Music is a unique and powerful form of communication that can change the way people feel, think and act. It combines creativity with emotion, enabling personal expression, reflection and development. The National Curriculum for music aims to ensure that all children: perform, listen to, review and evaluate music; are taught to sing, create and compose music; understand and explore how music is created, produced, and communicated. At Sir John Heron Primary School, we aspire to provide our children with a rich and varied music curriculum, enabling them to gain a firm understanding of the subject. We provide the children with the skills and knowledge required of successful musicians. Children will leave Sir John Heron Primary School with an appreciation for the joy of music, a love for singing and a range of musical experiences and skills. 

Music is taught exclusively by a HLTA, using the Charanga scheme of work, which ensures progression of skills throughout each year group. Children are provided with the opportunity to analyse and comprehend parts of music and gain a range of musical experiences through the exposure of different musical traditions and genres. Our music curriculum also provides children with the ability to give precise explanations, using musical terminology effectively, accurately, and appropriately. During their early years the children will encounter a curriculum rich in opportunities to explore music. The children will be encouraged to listen to music and focus on how sounds can create feelings and ideas, as well as responding to musical stimuli though dance and movements. In addition, children will also create musical sounds of their own, though playing with musical instruments with increasing control and success.  As children move into KS1, they play musical instruments and sing a variety of songs from memory, adding accompaniments and creating short compositions, with increasing confidence, imagination and control. They explore and enjoy how sounds and silence can create different moods and effects.  In Key Stage 2, children sing songs and play instruments with increasing confidence, skill and expression, as well as with an increasing awareness of their own contribution to a group or class performance. They improvise, and develop their own musical compositions, in response to a variety of different stimuli with increasing personal involvement, independence and creativity. Children are assessed against National Curriculum requirements for music.

The nature of the music curriculum at Sir John Heron Primary School encourages personal traits such as achievement, self-confidence, interaction with and awareness of others, and self-reflection. Music will also develop an understanding of culture and history, both in relation to children individually, as well as ethnicities from across the world.  Drawing upon the knowledge and skills developed during their time here, children will be able to enjoy music in as many ways as they choose – either as listener, creator or performer, individually or as part of a group. The music curriculum ensures that children build the confidence and skills to perform whenever opportunities may arise.