Music
Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. A high quality music education should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement.' The New National Curriculum for Music.
At Torkington we teach music from EYFS (Nursery and Reception) right through to Year 6 (KS2).
EYFS - Music is taught throughout the areas of learning. Music skills involve learning the names of instruments and how to play them, exploring media and different materials and singing songs. Our children use their imagination to represent their ideas through design technology, art, dance, role play and stories.
KS1 - Children are inspired to develop a love of music that increases self-confidence and gives them a sense of achievement.
Year 1 - Music skills involve moving with the pulse, identifying ascending and descending sounds and listening to and responding to live music. Whilst playing percussion instruments they are encouraged to experiment with, create, choose and combine different sounds using different elements in music such as dynamics, tempo, pitch, timbre and structure. They also learn to play the rhythm and pulse of a song.
Year 2 - By the end of KS1 children are able to recognise percussion, brass and string instruments played in music, as well as recognising changes in dynamics (loud and quiet) and tempo (fast and slow). They are able to create an ostinato rhythm, identify repeated sections in music and play equal length phrases, usually with a partner.
KS2 - Throughout key stage 2 children develop a good understanding of the history of music, this is also explored through classroom historical curriculum topics. Our children are also given the opportunity to listen to a wide range of live and recorded music from different traditions and great composers. The children are taught to sing and play musically with increasing confidence and control, and develop an understanding of musical composition.
Year 3 - By Year 3 the children are becoming increasingly more confident with their music skills. They are able to clap the rhythm of songs, tap the pulse and play the metre of a song. They are taught to compose by creating simple melodic and rhythmic phrases and play as part of an ensemble. They play and sing in class, with an understanding of how to improve accuracy, fluency, control and expression.
Year 4 - Children are becoming more advanced musically in Year 4. They are taught to clap the rhythm of a song whilst others tap the metre, say and tap eight beat phase rhythms and play ostinato to a piece of music or song. They play as part of an ensemble, and choose the most appropriate ways to perform songs and choose the most appropriate instrumental sounds to accompany a song.
Year 5 - In year 5 the children develop leadership skills within an ensemble, and are taught to sing in 2 parts. They are learning key skills to help them play, sing and perform, such as organising rhythmic and melodic phrases in a simple structure and choosing the appropriate dynamics and tempo to enhance their music.
Year 6 - The children are becoming increasingly advanced in their music skills and developing their leadership abilities. They are encouraged to choose appropriate dynamics, tempo, instrumental sounds and vocal quality for their songs and compositions. They are taught to organise rhythmic and melodic phrases and create a tune using 2/3 phrases and create harmony by adding notes in parallel to a tune.
DID YOU KNOW?
That singing not only makes you feel great, but research shows it helps you relax and is good for your heart?
We love singing at Torkington, so have recently joined the popular and award winning organisation Sing Up! Sing Up is a music site that has a song bank of over 600 songs from pop hits that children love, to curriculum songs to support their learning.
If you wish to find out more information about Sing Up visit www.singup.org Here you can register as a friend and get 10 free downloads to share with your child at home. It’s fun and free to join as a friend so enjoy, and don’t forget....keep singing!!!
Please see below for the whole school overview for our music curriculum.
