Primary
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
Secondary
Year 7
Year 8
Year 9
Year 10
Year 11

Primary

We believe that music is an essential learning experience for all pupils that strongly supports pupils’ well-being and well-roundedness. It develops pupils’ cognitive and processing skills, sense of timing, fine motor skills and listening skills. Professional musicians come in to teach the lessons, modelling both the technical skill and enthusiasm needed to fully learn and enjoy music. 

In EYFS and KS1, pupils develop their voices with a focus on rhythmic and melodic phrases.  

In year 3 and 4, pupils learn how to play the djembe drums with a focus on understanding bass and tone.  

In year 5 and 6, pupils learn to play the ukulele with a focus on learning specific chords.

Year 1

Autumn 1 Autumn 2

Establishing Musicianship Skills

  • Sing/chant in unison with an awareness of pulse
  • Show a steady pulse whilst accompanying songs/chants
  • Use a variety of different voices (whispering, singing, speaking, thinking, sound effects)
  • Use their singing voice
  • Recognise and respond to musical signals
Spring 1 Spring 2

Exploring Musicianship – Rhythm

  • Recall and internalize 4 beat rhythmic phrases
  • Clap the rhythm of familiar songs
  • Improvise 4 beat rhythms
  • Notate rhythms using graphic notation

Exploring Musicianship – Pitch

  • Distinguish between high and low sound
  • Use body signs to express pitch positions
  • Identify the pitch pattern of familiar songs
  • Recall and internalise 4 beat melodic phrases
  • Pitch match with increased accuracy
Summer 1 Summer 2

Let’s Get Creative

  • Control vocal and instrumental sounds
  • Make links between rhythm and pitch
  • Use structure to shape their musical ideas
  • Notate their ideas using graphic notation

Performance

  • Sing songs from memory with enjoyment and expression
  • Have a sense of the shape of the melody
  • Sing songs with accurate pitching
  • Perform with an awareness of posture, breathing and diction.
  • Respond to performance direction e.g. start, stop
  • Evaluate their performance

All Year 1 subjects Next Year 1 Subject - Art and Design

Year 2

Autumn 1 Autumn 2

Establishing Musicianship Skills

  • Use their singing voice confidently
  • Sing with more accurate pitching within a wider range
  • Perform with a strong awareness of pulse
  • Differentiate between pulse and rhythm
  • Have an awareness of their individual role in whole class activities
  • Control the expressive elements: tempo and dynamics
Spring 1 Spring 2

Exploring Musicianship – Rhythm

  • Recall and internalise 4 beat rhythmic phrases
  • Clap the rhythm of familiar songs
  • Improvise 4 beat rhythms
  • Notate rhythms using graphic notation
  • Create simple ostinato patterns

Exploring Musicianship – Pitch

  • Distinguish between high, middle and low pitches
  • Use hand signs to express pitch positions
  • Identify the pitch pattern of familiar songs
  • Recall and internalize 4 beat melodic phrases
  • Pitch match with increased accuracy
Summer 1 Summer 2

Let’s Get Creative

  • Control vocal and instrumental sounds
  • Make links between rhythm and pitch
  • Use structure to shape their musical ideas
  • Notate their ideas using graphic notation
  • Appraise and compare their work and the work of others

Performance

  • Sing songs from memory with enjoyment and expression
  • Perform with greater awareness of posture, breathing and diction
  • Perform with more secure ensemble skills
  • Respond to performance direction, understanding performance objectives
  • Rehearse and perform with an increased ability to self-assess

All Year 2 subjects Next Year 2 Subject - Art and Design

Year 3

Autumn 1 Autumn 2

Exploring the keyboard

Music shapes and writing music
Spring 1 Spring 2

A new note length

Hand, wrist and finger flexibility

Summer 1 Summer 2

A new hand position

Read, Clap and Play

All Year 3 subjects Next Year 3 Subject - Art and Design

Year 4

Autumn 1 Autumn 2

Introducing Treble Clef Notation

Introducing Bass Clef Notatio
Spring 1 Spring 2

C Major scale

A Minor
Summer 1 Summer 2

Staccato and Legato

Performance Preparation and Assessment

All Year 4 subjects Next Year 4 Subject - Art and Design

Year 5

Autumn 1 Autumn 2

Reviews of Level 1

G Major by ear
Spring 1 Spring 2

C Major scale

Major and Minors
Summer 1 Summer 2

Composition

Performance Preparation and Assessment

All Year 5 subjects Next Year 5 Subject - Art and Design

Year 6

Autumn 1 Autumn 2

Introduce The Three-Chord Trick

  • Review how to play the chords C C7 Am F G7
  • Review how to read chord diagrams
  • Review playing techniques
  • Learn the 12-bar blues chord sequence
  • Improvise solos on the pentatonic blues scale
  • How to write blues lyrics

Exploring New Repertoire

  • Move accurately and smoothly between 3 and 4 chords exploring songs from a variety of styles and genres
  • Learn the waltz strum
  • Sing and play a medley of songs to the same 3 chord sequence
  • Play ukulele solos using tab
  • Play in three parts
Spring 1 Spring 2

New Chords

  • Play the chords G, D
  • Play a variety of songs incorporating new and previous chords
  • Read different strumming patterns
  • Consolidate playing techniques

New Chords

  • Play the chords Dm, Em
  • Play a variety of songs incorporating new and previous chords
  • Read different strumming patterns
  • Consolidate playing techniques
Summer 1 Summer 2

Creative Project (Song Writing)

  • Consolidation of prior learning
  • Celebrate students’ musical learning throughout their time in Primary School
  • The composition will be performed in the end of term school performance.

Performance Preparation and Assessment

  • Follow and respond to gestures and cues
  • Performance etiquette
  • Maintain their part in a group
  • Play in time with others
  • Identify their strengths and areas of improvement

All Year 6 subjects Next Year 6 Subject - Art and Design

Secondary

At Ark Academy the Music curriculum at KS3 has been created to ensure that students develop the knowledge, understanding and skills required to become performers and / or composers of the future. Students receive a traditional music education learning how to appreciate contrasted musical genres, composers and Artists. Students perform music individually, in groups and frequently within a whole class ensemble performance. Composition takes place live and is also extended through the use of music technology, studio techniques and awareness of ‘The Music Industry.’


The KS4 Eduqas specification allows our GCSE students to extend their experience performing (solo and ensemble) and composing music (in multiple genres) to a higher level as well as appraising / evaluating music with greater depth of understanding. In the specification appraising is divided into 4 main sections: 1. Musical Forms and Devices 2. Music for Ensemble 3. Film music and 4. Pop and Rock Music.

Year 7

Autumn 1 Autumn 2

Beatboxing and rapping

Singing
Spring 1 Spring 2

Keyboard (pop music)

 Production (pop music)
Summer 1 Summer 2

Singing and band music

AQA assessments

All Year 7 subjects Next Year 7 Subject - Art and Design

Year 8

Autumn 1 Autumn 2

African Drumming

 Drumming and singing
Spring 1 Spring 2

Keyboard (Baroque music)

 Baroque music (notated music)
Summer 1 Summer 2

Blues

ACA assessments

All Year 8 subjects Next Year 8 Subject - Art and Design

Year 9

Autumn 1 Autumn 2

EDM

 EDM
How to use music technology to make music? 
Spring 1 Spring 2

Film music composition

 Film music composition
How do you make film scores effective? 
Summer 1 Summer 2

Writing Protest songs 

 Band Musicianship
Ensemble skills
Can music influence actions? 

All Year 9 subjects Next Year 9 Subject - Art and Design

Year 10

Autumn 1 Autumn 2

Appraising: Film Music 
Performance: Learning ensemble performance
Theory and Keyboard skills  

 Appraising: Film Music 
Performance: Learning ensemble performance
Composition: Creating and developing a chord sequence
Spring 1 Spring 2

Appraising: Jazz and Blues

Performance: Learning Solo performance

Composition: Writing a melody

Appraising: Set work - Toto's Africa 

Performance: Learning Solo performance

Composition: Choosing a subgenre 
Summer 1 Summer 2

Appraising: Set work - Badinerie by Bach

Performance: Class ensemble 

Composition: Creating beats and a bassline

Appraising: Set work - Badinerie by Bach

Performance: Preparation for recording

Composition: Creating counter melodies and developing texture 

All Year 10 subjects Next Year 10 Subject - Art and Design

Year 11

Autumn 1 Autumn 2

Appraising: Music for ensemble

Performance: Recording ensemble performance  

Composition: Submit Free composition and start brief composition 

Appraising: Popular music

Performance: Recording ensemble performance  

Composition: Brief composition: writing chords and a melody 
Spring 1 Spring 2

Appraising: Revision of Badinerie and Melody

Composition: Brief composition: creating countermelodies and textural variety

Appraising: Recap all key knowledge 

Composition: Submitting brief composition 
Summer 1 Summer 2

Appraising: Recap all key knowledge and exam preparation 

  

All Year 11 subjects Next Year 11 Subject - Art and Design