Music at Ordsall Primary School

At Ordsall Primary School, Music is taught from the Early Years through to Year 6. Our aim is for pupils to develop a lifelong enjoyment of music, alongside the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to perform, compose, listen and appraise with increasing confidence, accuracy and independence.

Our Music Curriculum

Music at Ordsall is built around two forms of knowledge:

Substantive knowledge – the musical content pupils are taught and expected to remember, including musical elements (such as pulse, rhythm, pitch, tempo, dynamics, timbre, texture and structure), musical vocabulary, styles and genres, instruments, notation and key musical concepts.

Disciplinary knowledge – how pupils think and work as musicians. This includes listening attentively, performing with control, composing creatively, using notation, rehearsing effectively, evaluating music and making informed musical decisions.

Clear progression maps set out what pupils should know, do and understand at each stage. Learning is carefully sequenced so that musical skills, knowledge and understanding build progressively from the Early Years through to the end of Key Stage 2, supporting long-term learning and musical confidence over time.

How Music Is Taught

Music at Ordsall is taught using the Sing Up scheme, which provides a structured and progressive approach to music education aligned with the National Curriculum.

In the Early Years, music is embedded through singing, movement, listening and play. Children explore sound, develop a sense of pulse and rhythm, experiment with their voices and instruments, and begin to respond to and talk about music.

From Key Stage 1 through to Key Stage 2, Sing Up units are selected and sequenced to ensure coherent progression across singing, performing, composing, listening and appraising. Lessons include regular opportunities for repetition, rehearsal and reflection, allowing pupils to build musical understanding and confidence over time.

Curriculum Threads

Music learning at Ordsall is organised around key threads that run throughout the curriculum. These provide continuity and coherence as pupils move through each year group and help them revisit and deepen prior learning.

The core threads within our Music curriculum are:

• Singing – developing the voice as an instrument, progressing from simple songs and chants to confident performance in unison, rounds, partner songs and harmony, with increasing control of pitch, diction, expression and style.

• Playing Instruments – developing control, coordination and ensemble skills through tuned and untuned instruments, progressing from keeping a steady beat to performing rhythmic and melodic parts independently and as part of a group.

• Improvising and Composing – developing creativity and musical decision-making, progressing from exploring sounds and simple patterns to composing structured pieces using rhythm, pitch, texture, harmony and form.

• Listening and Appraising – developing active listening skills, progressing from recognising basic musical features to analysing, comparing and evaluating music from different times, places and cultures using appropriate musical vocabulary.

• Musical Elements – developing secure understanding of core musical concepts such as pulse, rhythm, pitch, tempo, dynamics, timbre, texture and structure, revisited and applied across all areas of learning.

• Notation and Representation – developing understanding of how music can be represented visually, progressing from graphic symbols to staff notation, rhythm grids and scores, enabling pupils to read, interpret and record music.

Thinking and Working Like Musicians

Pupils are taught to think and work like musicians through regular opportunities to:

• perform using their voices and instruments with increasing control, accuracy and expression

• improvise and compose music, making purposeful choices about musical elements and structure

• listen attentively and analytically, identifying features and comparing pieces

• rehearse, refine and evaluate musical ideas

• use musical vocabulary, notation and other representations to communicate ideas

These disciplinary approaches help pupils develop musical independence and confidence.

Progression Through Sing Up

Music at Ordsall follows the Sing Up progression model, ensuring increasing challenge, technical control and musical understanding:

• Early Years and Key Stage 1 – pupils explore music through singing, movement, listening and play, developing a sense of pulse, rhythm and pitch.

• Lower Key Stage 2 – pupils build technical control and musical understanding, performing more complex songs, playing instruments with greater accuracy, composing structured pieces and beginning to use notation.

• Upper Key Stage 2 – pupils perform, compose and appraise with increasing independence and sophistication, working collaboratively, analysing music using appropriate vocabulary and refining musical ideas through rehearsal and evaluation.

Learning is deliberately planned so that pupils revisit and extend prior knowledge, developing confidence, fluency and musicality as they move through the school.

Inclusion and Impact

We are committed to ensuring that all pupils can access and succeed in Music. Lessons include modelling, scaffolding, repetition and opportunities for practical exploration, supporting all learners without lowering expectations.

The impact of our Music curriculum is seen in pupils’ enjoyment of music, their confidence to perform and compose, their ability to listen and respond thoughtfully, and their growing musical understanding as they progress through the school.