Sparken Hill Academy
Music
Music
At Sparken Hill, music is not an extra. It is something every child does, every week, from the day they join us to the day they leave.
Why we teach music
We believe every child has the right to be a musician, whatever their background or starting point. For many of our pupils, school is where they first hold an instrument, sing in front of an audience or hear music from another part of the world, so we make sure music is a regular, joyful and ambitious part of every child's week.
Our curriculum aims to give every child the knowledge and skills to sing, play, compose and listen with growing confidence, and a love of music that lasts well beyond their time with us.
Access for all
Every child, in every class, gets high-quality music teaching from a specialist, every week.
Knowledge that builds
The building blocks of music are taught in a clear sequence and revisited in more depth each year.
Music for life
Children develop the confidence, skills and curiosity to keep making and enjoying music as they grow.
How we teach music
Music is taught through a dedicated weekly lesson, led by a specialist, using real instruments and a carefully sequenced curriculum.
Every child. Every week. Every year.
- FSNursery and Reception
- Y1Weekly lesson
- Y2Weekly lesson
- Y3Weekly lesson
- Y4Weekly lesson
- Y5Weekly lesson
- Y6Weekly lesson
- ✓Every class
Every class, from the Foundation Stage to Year 6, has a dedicated whole-class music lesson every week of the school year. Between Reception and Year 6, that adds up to more than 250 music lessons for every child.
Taught by a specialist
Our lessons are led by Mr Thornton, our full-time specialist music teacher. His lessons are active from the first minute: children sing, move, play and create, learning about music by making it rather than just listening to it. Because Mr Thornton teaches every class, he knows each child's musical journey and builds on it year after year.
Hands on real instruments
Children learn to play a wide range of instruments, from their first tuned percussion in the Foundation Stage to ensemble performances in Year 6.
- KeyboardsMelody, chords and reading notation
- GuitarsStrumming, chords and accompaniment
- Taiko drumsJapanese drumming, rhythm and teamwork
- Steel pansCaribbean music and playing as a band
- GarageBand on iPadsComposing, recording and layering sound
- DrumsKeeping a steady beat and rhythm patterns
- Samba percussionOstinatos, calls and breaks
- GlockenspielsFirst tuned melodies and scales
- RecordersReading and playing from the stave
- VoicesSinging in unison, rounds and parts
How musical knowledge builds
Our curriculum is our own, adapted from the DfE Model Music Curriculum and planned alongside every other subject in our long-term plans. Each unit has a small number of clear "to know" statements, and the building blocks of music are revisited in more depth as children move through school.
| Building block | Foundation Stage | Key Stage 1 | Lower Key Stage 2 | Upper Key Stage 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pulse and rhythm | Keeping a steady beat when singing | Pulse, tempo and body percussion; copying rhythms | Samba ostinatos; note values and rests | Layered ostinatos; time signatures |
| Pitch and melody | Matching pitch and following a melody | High and low sounds on tuned percussion | Pentatonic and C major scales | Scales, modes and drones from other traditions |
| Dynamics, timbre and texture | Using instruments to make sounds from nature | Describing sounds; loud and quiet | Soundscapes, layers and orchestral families | Crescendo, climax and building dramatic texture |
| Harmony and structure | Built through singing | First chords on keyboards | Singing in rounds and parts | Part singing, chords and musical form |
| Notation | Built through listening | Reading simple rhythm notation | Graphic scores and the stave | Treble clef, chords and graphic scores |
| Composing and improvising | Exploring and making music in play | Ordering sounds into a short piece | Improvising over a beat; composing songs | Composing with structure and music technology |
| Performing | Harvest songs and the Nativity | Nativity and musical stories | Christmas performance and ensemble playing | Part singing and a showcase performance |
Our music units
Our classes follow a two-year cycle, so each phase has an even-year and an odd-year set of units. Every child completes both.
| Phase | Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 | Spring 1 | Spring 2 | Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key Stage 1Even year | Exploring sounds and timbre | Singing for Christmas (Nativity) | Pitch: high and low | Beat and rhythm: body percussion | Composing with tuned percussion | Musical stories |
| Key Stage 1Odd year | Singing for Harvest | Singing for Christmas (Nativity) | Pulse and tempo | Reading rhythm notation | Composing dramatic music | Playing together on keyboards |
| Lower Key Stage 2Even year | Rainforest soundscapes | Christmas: singing in parts | Pentatonic melodies and improvising | Reading staff notation | Samba and body percussion | Ensemble: recorders and glockenspiels |
| Lower Key Stage 2Odd year | Improvising with a C major scale | Composing a Christmas song | Texture: layers of sound | Dynamics | Graphic scores | Arranging melodies in C major |
| Upper Key Stage 2Even year | Industrial rhythms | Christmas: harmony and part singing | Composing for Extreme Earth | Notation and chords | Ancient Egypt: scales and drones | Showcase performance |
| Upper Key Stage 2Odd year | Dramatic music (Second World War) | Time signatures | Form and structure | Improvising with a drone | Whole-class performance | Showcase with technology and instruments |
Many units link to the class topic, such as industrial rhythms during our Worksop mining study or rainforest soundscapes in Remarkable Rainforests. In the Foundation Stage, music is woven through daily singing, performances and play.
What children achieve
Mr Thornton assesses each unit against its "to know" statements, so we can see how securely children have learned and plan the next steps. Performances throughout the year, from the Nativity to our Upper Key Stage 2 showcase, let children share what they have learned with families and the wider school.
Real musicians
Children leave having played a wide range of instruments, read notation and performed to an audience with confidence.
Creative confidence
They can compose, improvise and use music technology to create and record their own ideas.
A lifelong love of music
They listen to and appreciate music from many traditions, and know how to keep making music beyond Sparken Hill.