Music | King Richard III Infant and Nursery School

Music

Music Curriculum Intent

At King Richard III Infant and Nursery School, music is an integral part of our culture. We aim to ensure that all children develop a deep understanding of the knowledge and skills outlined in the Early Years and KS1 Music curriculum, preparing them for the next phase of their educational journey.

To achieve this, we have carefully developed our own music curriculum, which shows clear progression in core skills and knowledge and incorporates a diverse range of musical styles. We want our children to leave King Richard III with a strong musical foundation: knowing what styles of music they enjoy, being able to play, compose, and improvise on instruments, understanding basic notation, and having a secure grasp of the interrelated dimensions of music.

Our music lessons are planned using our bespoke long-term plans and progression maps. In addition to our own resources, we use Charanga, a “world-leading, configurable music teaching and learning platform,” to support the delivery of our curriculum. We particularly use the MMC resources within Charanga’s schemes, which help us ensure structured and comprehensive coverage of our key concepts.

Our key concepts in music are:

Listening and Appraising
Musical Activities
Performance

Listening and Appraising

In this strand, children learn to identify and describe features of various musical styles. They listen critically to music, recognising key elements and starting to form personal opinions about what they hear. They are encouraged to articulate their preferences and make links to their developing musical knowledge.

Musical Activities

This strand allows children to explore the elements that make up a piece of music while developing key musical skills. Activities include improvisation, composition, and learning about notation. Children also work on musical elements such as dynamics, rhythm, pulse, and pitch.

Performance

Children have opportunities to perform or present their work at the end of every lesson in some form. This regular performance practice builds confidence and helps make performing a natural part of their musical learning. This strand also covers key performance skills such as posture, audience awareness, performance settings, how to begin and end a piece, and how to reflect on and evaluate a performance.

Beyond our curriculum, we offer a variety of opportunities that enrich our children’s musical experiences. Many of our pupils arrive with limited English, so we place a strong emphasis on singing throughout the curriculum. This begins with nursery rhymes in the EYFS and progresses to more complex songs in KS1. Singing supports both language development and a love of music.

We also enhance our music provision with visits and performances by professional musicians, half-termly talent shows, and weekly singing assemblies. These experiences help to inspire our pupils, raise aspirations, and offer them new opportunities.