Welcome to our Music Page

Intent of our Music Curriculum

Our intention is to engage and inspire children to become creatively, critically and technically literate musicians.  Through their developing musical skills, we want all children to foster a love of music and an appreciation of the wider role it can play in supporting self-expression and well-being, thinking and communication skills and embracing culture, diversity, inclusion and enjoyment of the Arts. 

Our curriculum aims to provide children with regular, progressive and sequenced teaching to meet this intention. 

From EYFS to the end of KS2, children grow their skills in the three core pillars of the music curriculum – performing, composing and listening.  These core areas are underpinned by regular experience and immersion in the interrelated dimensions of music: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and musical notation. 

To give the curriculum breadth and diversity, children listen to and work with music from a wide range of historical periods, genres and cultures. 

We teach children the essential listening and language skills that they need to appraise and make judgements about the music they hear, and we support them to develop the essential skills they need to understand and then build their own musical structures. 

At Swansfield Park, as part of our commitment to high quality music education, we ensure that children have regular opportunities to be inspired as they listen to live music as well as regular opportunities to play and perform. To do this, we have built strong relationships with Music Partnership North, Rock Steady, Alnwick Music Society and a range of local music ensembles. 

It is our non-negotiable aim that any child who wishes to pursue music beyond the core curriculum offer is supported and encouraged to do so.

Implementation of our Music Curriculum

• In EYFS, singing, exploration of sounds and musical games are taught as part if the Expressive Arts and Design strand of the EYFS curriculum as well as being incorporated into daily routines and to enhance other curriculum areas

• In Reception, KS1 and KS2, the music curriculum is taught through the Charanga music scheme. Children’s learning in each unit allows them to listen and appraise, explore a range of musical activities focusing on the interrelated dimensions of music and the core skills of improvisation and composition and to perform

• In KS1, LKS2 and UKS2, the curriculum is taught on a two year rolling programme with opportunity to revisit and revise key skills several times within an age phase. The knowledge and skills taught in each age phase (KS1, LKS2 and UKS2) build progressively over time

• Children begin to learn notation in KS1 using a C-Major glockenspiel. The reading and playing of musical notation is then developed in LKS2 and UKS2 with children learning to play the recorder

• Singing is an integral part of the music curriculum and life at Swansfield Park Primary school. Each Charanga unit introduces children to at least one song which they learn to sing and perform throughout the unit. Children regularly sing in school assemblies

• All children have regular opportunities to give musical performances to an audience at key points in the school year - Harvest, Christmas, class assemblies

• In addition to the music curriculum for each year group, children in Years 1-6 have the opportunity to sing in the school choir

• In addition to the music curriculum for each year group, children in Years 1-6 have the opportunity to have small group tuition in recorder and 1:1 tuition in piano, voice, violin, clarinet and guitar

• In addition to the music curriculum for each year group, children in Years 1-6 have the opportunity to join a school rock band through Rock Steady

• Funding is provided for children in receipt of Pupil Premium to have fully funded music lessons on an instrument of their choice