Welcome to Eden Park’s Music Curriculum

Our Music curriculum has been carefully designed to ensure that children receive a rich, engaging and progressive musical education, providing rigour, breadth and full coverage of the National Curriculum.

Music is an integral part of life at Eden Park. We want our children to develop a genuine love of music, whilst building the knowledge, skills and confidence to express themselves through singing, playing instruments, composing and performing.

Our curriculum is designed to ensure that children experience a wide range of musical styles, genres, traditions and composers as they progress through the school. We place a strong emphasis on developing both musical knowledge and practical skills, enabling children to become increasingly independent, creative and confident musicians.

Through listening, appraising, performing and composing, children develop their understanding of the interrelated dimensions of music, including pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture and structure. They learn to use musical vocabulary to describe, compare and evaluate music, while developing the skills to create and communicate their own musical ideas.

On this page you will find:

This Is How We Do It Here – Music

A summary of our intentions, expectations and approach to teaching Music at Eden Park.

EYFS Music Curriculum – An overview of the knowledge, skills and experiences children develop during their time in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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.

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Year 1 and 2 Music Curriculum – Our curriculum journey for Key Stage 1, building foundational musical knowledge and developing children’s confidence as performers, listeners and composers.

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

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Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 Music Curriculum – Our lower Key Stage 2 curriculum, where children develop greater technical skill, musical understanding and creative independence.

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.

‍Music Progression Roadmap

A clear overview of the journey our learners take from EYFS through to Year 6, showing how musical knowledge, listening skills, performance techniques, composition and the use of musical vocabulary develop progressively over time.

Guiding Principle of Aspiration in Music

One of our Guiding Principles is Aspiration. We encourage our children to aspire every day, in everything they do, and to believe that their learning can open doors to a world of possibilities.

Whenever we begin a new Learning Enquiry in Key Stage 2, we share with the children examples of the careers and opportunities that their learning could lead to in the future. Whether they are exploring science, history, geography, art, computing or another area of the curriculum, we want them to see the real-world relevance of what they are learning.

By making these connections, we aim to open children's eyes to the wealth of possibilities available to them and help them understand that their learning today can shape their opportunities tomorrow.

We want every child to develop a “What could I become?” mindset — to dream big, recognise their own potential and understand that there are many different pathways to success. Most importantly, we want our children to leave us believing that their aspirations are within reach and that the knowledge, skills and attitudes they develop at school can help them to achieve them.

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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. Please see 'Enriching the Curriculum YrR-Y6' for further information.

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