The national curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils:



• perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians
• learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence
• understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the interrelated dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations

There are three main strands to music – singing, listening and playing. Children are taught a wide repertoire of songs appropriate to their age group. These include hymns, traditional songs from other lands and cultures and songs from former times as well as modern songs. Children are encouraged to develop an awareness of the different effects of instruments used in music, as well as to give a thoughtful and sensitive response to recorded music. Children are taught how to use pitched and unpitched percussion instruments. They are taught to recognise and discriminate between the various elements of music such as pitch and rhythm.

Children can access individual musical instrument tution in school.