Music Curriculum Statement

At Round Diamond School, we follow the CUSP music curriculum which links with many of the other subjects in our school. Core areas of study include singing, listening and appraising, composing and improvising and instrumental performance. These are built cumulatively throughout the curriculum to ensure that all pupils develop their engagement with, and knowledge of, music over time. This includes a focus on learning to play a range of instruments confidently. Music has a strong emphasis on the language that pupils need to explore their own musicality. This is carefully and deliberately planned so that pupils revisit and embed this knowledge over time. Clear structures allow pupils (and teachers) to direct their cognitive attention to the core content in each block. As with all CUSP subjects, Knowledge Notes are used to support instruction and the revisiting of new concepts. This strong focus on cognitive science provides the framework for pupils to deepen and broaden their knowledge of music and become confident, inspired musicians. 

Our music curriculum has a strong focus on supporting pupils to meaningfully develop their understanding of other cultures and issues that impact on the wider global community. For this reason, there is a specific emphasis on teaching pupils about music that originates from a wide range of cultures, traditions and time periods, including those that are both similar and different to pupils’ own experience of music in modern Britain

Below you can see how the blocks are planned out across the academic year, with each block lasting a half term. There is also an example of how the lessons are mapped across a half term with a learning intention stating the focus for each lesson. 

Key Stage 1 coverage 

Key Stage 2 coverage 

Becoming a musician

Throughout the year children are exposed to specific elements that develop children's musicality. These include:

• pitch
• duration
• rhythm and pulse 
• tempo and dynamic
• timbre
• texture
• structure