The curriculum at Bishop Parker Catholic School has been developed in order to deliver the National Curriculum for music in a way that fosters musical skills, talents, composition and an appreciation of a wide genre of music.

We cultivate a real enjoyment of music and aim to deliver high quality music teaching, supporting all children to achieve their full potential. Children will develop their talents in all aspects of music through singing and praising God, playing instruments and developing their appreciation of music.

Music is a unique form of communication and an integral part of our culture. It provides an important medium to help children understand themselves, relate to others and the wider world. At Bishop Parker Catholic School we want to inspire children to develop a love and appreciation of music. The children’s talent as musicians enables their self-confidence and creativity to grow, providing a sense of achievement.

By the time our pupils leave Bishop Parker Catholic School children will have participated in a wide range of singing, tuned and untuned percussion work, composition as well as listening to and appreciating a range of musical styles. All children will have been taught the skills to be able to compose using musical instruments, as well as the appropriate musical notation terminology e.g. rhythm, melody, pitch, dynamics. As pupils’ progress through the school, they will have developed a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, listen and perform and become confident musicians.

Teachers will plan to incorporate Music meaningfully and where appropriate, into their topic-based learning, whilst following the ‘Charanga’ scheme of work and our learning sequence:

Listen – Explore - Perform - Evaluate

The teaching of music at Bishop Parker Catholic School aims to develop the following skills:

EYFS:

To maintain attention and concentrate and sit quietly during appropriate activity

To begin to build a repertoire of songs and dances

To explore the different sounds of instruments

KS1:

To listen to a wide range of music with concentration and understanding

To use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes.

To play a variety of tuned and untuned percussion instruments musically

To experiment with, create and combine sounds using the interrelated dimensions of music: pitch, dynamics, tempo, duration

KS2:

To listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory

To appreciate and understand a wide range of music from historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians

To improvise and compose music for a range of purposes through the interrelated dimensions of music: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations

To play and perform using their voices and instruments in solo and ensemble groups, using their voices and playing instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression.