Music

Hanging Heaton CE (VC) Junior & Infant School- Music Rationale

At Hanging Heaton CE (VC) J&I School, we believe that music is a powerful and universal language that enables children to express themselves, develop creativity and connect with others. Music enriches pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and helps them to appreciate the beauty, diversity and creativity within God’s world.

Through high-quality music teaching, pupils develop confidence, collaboration skills and a love of musical expression, while gaining the knowledge and skills needed to perform, compose and evaluate music.

Our music curriculum aims to:
• Develop pupils’ musical knowledge and understanding of key concepts such as pulse, rhythm, pitch, tempo and dynamics
• Encourage creativity, self-expression and enjoyment of music
• Build confidence in singing, performing and composing
• Develop listening skills and an appreciation of a wide range of musical genres, cultures and historical periods
• Equip pupils with the skills to reflect on and evaluate music thoughtfully

 

Curriculum Organisation and Progression

Music is taught in line with the National Curriculum and is carefully structured using carefully chosen Kapow units to ensure clear progression in both knowledge and skills from Reception through to Year 6.

Music across the school is delivered in mixed-age classes

Children are taught together in mixed-age classes, using a structured two-year cycle to maintain progression, depth and challenge.

This mixed-age structure allows pupils to learn collaboratively, revisit key musical concepts and deepen their understanding over time, while ensuring that knowledge and skills build progressively year on year.

 

Scheme of Work

We follow the Kapow Music scheme of work, which has been carefully selected to meet the needs of our school. Kapow Music provides:

• A progressive and clearly sequenced curriculum
  • Knowledge and skills that build year on year
  • Structured development of performing, composing and listening skills
  • Exposure to a wide range of musical styles, traditions and composers
  • Engaging and practical lessons that support non-specialist teachers

The scheme is structured around four key strands of musical learning:

• Listening and Appraising
  • Singing
  • Playing and Performing
  • Composing

This ensures consistency across the school and supports teachers in delivering high-quality music lessons that enable pupils to know more, remember more and do more over time.

 

Enrichment and Wider Opportunities

Music plays a central role in the life of our school and church community.

We provide a range of enrichment opportunities, including:

• A school choir, offering pupils the opportunity to develop vocal skills, harmonise and perform confidently to a range of audiences
  • Regular singing assemblies, where children practise and perform church hymns and worship songs, strengthening our Christian ethos and sense of community
  • Collective worship and singing in church
  • Whole-school performances and celebrations
  • Opportunities to perform to parents and the wider community
  • Exposure to live and recorded music from different cultures and traditions

We also have the opportunity for children to take part in Irock music lessons which happen weekly in school.

These experiences deepen pupils’ understanding of music as a shared, celebratory and worshipful experience, while building confidence, resilience and a strong sense of belonging.

 

Inclusion and Impact

Our music curriculum is inclusive and accessible to all pupils. Lessons are designed to support different learning needs through repetition, modelling, scaffolded composition, group performance and practical engagement. Mixed-age teaching further supports peer modelling, collaborative learning and the reinforcement of key musical concepts.

Assessment is used formatively to monitor progress in musical knowledge, vocabulary and practical skills, ensuring pupils are both supported and appropriately challenged.

Through our music curriculum, pupils leave Hanging Heaton CE (VC) J&I School as confident performers, thoughtful listeners and creative composers, with a secure understanding of musical elements and an appreciation of the power and joy of music in their lives, within their community and in the wider world.