Music
At Beechwood, we believe that music is a vital, inclusive part of a well-rounded education. Our curriculum is carefully designed to give every child the opportunity to explore, perform, and create music with confidence, curiosity, and joy. Through a structured and practical approach, we aim to foster musical understanding while celebrating cultural diversity and creative expression.
Intent
Our music curriculum has been thoughtfully developed in-house to ensure full coverage and progression from Year 1 to Year 6. It follows a spiral model, allowing pupils to revisit and deepen key musical concepts—such as rhythm, pitch, structure, timbre, and dynamics—through varied units and meaningful repetition over time.
Pupils explore music through performing, composing, listening and appraising, with all units rooted in practical experiences. Alongside weekly music lessons, each year group studies bespoke thematic units, including:
- Music from other cultures
- The history of music
- Instrument exploration and performance
- Culturally focused composition and ensemble work
Instrumental learning is a core element of progression. All children learn to play the glockenspiel from Year 1 to Year 6, developing pitch accuracy, notation reading, and ensemble skills. In Years 5 and 6, pupils also learn the recorder, enhancing melodic fluency and preparing them for more advanced ensemble work.
Implementation
Music is taught through dedicated weekly lessons and enhanced through cross-curricular links, enrichment activities, and whole-school events. Where appropriate, pupils are given opportunities to:
- Engage with music from different cultures and historical periods
- Work with visiting musicians and participate in performances
- Use tuned and untuned percussion, classroom instruments, and digital tools
- Take part in singing assemblies, productions, and workshops
Every lesson includes opportunities to listen, discuss, perform, and evaluate using appropriate musical vocabulary. The curriculum reflects the National Curriculum (2014) aims and is enriched by our school's RESPECT values, ensuring pupils develop not just musically, but personally and socially too.
Why do we learn music at school?
- To allow creativity.
- To express our emotions
- To understand past cultures and periods in history
- To communicate without speaking
- To have fun
- To support our mental health and wellbeing – reduces stress
Music crosses all divides: it can be enjoyed and appreciated by people from different social, cultural and political backgrounds.
Which jobs will learning music help with?
- Sound engineer
- Music producer
- Music teacher
- Composer
- Conductor
- Music therapist
- Film score producer