Music
Intent
At Rectory C.E. Primary School, we believe that music is a powerful and universal language that inspires creativity, builds confidence, and brings people together. Our music curriculum is designed to give all children a firm understanding of what music is, through a rich variety of experiences including listening, singing, playing, analysing, evaluating, and composing.
We aim to:
🎶 Foster a love of music and a curiosity for the subject
🌍 Develop pupils’ understanding and appreciation of diverse musical genres, styles, traditions, and historical periods
🤝 Encourage acceptance and enjoyment of all types of music, promoting cultural awareness and inclusion
🏘️ Help children recognise the value of music in the wider community and its role in different contexts
🥁 Provide opportunities for pupils to fully immerse themselves in musical experiences, such as drumming workshops, performances, and collaborative projects
Through this approach, we nurture confident, expressive learners who are equipped to enjoy and participate in music both in and beyond the classroom.
Implementation
At Rectory C.E. Primary School, we ensure consistency and high-quality teaching in Music by following the Charanga scheme of work, which fully supports the National Curriculum. Music is taught in six units per year: five focused on songs from a range of musical genres and historical periods, and a sixth unit in the summer term dedicated to revisiting and reflecting on key musical concepts.
Each unit incorporates the core strands of musical learning:
Listening and appraising
Musical activities (including games, singing, and playing instruments)
Performing and sharing
Children engage in a wide variety of musical experiences:
Weekly classroom lessons, singing assemblies, and choir performances
Use of musical vocabulary to evaluate and discuss music confidently and accurately
The curriculum is built around the interrelated dimensions of music—pulse, rhythm, pitch, tempo, dynamics, timbre, texture, structure, and notation—which are revisited regularly to deepen understanding and mastery.
Impact
At Rectory C.E. Primary School, the impact of our music curriculum is reflected in pupils’ growing confidence, creativity, and appreciation of music. Through consistent teaching using the Charanga scheme children develop a secure understanding of musical concepts and skills.
By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils:
🎵 Demonstrate understanding of key musical elements including pitch, rhythm, tempo, and dynamics
🗣️ Use musical vocabulary confidently to describe and evaluate music
🥁 Perform with increasing accuracy and expression, both individually and in groups
🎼 Read basic music notation and compose simple pieces
Our pupils leave primary school with a strong foundation in music, ready to build on their skills in secondary education and to enjoy music as a lifelong source of expression and enjoyment.
