Intent

At St Joseph’s, we believe music is an essential part of a rich, inspiring and creative curriculum. We aim to nurture children’s enjoyment, curiosity and confidence as musicians from EYFS through to Year 6. Our intention is to: 

• Provide a broad and engaging musical experience where every child can participate, express themselves and feel successful. 

• Build children’s musical knowledge and skills progressively, ensuring secure foundations in pulse, rhythm, pitch, listening and performance. 

• Give pupils opportunities to create, perform and evaluate music, developing creativity and critical thinking. 

• Develop confident singers through regular singing practice, wholeschool assemblies and performances. 

• Expose pupils to a wide range of musical styles, cultures and traditions, broadening their understanding of the world. 

• Enable children to use tuned and untuned instruments confidently, including learning to play at least one instrument with increasing control by the end of KS2. 

• Teach the vocabulary of music clearly and consistently, enabling pupils to talk about what they hear and what they create. 

• Ensure music is inclusive and accessible for SEND and EAL learners, using visual prompts, repetition and modelled examples. 

• Foster a lifelong appreciation of music, building happiness, wellbeing and selfexpression. 

Our aim is for children to leave Year 6 with secure musical skills, confidence to perform and a genuine enjoyment of music. 

Implementation 

Music is taught through a carefully structured wholeschool curriculum (Kapow) that builds progressively from EYFS to KS2. Our implementation includes: 

1. Weekly, Progressive Music Lessons (EYFS–Year 6) 

• A spiral curriculum ensures skills are revisited and deepened each year. 

• Lessons follow clear sequences focusing on listening, composing, performing and musical understanding. 

• EYFS children explore sound through play, singing, movement and simple instruments. 

• KS1 develop strong foundations in beat, rhythm, pitch, dynamics and simple notation. 

• KS2 extend into staff notation, ensemble work, composition and performance. 

2. Singing as a Core Part of School Life 

• Regular singing assemblies develop confidence, pitch accuracy and musicality. 

• Year groups prepare and perform songs for concerts, seasonal events and celebrations. 

• Repertoire includes traditional songs, modern songs, world music and crosscurricular pieces. 

3. Instrumental Opportunities 

• Children learn and perform using tuned and untuned percussion from EYFS onwards. 

• Class sets of instruments (e.g., glockenspiels, recorders, boom whackers, ukuleles) support handson learning. 

• Peripatetic teachers from West Sussex Music offer instrumental lessons where available, enriching the curriculum. 

4. Listening & Appraising Across Cultures and Genres 

• Pupils listen to a wide range of music from different eras, traditions and composers. 

• Listening activities develop musical vocabulary and critical listening skills. 

• Children learn to identify elements such as tempo, dynamics, timbre and structure. 

5. Composition & Improvisation 

• Pupils explore creating their own music using voice, instruments, body percussion and technology. 

• KS2 develop simple notation and graphic scores to record ideas. 

• Children work individually, in pairs and in groups to build confidence and collaboration. 

6. Inclusive and Adapted Practice 

• Lessons are adapted for SEND pupils using visual supports, repetition, simplified tasks or additional adult modelling. 

• EAL pupils access music through universal skills like rhythm, movement and repetition. 

• All children are encouraged to participate regardless of previous musical experience. 

 

Impact 

The impact of our music curriculum is seen in pupils’ musical skills, confidence, enjoyment and participation. By the end of Year 6, pupils: 

• Can sing with expression, good pitch accuracy and control. 

• Demonstrate a secure sense of pulse, rhythm and pitch. 

• Play tuned and untuned instruments with increasing accuracy and musicality. 

• Use musical vocabulary confidently to describe what they hear and what they create. 

• Compose and perform individually and in groups, showing creativity and collaboration. 

• Enjoy listening to a wide range of musical genres and respect music from different cultures. 

• Demonstrate perseverance, focus, teamwork and confidence—skills transferable across the curriculum. 

• Show pride in performing to others and have developed resilience and stage confidence. 

• Leave primary school with a broad understanding of music and readiness for KS3 study. 

We measure impact through: 

• Performances, recordings and composition outcomes. 

• Pupil voice and discussions about musical experiences. 

• Teacher observations during lessons and rehearsals. 

• Assessment against curriculum objectives from EYFS to Year 6. 

• Monitoring of singing, ensemble participation and instrumental progress.