Music at St Michael’s

Intent

At St Michael’s, we aim to develop children who feel musical and have a lifelong love of music. We recognise music as a powerful form of expression that supports creativity, emotional development, communication and collaboration.

Our curriculum develops the skills and knowledge children need to become confident performers, composers and listeners. Pupils explore music from different cultures, traditions and periods, learning to appreciate and respect a diverse range of musical styles. Through singing, playing instruments, composing and listening, children develop their musical understanding alongside transferable skills such as teamwork, creative thinking and problem-solving.

Our approach reflects our school vision, “Creating a community where we learn together through: respect, kindness, curiosity and faith,” encouraging children to explore music with curiosity, appreciate different traditions and express themselves creatively.

Implementation

Music is taught by class teachers using the Kapow Primary scheme, which supports the National Curriculum and provides a clear progression of knowledge and skills from EYFS to Year 6. Additional opportunities, including singing and instrumental workshops, enrich our music provision.

The curriculum follows a spiral approach, revisiting and developing previous learning through five-lesson units. Teaching combines listening and evaluating, creating sounds, notation, improvising and composing, and performing.

Children learn to sing expressively, play tuned and untuned instruments with increasing control, and create and perform their own music. They explore the interrelated dimensions of music, including pitch, duration, tempo, timbre, dynamics, texture and structure, and develop an understanding of how music is represented through notation.

Lessons are practical and engaging, incorporating individual, paired and group activities, movement, improvisation and performance. Pupils explore a range of musical styles and traditions, developing their understanding of music’s cultural, social and historical contexts. In EYFS, children build early musical skills through listening, movement, singing and experimenting with sounds. Teacher resources and videos support staff in delivering high-quality lessons.

Impact

Our Music curriculum aims to develop confident, creative musicians who can perform, compose and listen critically. We want children to appreciate music’s diversity, express themselves through sound and feel inspired to continue exploring music beyond primary school.

By the end of Year 6, pupils should be able to:

• Perform confidently through singing and playing instruments.

• Improvise and compose music, making thoughtful choices about sound and musical structure.

• Listen to, evaluate and discuss music using appropriate musical vocabulary.

• Understand and apply the interrelated dimensions of music.

• Recognise different musical traditions and appreciate their cultural, social and historical contexts.

• Understand how musical ideas can be represented through notation.

• Meet the end-of-key-stage expectations of the National Curriculum for Music.

The impact of our curriculum is monitored through ongoing formative assessment, end-of-unit performances, pupil voice, learning walks and summative judgements recorded on OTrack at the end of the summer term.

Ultimately, we want children to leave St Michael’s with confidence in their musical abilities, respect for diverse musical traditions and a lasting appreciation of music, with many inspired to continue learning instruments and making music for pleasure.