Music

Curriculum Intent

The Music curriculum at The Gordon Children’s Academy is designed to inspire a lifelong love of music whilst enabling all pupils to become confident performers, composers, listeners and critical thinkers. Through the delivery of the Sing Up Music curriculum, pupils develop musical knowledge, skills and understanding through a carefully sequenced programme that ensures progression from Early Years through to Year 6.

Our music curriculum provides all pupils with opportunities to sing, perform, compose, improvise, listen to and evaluate music. Through these experiences, pupils develop a secure understanding of the interrelated dimensions of music: pulse, rhythm, pitch, tempo, dynamics, timbre, texture, structure and notation. Learning is inclusive and engaging, allowing every child to experience success and develop confidence in their musical abilities.

Our curriculum is further enriched through a range of high-quality musical experiences beyond the classroom. These include participation in Young Voices, Medway Music Association (MMA) Choral Festivals, visits and performances linked to the Royal Opera and Ballet, theatre productions, live musical performances and school concerts. These opportunities allow pupils to experience music in authentic and inspiring contexts, develop performance confidence and build cultural capital.

We aim for every child to leave The Gordon Children’s Academy with a secure foundation of musical knowledge, the confidence to participate in music-making and an appreciation of music's importance within both their own lives and wider society.

Curriculum Journey

At The Gordon Children’s Academy, music learning begins in the Early Years and develops progressively through the Sing Up Music curriculum, ensuring pupils build upon prior knowledge and deepen their understanding year on year.

Early Years Foundation Stage

Children develop their early musical understanding through singing, nursery rhymes, movement, music-making and imaginative play. They learn to recognise patterns, keep a steady pulse, respond to different sounds and express themselves through music. These experiences provide the foundations for future musical learning.

Key Stage 1

In Years 1 and 2, pupils develop the fundamental musical concepts of pulse, rhythm and pitch through singing, listening, movement, composition and instrumental work. They begin to use musical vocabulary to describe what they hear and perform simple musical patterns using classroom percussion instruments. Pupils explore music from different cultures and traditions whilst developing confidence in performing individually and as part of a group.

Lower Key Stage 2

In Years 3 and 4, pupils deepen their understanding of musical elements and begin applying this knowledge through more complex performance and composition activities. They perform with increasing accuracy, compose using graphic and standard notation, and develop a greater understanding of musical structure. Pupils continue to explore a broad range of genres, traditions and historical contexts through listening and appraisal.

Upper Key Stage 2

In Years 5 and 6, pupils refine and apply their musical knowledge with increasing independence. They compose using a wider range of musical devices, perform with greater technical control and evaluate music using sophisticated musical vocabulary. Pupils explore how composers use musical elements to create particular effects and communicate meaning. By the end of Year 6, pupils are able to listen critically, perform confidently and compose creatively.

Throughout the school, the Sing Up curriculum follows a spiral model in which key concepts such as pulse, rhythm, pitch, notation, composition, performance and listening are revisited regularly and developed in increasing depth. This ensures that knowledge is embedded securely and enables pupils to make meaningful connections between previous and new learning.