Music Progression of Skills
Overview
Year 1
- Pulse and Rhythm
- Classical Music: Dynamics and Tempo
- Musical Vocabulary
- Timbre and rhythmic patterns
- Pitch and Tempo
- Vocal and Body Sound
Year 2
- African Call and Response Song
- Orchestral Instruments
- Musical Me
- Dynamics, Timbre, Tempo and Motifs
- On this Island: British songs and sounds
- Myths and Legends
Year 3
- Ballads
- Creating Compositions in response to animation
- Developing Singing
- Technique
- Pentatonic Melodies and Composition
- Jazz
- Traditional Instruments and improvisation
Year 4
- Body and Tuned Percussion
- Rock and Roll
- Changes in pitch, tempo and dynamics
- Haiku, music and performance
- Samba and carnival sounds and instruments
- Adapting and transposing
motifs
Year 5
- Composition notation (Ancient Egypt)
- Blues
- South and West Africa
- Composition to represent the festival of colour (Holi)
- Looping and Remixing
- Musical Theatre
Year 6
- Advanced Rhythms
- Dynamics, pitch and texture
- Songs of WW2
- Film Music
- Theme and Variations
- Composing and performing a leavers song
Listening, appraising and responding
(Listening to a range of high-quality live and recorded music)
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Year 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Recognising and understanding the difference between pulse and rhythm.
Describing the character, mood, or ‘story’ of music they listen to, both verbally and through movement. Describing the differences between two pieces of music. Expressing a basic opinion about music (like/dislike) |
Recognising timbre changes in music they listen to. Recognising structural features in music they listen to. Listening to and recognising instrumentation. Beginning to use musical vocabulary to describe music. Identifying melodies that move in steps.
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Discussing the stylistic features of different genres, styles and traditions of music using musical vocabulary (Indian, Understanding that music from different parts of the world, and different times, have different features. Recognising and explaining the changes within a
Beginning to show an awareness of metre. Recognising and beginning to discuss changes within a piece of music. |
Recognising the use and development of motifs in music. Identifying gradual dynamic and tempo changes within a piece of music. Recognising and discussing the stylistic features of different genres, styles and traditions of music using musical vocabulary (Samba, Rock and Roll, Blues). Identifying common features between different genres, styles and traditions of music. Recognising, naming and explaining the effect of the interrelated dimensions of music. Identifying scaled dynamics (crescendo/decrescendo) within a piece Using musical vocabulary to discuss the purpose of a piece of music. |
Recognising and confidently discussing the stylistic features of different genres, styles and traditions of music using musical vocabulary, and explaining how these have developed over time (South African, West African, Musical Representing the features of a piece of music using graphic
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Discussing musical eras in content, identifying how they have influenced each other, and discussing the impact of Recognising and confidently discussing the stylistic features of music and relating it to other aspects of the Arts (pop art, film music). Representing changes in pitch, dynamics and texture using graphic notation, justifying their choices with reference to musical vocabulary. Identifying the way that features of a song can complement one another to create a coherent overall effect. Use musical vocabulary correctly when describing and evaluating the features of a piece of music. Evaluating how the venue, occasion and purpose affects the way a piece of music sounds. |
Listening, appraising and responding (Listening with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory)
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Year 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Listening to and repeating short, simple rhythmic patterns. Listening and responding to other performers by playing as part of a group |
Listening to and repeating a short, simple melody by ear. Suggesting improvements to their own and others’ work |
Beginning to use musical vocabulary (related to the interrelated dimensions of music) when discussing improvements to their own and others’ work. |
Using musical vocabulary (related to the inter-related |
Developing confidence in using detailed musical vocabulary (related to the interrelated dimensions of music) to discuss and evaluate their own and others’ work. |
Confidently using detailed musical vocabulary (related to the inter-related dimensions of music) to discuss and evaluate their own and others work |
Composing
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Year 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Selecting and creating short sequences of sound with voices or instruments to represent a given idea or character. |
Selecting and creating longer sequences of appropriate sounds with voices or instruments to represent a given idea or character. Successfully combining and layering several instrumental and vocal patterns within a given structure.
Choosing appropriate dynamics, tempo and timbre for a piece of music. Using letter name and graphic notation to represent the details of their composition. Beginning to suggest improvements to their own work. |
Composing a piece of music in a given style with voices and Combining melodies and rhythms to compose a multilayered composition in a given style (pentatonic). Using letter name and rhythmic notation (graphic or staff), and key musical vocabulary to label and record their compositions.
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Composing a coherent piece of music in a given style with Beginning to improvise musically within a given style (Blues). Developing melodies using rhythmic variation, transposition, inversion, and looping. Creating a piece of music with at least four different layers and a clear structure. Using letter name, graphic and rhythmic notation and key musical vocabulary to label and record their compositions. Suggesting improvements to others work, using musical vocabulary |
Composing a detailed piece of music from a given stimulus with voices, bodies and instruments (Remix, Colours, Stories, Drama). Improvising coherently within a given style. Combing rhythmic patterns (ostinato) into a multi-layered composition using all the inter-related dimensions of music to add musical interest.
Selecting, discussing and refining musical choices both alone and with others, using musical vocabulary with confidence. Suggesting and demonstrating improvements to own and others’ work. |
Improvising coherently and creatively within a given style, Composing a multilayered piece of music from a given stimulus with voices, bodies and instruments. Composing an original song, incorporating lyric writing, melody writing and the composition of accompanying features, within a given structure.
Recording own composition using appropriate forms of notation and/or technology and incorporating. Constructively critique their own and others’ work, using musical vocabulary. |
Performing
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Year 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Using their voices expressively to speak and chant. Singing short songs from memory, maintaining the overall shape of the melody and keeping in time. Maintaining the pulse (play on the beat) using hands, and tuned and unturned instruments. Copying back short rhythmic and melodic phrases on percussion instruments. Responding to simple musical instructions such as tempo and dynamic changes as part of a class performance. Performing from graphic notation. |
Using their voices expressively when singing, including the use of basic dynamics (loud and quiet). Singing short songs from memory, with melodic and rhythmic accuracy. Copying longer rhythmic patterns on untuned percussion instruments, keeping a steady pulse. Performing expressively using dynamics and timbre to alter sounds as appropriate. Singing back short melodic patterns by ear and playing short melodic patterns from letter notation. |
Singing songs in a variety of musical styles with accuracy and control, demonstrating developing vocal technique. Singing and playing in time with peers, with some degree of accuracy and awareness of their part in the group performance. Performing from basic staff notation, incorporating rhythm and pitch and be able to identify these symbols using musical terminology |
Singing longer songs in a variety of musical styles from memory, with accuracy, control, fluency and a developing sense of expression including control of subtle dynamic changes.
Playing melody parts on tuned instruments with accuracy and control and developing instrumental technique. Playing syncopated rhythms with accuracy, control and fluency. Playing simple chord sequences (12 bar blues) |
Singing songs in two or more parts, in a variety of musical styles from memory, with accuracy, fluency, control and expression.
Performing with accuracy and fluency from graphic and simple staff notation. Playing a simple chord progression with accuracy and fluency. |
Singing songs in two or more secure parts from memory, with accuracy, fluency, control and expression. Working as a group to perform a piece of music, adjusting the interrelated dimensions of music as required, keeping in time with others and communicating with the group. Performing a solo or taking a leadership role within a performance.
Performing by following a conductor’s cues and directions |
