Music

Subject Overview

Coming soon!

Intent

At Sidlesham, music is a universal language that inspires creativity, self-expression, and a sense of community.
Our curriculum enables pupils to sing, play, compose, listen, and evaluate across a rich and diverse musical landscape.

It ensures that all pupils know more, remember more, and can do more as musicians — developing secure musicianship (pulse, rhythm, pitch, dynamics, tempo, timbre, structure, and texture), fluent technical skills (voice and instruments), and critical listening across historical periods, genres, styles, and traditions.

Our curriculum intent aligns with:

The National Curriculum (2014) — for all pupils to perform, listen to, review and evaluate music; sing and play instruments; create and compose; and use technology appropriately.
The Model Music Curriculum (DfE, 2021) — ensuring progression in performing, composing, listening and appraising.
Ofsted’s Music Research Review (2023) — highlighting the need for a coherently sequenced curriculum that develops both practical musicianship and theoretical understanding through frequent, high-quality musical experiences.
ISM and Music Mark guidance (2022) — promoting access, inclusion, and progression for all pupils.

Our aims are to ensure that all pupils:

Develop musical fluency through sustained singing, playing, listening, and composing.
Experience a broad range of music from local, national and global traditions.
Build technical control and musical understanding that deepens over time.
Gain confidence, joy, and creativity through active participation and performance.
Understand music’s cultural and social importance and its power to connect communities.

“Pupils should think and work like musicians – listening, performing, composing, and reflecting through sound.”
(Ofsted, 2023)

Implementation

Curriculum design and sequencing

Music is taught weekly across the school through a three-year rolling programme that balances musicianship, performance, composition, and appraisal.

Each unit includes clear progression in musical concepts (pulse, rhythm, pitch, texture, structure, dynamics, tempo) and practical musicianship (voice and instrument control, notation, improvisation, ensemble skills).

Learning is sequenced from:

EYFS: exploring sound and steady beat through singing, movement, and play
KS1: developing pulse, rhythm, and pitch patterns; learning to perform and compose simple pieces.
KS2: extending to harmony, structure, and multi-part ensemble performance; understanding notation and form.

Knowledge builds cumulatively, enabling pupils to revisit and deepen their understanding of core ideas across phases.

EYFS – Laying the foundations

In the Early Years, children develop musical awareness through Expressive Arts and Design, Physical Development and Communication & Language. They:

Sing daily and experiment with tempo, dynamics and pitch.
Move rhythmically, responding to pulse and mood.
Explore instruments and create simple sound patterns.
Describe music using simple vocabulary (loud, quiet, high, low, fast, slow).

By the end of EYFS, children can keep a steady beat, sing tunefully within a small range, and create and respond to patterns—providing strong foundations for KS1 musicianship.

Classroom teaching and progression

Each year group takes part in weekly classroom music, developing musicianship through:

Singing: regular whole-class singing to build control, phrasing and expression.
Playing: tuned and untuned instruments to develop rhythmic fluency and pitch awareness.
Listening and appraising: developing musical vocabulary and understanding of styles, traditions and structures.
Composing and improvising: creating original motifs, patterns, and structures using voice, instruments and technology.

Progression follows the Model Music Curriculum trajectory—from maintaining a pulse and simple call-and-response in KS1 to multi-part performance, notation reading, and harmony in KS2.

Enrichment and instrumental provision

Sidlesham’s music offer extends far beyond the classroom:

Whole-Class Ensemble Teaching (WCET)

Delivered annually by West Sussex Music Service for all pupils in Years 4 and 5.
Currently focused on cornet, developing technical skills, ensemble discipline, and notation reading.
Pupils learn to perform as part of a class orchestra, culminating in a celebration concert.

Associate Music Teacher Programme

An Associate Music Teacher enhances the curriculum through:

Small-group drumming, focusing on rhythm, coordination and ensemble precision.
Vocal workshops, developing breathing, tone, projection and part-singing.
Jam sessions, encouraging improvisation, creativity and ensemble awareness.
A free after-school ukulele club, offering all pupils access to instrumental learning in an informal, joyful setting.

These sessions strengthen inclusion, allow for additional progression routes, and help identify musical potential.

Performance and community engagement

Regular class and school performances, including harvest, Christmas, and end-of-year concerts.
Opportunities to perform in the local community and collaborate with West Sussex Music events.
Celebration of music from different cultures, including through thematic assemblies and curriculum weeks.

Assessment

Progress is measured formatively through observation, rehearsal, and performance.
Teachers assess how pupils:

Use and apply musical vocabulary accurately.
Demonstrate understanding of pulse, rhythm, pitch and form.
Perform, compose or improvise with control and expression.
Reflect and improve through rehearsal and discussion.

End-of-unit recordings and class performances provide clear evidence of progress and are used for moderation across phases.

Impact

Through high-quality teaching, consistent participation, and rich musical experiences, pupils at Sidlesham:

Develop secure knowledge and musicianship
They demonstrate confident control of pulse, rhythm and pitch, can read and perform simple notation, and understand how music is constructed and expressed.

Express themselves creatively
They compose, improvise, and perform with confidence, applying knowledge of structure, dynamics and texture to communicate mood and meaning.

Appreciate music’s diversity and purpose
They experience music as both a personal and shared art form, exploring traditions from around the world and developing respect for cultural diversity.

Participate and achieve
All pupils engage meaningfully in classroom and ensemble music-making, and many choose to extend this through clubs, performances and further study.
They leave Sidlesham with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to enjoy music for life.

Sidlesham Primary School