Years 1 and 2

Years 3 and 4

Years 5 and 6

Singing songs with control and using the voice expressively.

• To find their singing voice and use their voices confidently.
• Sing a melody accurately at their own pitch.
• Sing with a sense of awareness of pulse and control of rhythm.
• Recognise phrase lengths and know when to breathe.
• Sing songs expressively.
• Follow pitch movements with their hands and use high, low and middle voices.
• Begin to sing with control of pitch (e.g. following the shape of the melody).
• Sing with an awareness of other performers.

• Sing with confidence using a wider vocal range.
• Sing in tune.
• Sing with awareness of pulse and control of rhythm.
• Recognise simple structures.  (Phrases).
• Sing expressively with awareness and control at the expressive elements. E.g. timbre, tempo, dynamics.
• Sing songs and create different vocal effects.
• Understand how mouth shapes can affect voice sounds.
• Internalise sounds by singing parts of a song ‘in their heads.’

• Sing songs with increasing control of breathing, posture and sound projection.
• Sing songs in tune and with an awareness of other parts.
• Identify phrases through breathing in appropriate places.
• Sing with expression and rehearse with others.
• Sing a round in two parts and identify the melodic phrases and how they fit together.
• Sing confidently as a class, in small groups and alone, and begin to have an awareness of improvisation with the voice.

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

1. Speak and chant in a group;
2. Sing songs in different styles conveying different moods and with increasing control (dynamics, clear words etc)
3. Coordinate actions to go with songs
4. Sing a variety of songs

1. Have more control over their breathing, dynamics and diction
2. Have more accuracy in their pitching
3. Identify when pitch is getting higher/lower and use their voice to recreate a note of the same pitch
4. Follow a leader and signals such as start/stop

1. Sing songs in a variety of styles with increasing confidence including some from memory
2. Show an increasing awareness of pitch and the ‘shape’ of a melody
3. Understand the importance of correct posture and breathing
4. Chant or sing in a round in two parts
5. Recognise basic musical structures in songs (verse/chorus/ call/response/echo etc

1. Sing songs with an increasing awareness of the ‘shape’ of the melody and of musical expression (dynamics. Breathing control, tempo changes, mood, feeling
2. Sing two and three round parts with increasing confidence and accuracy
3. Sing confidently in small groups or individually
4. Copy short phrases accurately and sing up and down in steps independently

1. Sing songs across a variety of styles with accuracy and confidence
2. Sing the second part of a two-part song with increasing confidence and accuracy
3. Comment on the history, purpose, meaning, message and mood of a song
4. Sing independently with increasing accuracy and confidence

1. Use expression to communicate the mood and meaning of a song
2. Maintain their own part in a round and in two-part songs
3. Perform a variety of songs from memory with musicality (attention to phrasing, breathing, dynamics and pitch)

Years 1 and 2

Years 3 and 4

Years 5 and 6

Listening, memory and movement

• Recall and remember short songs and sequences and patterns of sounds.
• Respond physically when performing, composing and appraising music.
• Identify different sound sources.
• Identify well-defined musical features.

• Identify melodic phrases and play them by ear.
• Create sequences of movements in response to sounds.
• Explore and chose different movements to describe animals.
• Demonstrate the ability to recognise the use of structure and expressive elements through dance.
• Identify phrases that could be used as an introduction, interlude and ending.

• Internalise short melodies and play these on pitched percussion (play by ear).
• Create dances that reflect musical features.
• Identify different moods and textures.
• Identify how a mood is created by music and lyrics.
• Listen to longer pieces of music and identify features.

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

1. Move in time to a steady beat
2. Respond through movement to different characteristics and mood of music
3. Recognise the sounds of classroom percussion instruments and name them
4. Begin to use musical terms (quiet, loud, high, low, fast slow etc)
5. Begin to articulate how changes in speed, pitch and dynamics convey and effect mood

1. Listen with increased concentration
2. Recognise difference in pitch that can be heard
3. Recognise how sounds are made (tapping, scraping, hitting etc)
4. Recognise changes in tempo, dynamics and pitch
5. Begin to use musical terminology to describe mood (The mood is sad because the music is very slow etc.)

1. Listen with concentration to longer pieces/extracts of music
2. Listen to live and recorded music commenting on beat (steady or not steady), specific patterns in tune or rhythm, tempo, dynamics and mood using appropriate musical terminology
3. Recognise familiar instrumental sounds in music (guitar, violin drums etc)
4. Identify repetition in music or song
5. Aurally recognise wooden, metal and skin percussion instruments and begin to name them
6. Use musical terminology to describe what is happening in their own musical compositions.

1. Aurally recognise and name a range of orchestral and school percussion instruments
2. Recognise and talk about contrasting styles of music in brad terms, using such language as tempo, dynamics, timbre
3. Recognise music from different times and cultures identifying key features
4. Identify rhythmic or melodic ostinato in live and recorded music
5. Identify the structure of a song (chorus, verse, call, response etc)

1. Aurally recognise the range of instruments taught in school
2. Recognise and talk confidently about specific styles with growing awareness of musical differences and similarities
3. Recognise chords, the relationship between melody and lyrics and features of expression, phrasing, dynamics, different tempo)
4. Talk about music they hear/like/dislike in musical terms

1. Distinguish between different timbre and texture in pieces of music and different instruments
2. Identify and discuss ‘what happens when’ within simple musical structures
3. Compare two pieces of music from different styles/times and discuss their similarities and differences
4. Use a wide range of musical vocabulary accurately and appropriately

Years 1 and 2

Years 3 and 4

Years 5 and 6

Controlling pulse and rhythm

• Identify the pulse in different pieces of music.
• Identify the pulse and join in getting faster and slower together.
• Identify long and short sounds in music.
• Perform a rhythm to a given pulse.
• Begin to internalise and create rhythmic patterns.
• Accompany a chant or song by clapping or playing the pulse or rhythm.

• Recognise rhythmic patterns.
• Perform a repeated pattern to a steady pulse.
• Identify and recall rhythmic and melodic patterns.
• Identify repeated patterns used in a variety of music. (Ostinato).

• Identify different speeds of pulse (tempo) by clapping and moving.
• Improvise rhythm patterns.
• Perform an independent part keeping to a steady beat.
• Identify the metre of different songs through recognising the pattern of strong and weak beats.
• Subdivide the pulse while keeping to a steady beat.

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

Texture

1. Perform simple accompaniments to a melody

Duration

1. Keep a steady pulse and play at different speeds
2. Clap back a simple rhythm
3. Use a rhythmic ostinato to accompany a song

Pitch

1. Control changes in pitch with their voice and instruments – higher/lower
2. Create and perform simple melodies using two tones on a tuned instrument

Tempo

1. Control changes in tempo with their voice and instruments, e.g. faster/slower

Dynamics

1. Control changes in dynamics with their voice and instruments, e.g. louder/quieter

Texture

1. Perform simple accompaniments to a melody

Duration

1. Keep a steady pulse and play at different speeds
2. Clap back a simple rhythm
3. Use a rhythmic ostinato to accompany a song
4. Differentiate between pulse and rhythm
5. Differentiate between long and short sounds and use them when composing

Pitch

1. Control changes in pitch with their voice and instruments – higher/lower
2. Create and perform simple melodies using two tones on a tuned instrument
3. Differentiate between high and low sounds
4. Show changes in pitch using tuned percussion e.g. steps, slides, jumps

Tempo

1. Control changes in tempo with their voice and instruments, e.g. faster/slower

Dynamics

1. Control changes in dynamics with my voice and instruments, e.g. louder/quieter
2. Choose appropriate dynamics for songs and accompaniment

Texture

1. Create their own ostinato and riffs (rhythmic and melodic) and play them in time with others

Duration

1. Create and perform simple rhythmic patterns
2. Improvise a rhythm over a steady pulse Keep a steady pulse and play at different speeds

Pitch

1. Explore and create melodies that use steps and leaps and a wider range of notes

Texture

1. Create their own ostinato and riffs (rhythmic and melodic) and play them in time with others

Duration

1. Create and perform simple rhythmic patterns
2. Improvise a rhythm over a steady pulse Keep a steady pulse and play at different speeds

Pitch

1. Explore and create melodies that use steps and leaps and a wider range of notes
2. Show an understanding of scales in their compositions and performances, e.g. pentatonic, blues etc

Duration

1. Understand the music is given character by the use of metre and rhythm patterns, and select them as appropriate in their compositions

Pitch

1. Use an octave to compose and improvise melodies
2. Understand the concept of, and use, the ‘home note’ when composing.

Duration

1. Understand the music is given character by the use of metre and rhythm patterns, and select them as appropriate in their compositions
2. Create and perform more complicated rhythms (semiquavers, syncopation), aurally and from notations 
3. Tap a pulse in different metres (2, 3, 4, 5)

Pitch

1. Use an octave to compose and improvise melodies
2. Understand the concept of, and use, the ‘home note’ when composing.
3. Understand that particular sets of notes give music its characteristic sound – e.g. minor chords for sad music
4. Understand and use chords in sequences

Years 1 and 2

Years 3 and 4

Years 5 and 6

Exploring sounds, melody and accompaniment

• To explore different sound sources.
• Make sounds and recognise how they can give a message.
• Identify and name classroom instruments.
• Create and chose sounds in response to a given stimulus.
• Identify how sounds can be changed.
• Change sounds to reflect different stimuli.

• Identify ways sounds are used to accompany a song.
• Analyse and comment on how sounds are used to create different moods.
• Explore and perform different types of accompaniment.
• Explore and select different melodic patterns.
• Recognise and explore different combinations of pitch sounds

• Skills development for this element are to be found within ‘Control of instruments’ and ‘Composition’.

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

1. Make different sounds using their bodies, found objects, voices and conventional instruments
2. Make different sounds such as high/low (pitch), long/short (duration), loud/quiet (dynamics)fast/slow (tempo)
3. Begin to understand that different sounds can convey mood/feeling
4. Add chosen sounds to appropriate moments in a narrative
5. Sort and name different sounds according to a given or own criteria
6. Create a sequence of different sounds in response to a musical stimuli

1. Make different sounds using their voice and hands
2. Make different sounds such as high/low (pitch), long/short (duration), loud/quiet (dynamics)fast/slow (tempo)
3. Explore shapes of melodies and rhythmic patterns
4. Choose musical sound effects to follow a story or match a picture
5. Use graphics/symbols to represent the sounds they have made
6. Use these symbols to make a simple score of the music
7. Compose and perform their own composition

1. Understand how different sounds are made (tapping, blowing, scraping etc)
2. Copy the rhythmic pattern of spoken phrases and sentences
3. Understand how different sounds can be manipulated to convey different moods and feelings
4. Compose short melodic phrases which represent feelings/pictures/ words etc
5. Compose a piece of music with a clear beginning, middle and end
6. Compose music with a variety of sound duration, tempo or dynamics in a small group
7. Compose music that conveys different feelings and moods

1. Explore sounds to create different effects and convey different moods and feelings
2. Explore rhythmic patterns from different times and places
3. Understand a pentatonic scale
4. Use pitched instruments to create short melodies
5. Incorporate effective moments of silence (rests) into compositions
6. Compose simple rhythmic accompaniments to songs using ostinato or drone
7. Compose music with a recognisable structure
8. Arrange perform their own versions of songs using accompaniments

Years 1 and 2

Years 3 and 4

Years 5 and 6

Control of instruments

• Play instruments in different ways and create sound effects.
• Handle and play instruments with control.
• Identify different groups of instruments.

• Identify melodic phrases and play them by ear.
• Select instruments to describe visual images.
• Choose instruments on the basis of internalised sounds.

• Identify and control different ways percussion instruments make sounds.
• Play accompaniments with control and accuracy.
• Create different effects using combinations of pitched sounds.
• Use ICT to change and manipulate sounds.

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

1. Choose sounds to represent ideas (e.g. shakers for leaves falling off a tree)
2. Play instruments in any way that makes a sound (scraping, tapping, shaking etc)
3. Play in time to a steady beat using instruments or body sounds
4. Play loudly, quietly, fast or slow
5. Imitate a simple rhythm or pattern on an instrument
6. Play a repeated rhythm (ostinato) to accompany a song
7. Play a singe pitched note (drone) to accompany a song
8. Play, with support, the rhythm of a spoken sentence or short phrase
9. Follow simple hand signals for stop/start, loud/quiet

1. Choose sounds to represent ideas (e.g. shakers for leaves falling off a tree)
2. Accompany songs with thought to the meaning/mood
3. Show control in maintaining a steady beat, changing tempo and dynamics
4. Perform a repeated two note ostinato to accompany a song
5. Perform a rhythmic accompaniment to a song
6. Perform a sequence of sounds using a graphic score
7. Follow a leader to start and stop together
8. Demonstrate a growing confidence in performing individually or as part of a small group

1. Select a sound or instrument to achieve an effect, e.g. quiet playing on chime bars to create something peaceful
2. Keep a steady beat individually or in a group
3. Maintain a rhythmic or melodic ostinato at the same time as a different one
4. Copy a short melodic pattern by ear on a pitched instrument
5. Play using symbols including graphic and traditional notation
6. Follow simple hand directions from a leader
7. Perform with an awareness of others
8. Combine musical sounds with movement and narrative

1. Select a sound or instrument to achieve an effect, e.g. quiet playing on chime bars to create something peaceful
2. Identify families of instruments and world instruments, e.g. wind, brass, African drums
3. Play music that involves rests
4. Play by ear, experimenting to find known tunes or phrases
5. Play music in a metre pf two and three (waltz) time
6. Follow a leader starting/stopping, changing dynamics and tempo accordingly
7. Perform to an audience in small groups or as a solo player

1. Select appropriate sounds to achieve an effect for a purpose, e.g. strong beat on drum for dance music.
2. Play a range of percussion and instrumental instruments with increasing confidence and ability
3. Play and improvise as part of a group and as a solo performer
4. Maintain their own part in a small instrumental group
5. Perform with a sense of pulse in a variety of metres
6. Perform a piece of music using notation (graphic or conventional)
7. Play by ear to copy or find simple tunes or phrases
8. Maintain a rhythmic or melodic ostinato or drone to accompany others
9. Perform pieces with increasing expression and musicality
10. Perform a variety of styles to an audience, both as a group or solo player

1. Select appropriate sounds to achieve an effect for a purpose, e.g. strong beat on drum for dance music.
2. Create music that uses appropriate sounds to achieve an intention, e.g. creating a sea soundscape
3. Perform in mixed groups on a range of instruments with confidence and accuracy
4. Lead/conduct a group of instrumental performers
5. Maintain own part on a pitched instrument when playing as an ensemble
6. Maintain a rhythmic or melodic accompaniment to other performers
7. Confidently perform their own compositions
8. Record their work

Years 1 and 2

Years 3 and 4

Years 5 and 6

Composition

• Contribute to the creation of a class composition.
• Basic skills developments for composition in KS1 are to be found within ‘Exploring sounds’.

• Create textures by combining sounds in different ways.
• Create music that describes contrasting moods/emotions.
• Improvise simple tunes based on the pentatonic scale.
• Compose music in pairs and make improvements to their own work.
• Create an accompaniment to a known song.
• Create descriptive music in pairs or small groups.

• Identify different starting points or composing music.
• Explore, select combine and exploit a range of different sounds to compose a soundscape.
• Write lyrics to a known song.
• Compose a short song to own lyrics based on everyday phrases.
• Compose music individually or in pairs using a range of stimuli and developing their musical ideas into a completed composition.

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

1. Choose and order sounds and patterns

1. Choose and order sounds and patterns
2. Compose in a small group with other children
3. Compose and perform their own composition

1. Share ideas and listen to others when working on a composition
2. Compose short melodic phrases which represent feelings/pictures/ words etc
3. Compose a piece of music with a clear beginning, middle and end
4. Compose music with a variety of sound duration, tempo or dynamics in a small group
5. Compose music that conveys different feelings and moods

1. Share ideas and listen to others when working on a composition
2. Be in charge of a group and take directions when working on a composition
3. Incorporate effective moments of silence (rests) into compositions
4. Compose simple rhythmic accompaniments to songs using ostinato or drone
5. Compose music with a recognisable structure

1. Bear in mind the purpose of a piece and the ability of the players
2. Plan a composition, alone or in a group, and monitor its development

1. Explore sounds made on different orchestral instruments
2. Use conventional and graphic notation to record rhythmic or melodic compositions
3. Layer rhythmic and melodic compositions and play music with syncopation
4. Improvise over a drone using given notes
5. Play chords
6. Compose music for a special occasion (a fanfare for example)
7. Write lyrics to match a melody
8. Use repetition, drone, ostinato etc for effect in a composition

1. Bear in mind the purpose of a piece and the ability of the players
2. Plan a composition, alone or in a group, and monitor its development
3. Use the inter-related dimensions to improve the quality of their compositions
4. Recognise characteristics of styles of music (blues, folk, gospel, rap etc)
5. Improvise in a range of styles
6. Use different scales appropriately for a piece of music (pentatonic, blues etc)
7. Compose music in a variety of styles
8. Arrange a song for a class performance with appropriate pitched and unpitched accompaniment
9. Refine own compositions after discussion
10. Use a range of conventional and traditional symbols to record compositions
11. Confidently perform their own compositions

Years 1 and 2

Years 3 and 4

Years 5 and 6

Reading and writing notation

• Perform long and short sounds in response to symbols.
• Create long and short sounds on instruments.
• Play and sing phrase from dot notation.
• Record their own ideas.
• Make their own symbols as part of a class score.

• Perform using notation as a support.
• Sing songs with staff notation as support.

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

1. Use pictures (fly, spider etc) to represent and organise sounds

1. Use pictures (fly, spider etc) to represent and organise sounds
2. Write / draw patterns to represent long and short sounds
3. Use words / pictures to create rhythm patterns

1. Perform sounds (including pitch and rhythm) from a simple graphic score, (1 or 2 line)

1. Perform sounds (including pitch and rhythm) from a simple graphic score, (1 or 2 line)
2. Recognise crotchets, crotchet rests, quavers, minims, semibreves and use them to compose and perform rhythms

1. Use a graphic score with a more complex texture
2. Use a variety of note values to compose, notate and perform.

1. Use a graphic score with a more complex texture
2. Use a variety of note values to compose, notate and perform.
3. Recognise and use simple staff notation.

Years 1 and 2

Years 3 and 4

Years 5 and 6

Performance skills

• Perform together and follow instructions that combine the musical elements.

• Perform in different ways, exploring the way the performers are a musical resource.
• Perform with awareness of different parts.

• Present performances effectively with awareness of audience, venue and occasion.

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

1. Sit silently with an instrument
2. Perform to people they don’t know

1. Sit silently with an instrument
2. Perform to people they don’t know
3. Practice and refine performances in groups and as a class

1. Perform as part of a team
2. Carry on if they make a mistake in a performance
3. Practice and refine performances in groups and as a class

1. Perform as part of a team
2. Carry on if they make a mistake in a performance
3. Practice and refine performances in groups and as a class
4. Perform by ear and by using forms of notation

1. Play confidently to a variety of audiences
2. Lead a group by counting in, beating time etc
3. Recover from mistakes in a performance

1. Play confidently to a variety of audiences
2. Lead a group by counting in, beating time etc
3. Recover from mistakes in a performance
4. Play in an ensemble, taking an individual part and showing an awareness of balance
5. Use the inter-related dimensions to improve the quality of their performances

Years 1 and 2

Years 3 and 4

Years 5 and 6

Evaluating and appraising

• Choose sounds and instruments carefully and make improvements to their own and others’ work.

• Recognise how music can reflect different intentions.

• Improve their work through analysis, evaluation and comparison.

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

1. Use non-verbal methods to show their opinion e.g. thumbs up or down

1. Use non-verbal methods to show their opinion e.g. thumbs up or down
2. Suggest changes to performances by using the opposites (faster/slower, louder/quieter, higher/lower)

1. Improve their own work, stating how it has been improved using musical vocabulary
2. Use an extended musical vocabulary to express personal taste
3. Recognise ensembles – orchestra, choir, etc

1. Improve their own work, stating how it has been improved using musical vocabulary
2. Use an extended musical vocabulary to express personal taste
3. Recognise ensembles – orchestra, choir, etc

1. Suggest and implement improvements to compositions and performances, saying whether the changes have worked in achieving the intended effect and why/not

1. Suggest and implement improvements to compositions and performances, saying whether the changes have worked in achieving the intended effect and why/not
2. Refine own compositions after discussion