Music
Our Music curriculum for KS1-KS2 follows two main themes of musical theatre (singing and dance) and instrumental performance.
ABOUT THIS CURRICULUM
Music at Eden Park
Eden Park’s music curriculum aims to engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, ensuring that all pupils perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions. As pupils progress, they develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon.
Our curriculum for music includes teaching children how to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others. Children will explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.
Music in the Early Years Foundation (EYFS)
In EYFS, music is taught through a rich and playful approach that encourages children to explore, enjoy, and express themselves. Children take part in daily singing sessions featuring nursery rhymes and action songs like "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," helping them develop pitch and melody awareness. They engage in rhythm games using instruments such as claves and explore musical concepts like loud/quiet, fast/slow, and high/low through voice and movement. Musical instruments and a stage area with a speaker are available in the provision, allowing children to create their own songs and performances. Children learn to move rhythmically to music, respond emotionally and physically to musical changes, and enjoy a wide range of genres and cultural music, including those linked to celebrations like Chinese New Year and Diwali. With adult modelling and opportunities for solo and group performance, children build confidence, develop control in using instruments, and begin to match pitch and melody in their singing.
Key Stage One (Year 1 and 2)
By the end of Key Stage 1, children will be able to sing simple chants and songs from memory, including those using the pentatonic scale, as well as call-and-response songs and short melodic phrases. They will listen attentively and appreciate a range of recorded and live music from different cultures. Children will begin to improvise and invent simple vocal chants and melodies using instruments, understanding that tempo (speed) can change and responding to it appropriately. They will create their own symbols for graphic notation and develop a basic understanding of formal notation, including crotchets, quavers, and crotchet rests. Pupils will be able to keep a steady beat with others, even as tempo changes, and begin to group beats into 2s, 3s, and 4s. Using percussion instruments and their bodies, they will explore rhythm, tempo, and dynamics. They will respond to pulse through movement and dance, perform simple copycat rhythms, and use percussion to support story-telling. Finally, children will understand pitch in terms of high and low sounds and represent this understanding with hand gestures
Key Stage Two (Years 3-6)
By the end of Key Stage 2, children will build on their prior musical knowledge and extend their skills and understanding further. They will be able to sing a broad range of songs, including those with syncopated rhythms, demonstrating awareness of rhythm, phrasing, pitch, and style. Children will perform as part of a choir in assemblies and school productions, with wider opportunities to perform to an audience. They will listen to and comment on a wide range of musical styles and cultures—including live music—such as Western classical, pop, folk, tango, samba, choral, Bhangra, and calypso. They will create, plan, compose, and perform their own pieces using instruments such as the keyboard, ukulele, and guitar, incorporating chord changes and using the pentatonic scale. Children will begin to use musical software to compose, and perform short pieces using staff notation, supported by chords, bass lines, or percussion. They will engage in ensemble playing, showing awareness of others, and will be introduced to time signatures including 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4.
Enriching Music
Music is enriched through a wide range of real-life experiences that give children the opportunity to develop confidence, creativity, and a love of performance. Performing on stage in a local theatre allows pupils to experience the excitement and discipline of a live audience setting, while visits to local care homes help children connect with the community through the joy of singing. Performing in church offers a reflective and respectful space to share music in a meaningful context. Children are encouraged to listen to live music to broaden their appreciation of different styles and cultures, and they play a variety of instruments to explore rhythm, pitch, and harmony. Opportunities to sing and perform solos help build individual confidence and vocal skill, and the Stage Struck Club gives children a fun, focused environment to develop their talents in drama and musical theatre. For some, the chance to travel and perform with Young Voices brings a memorable and inspiring experience, singing alongside thousands of other children in a professional arena setting. These opportunities ensure that music is not just a subject, but a vibrant, lived experience.
