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 inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.

We currently use Music Express Online  as a platform to access these skills in KS1 and KS2. Lessons are  planned to cover all areas of music included singing, composing, listening to and commenting on different pieces of music as well as musical term terms and notation. See the coverage below:

We often use instruments and classes perform to each other or the whole school. 

Children are now given more opportunity to hear a wide range of musical styles, as currently listen to a variety of classical or contemporary music as we enter and leave the hall for assembly.

At the end of each half term class teachers assess the unit they have taught and collect evidence. This evidence might be written compositions, audio or visual evidence.

We love singing in Brickhouse Primary School.  In Spring 2012, we achieved our Gold Award for singing. Singing Assembly is held every Tuesday by Miss Gregg, where we sing new songs, old songs, contemporary songs and newer and more traditional style school songs, such as 'He's got the Whole World in His Hands'.

Miss Gregg also runs our School Choir, who perform at our KS2 Carol Concert, LIfe Central - Rowley Regis  and Young Voices.

Our music curriculum is taught using the following the progression:

EYFS

Children learn simple songs with repetitive phrases and also take part in whole school singing in weekly Singing Assembly. They use instruments to keep a steady beat can explain how an instrument sounds. They perform in Christmas events.

Year 1

Pupils use their voices too speak/sing/chant and begin to perform with instruments through sequencing sounds together. They can clap simple rhythmic patterns and can identify differences in the timbre and sounds. They can begin to explain why they like or dislike a piece of music. They perform in Christmas events.

Year 2

These children further develop the skills taught in Year 1 through the layering of sounds and introducing pitch. They begin to use symbols to record composed pieces. They perform in Christmas events.

Year 3

As well as improve singing and performing, children begin to read and use simple notation and symbols as well as reading music through numbers. Composition module included in this work. They perform in Christmas and Easter events.

Year 4

skills are improved though composing and performing in small groups. They perform in Christmas and Easter events.

Year 5

Singing skills are built on through breathing in the correct place, using expression and singing in more than one part. Improvisation is introduced as is performing in structural forms, such as rounds and rondo. They also begin to compose to specific criteria and to record their composition through notation and chords. They begin to suggest how theirs, and others, work may be improved. They perform in Christmas events.

Year 6

Singing becomes confident and accurate with some children performing solos/leads in performances with others providing rhythmic support. Children learn to perform a piece of music which contains two (or more) distinct melodic or rhythmic parts, and use a variety of musical devices. They learn how tempo can make a piece of music more effective and can refine and improve their work. They perform in Christmas and Summer events.