a two-year rolling programme for our mixed-age classes. Children revisit important knowledge and skills through increasingly challenging activities, building on what they have learned before.
Music is taught weekly, with 45-minute lessons in Key Stage 1 and one-hour lessons in Key Stage 2. In Reception, short focused lessons sit alongside opportunities to sing, explore instruments and make music within everyday provision. A weekly whole-school singing assembly provides further opportunities to practise and enjoy singing together.
Lessons connect listening, singing, playing, improvising and composing. Children work independently, with partners and in groups, using their voices, body percussion, and tuned and untuned instruments.
As they move through school, children learn how pitch, rhythm, tempo, dynamics, timbre, texture and structure shape a piece of music. They explore these ideas practically before using musical vocabulary and notation to explain, record and develop their work.
Teachers adapt musical tasks, resources and support so that all children can participate. Opportunities to rehearse, repeat and build from familiar patterns help children develop confidence, while additional challenge allows more experienced musicians to extend their skills.
Building knowledge and skills across ages and stages
In Reception, children explore sounds through songs, rhymes, movement and instruments. They learn to recognise contrasts such as loud and quiet, fast and slow, and high and low. They copy simple rhythms, keep a beat and choose sounds to represent characters, actions and feelings. Singing and playing together help them practise starting and stopping at the right time and taking part in a group performance.
In Years 1 and 2, children develop their understanding of pulse and rhythm, sing familiar songs from memory and play short patterns with increasing accuracy. They explore how voices and instruments can tell stories or create different moods. When composing, they select and combine sounds, create simple melodies and begin to record ideas using pictures, symbols and letter names. Listening activities help them compare pieces, describe what they hear and suggest simple improvements to their own music.
In Years 3 and 4, children develop greater control and expression in singing and instrumental playing. They learn to maintain their own part while listening to others, perform melodies and rhythms, and begin to use basic staff notation. Composing develops through combining musical layers, adapting repeated patterns and making choices about structure. Studies including ballads, rock and roll, jazz and samba broaden their understanding of musical styles and traditions. Children increasingly use musical vocabulary to explain their choices and improve their work.
In Years 5 and 6, children bring their skills together in more demanding performances and compositions. They sing in two or more parts, play with increasing accuracy and expression, and respond to performance directions. They explore styles including blues, musical theatre and film music, considering how musical choices create atmosphere and communicate meaning. Composing includes developing themes and variations, working with loops and remixes, and creating songs. Children use notation and technology to record their ideas, evaluate their work in greater detail and refine it through rehearsal.
Musical opportunities beyond lessons
Singing and performance are an important part of school life. Children take part in celebrations and productions, including the Reception and Key Stage 1 Nativity, the Years 3 and 4 spring production and the Years 5 and 6 summer production. These experiences help them develop confidence, practise working together and share their achievements with an audience.
Our lunchtime pop choir provides further opportunities to enjoy singing, including drop-in sessions. Wider experiences include Young Voices for participating Key Stage 2 choir members, church services, community events and opportunities to experience live musical theatre.
Individual and small-group instrumental tuition is also available, with provision including piano or keyboard, guitar and violin. School funding supports access for pupils eligible for the Pupil Premium. Children who learn instruments outside school are encouraged to share their achievements and contribute their skills to school music where appropriate.
Developing confident musicians
Teachers listen to children singing and playing, observe their work and discuss their musical choices to understand how their learning is developing. Opportunities to revisit, rehearse and respond to feedback help children improve their accuracy, control and expression over time.
We value children’s participation and progress, whether they are exploring an instrument for the first time, composing with friends or performing to an audience.
By the end of Year 6, we want children to have secure musical foundations, an appreciation of a broad range of music and the confidence to continue making and enjoying music.
