Music

Whole School Overview

Subject Policy

Music Policy

 Music Overview

Music is an integral part of life at Mereworth Community Primary School and is taught in every year group.

Weekly singing assemblies are held using the digital resource Sing Up. We are very proud to be holders of the Gold Sing Up Award, recognising our strong commitment to singing across the school. At Mereworth, there is a thriving Key Stage 1 Singing Club and a Key Stage 2 Choir, both of which perform at concerts and events throughout the school year.

As part of their music education, children take part in singing, listening to and appraising music, playing instruments and composing. We use a variety of resources, including Sing Up and Charanga, an interactive digital music scheme. In Year 3, children receive 30 weeks of recorder tuition as part of the Government’s “Music Plus” scheme. Across all other year groups, pupils experience playing a range of tuned and untuned instruments during their music lessons.

Throughout the year, children are given many opportunities to perform, including assemblies, the Christmas Nativity and Carol Concert, Rocksteady Concert, Voice Tuition Concert, the Spring Music Concert, the Tonbridge Arts Festival, Young Voices and Mereworth’s Got Talent!

National Plan for Music 2025-2026

Music Repertoire and Genre 

Listening and Appreciation of Music genres by year group

Throughout the academic year, pupils will engage regularly with a carefully sequenced repertoire of music linked to their year-group curriculum and identified musical periods. The chronology and selection of repertoire are informed by the Model Music Curriculum, ensuring that pupils encounter a coherent and progressive musical journey throughout their time in school.

Our listening curriculum is designed to develop pupils’ aural awareness, musical vocabulary, knowledge and appreciation of music. Through repeated and purposeful listening, pupils will learn to identify and describe key musical features, recognise characteristics of different periods and styles, and make connections between composers, performers, traditions and historical contexts.

The repertoire has been selected to provide pupils with a broad, balanced and diverse musical experience, encompassing a wide range of genres, cultures, traditions, composers and musical styles. This includes Western classical music alongside folk, world, contemporary and other significant musical traditions. Through this breadth of experience, pupils develop an understanding that music is created and performed in a variety of cultural and historical contexts.

Listening opportunities are carefully sequenced to build on prior learning and deepen pupils’ knowledge over time. Pupils revisit musical concepts and vocabulary in increasingly sophisticated contexts, enabling them to make comparisons, articulate their responses and develop informed musical preferences.

Teachers may draw on high-quality resources, including Classical 100, BBC Ten Pieces, the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) and other appropriate educational music resources, to enrich the planned repertoire and provide access to high-quality performances and recordings.

By the end of each key stage, pupils will have experienced a rich and varied repertoire, developed their ability to listen critically and attentively, and acquired a secure knowledge of a range of musical periods, styles, genres and traditions. This listening programme supports the wider aims of the music curriculum and contributes to pupils becoming confident, knowledgeable and appreciative listeners and musicians.

Music in Assemblies - By Country

Musical Traditions by Country – Weekly Assembly Listening and Appreciation of Music

As part of our commitment to developing pupils’ listening and appreciation skills, we will explore the musical traditions of a different country or cultural tradition during our whole school weekly assembly timetable.

This programme provides pupils with regular opportunities to hear and experience music from a wide range of cultures, countries, communities and musical traditions. Through carefully selected repertoire, pupils will develop their aural awareness and begin to recognise how music reflects the history, culture, beliefs, celebrations and everyday lives of different communities.

Each weekly listening opportunity will introduce pupils to a piece or selection of music, drawing attention to appropriate musical features such as rhythm, melody, instrumentation, texture, tempo, dynamics, timbre and structure. Where relevant, pupils will also learn about the cultural and historical context of the music, helping them to understand that musical practices develop in different ways across the world.

The programme is designed to broaden pupils’ musical experiences and challenge assumptions about what music can sound like. Pupils will encounter both traditional and contemporary examples, including vocal and instrumental music, dance music, ceremonial music, folk traditions and other forms of culturally significant repertoire.

Listening experiences will be revisited and built upon throughout the year, enabling pupils to develop an increasingly sophisticated musical vocabulary and ability to listen, compare, describe and respond to music. The programme complements classroom music teaching by providing a rich repertoire of additional listening experiences.

By engaging with musical traditions from around the world, pupils will develop curiosity, respect and appreciation for musical diversity, while building a broad foundation of musical knowledge that supports their wider learning in music.

Progression of Skills

Progression of skills KS1

Progression of skills KS2

Vocabulary Planners

• Music Vocabulary Planner KS1 download_for_offline
  download_for_offlineMusic Vocabulary Planner KS1
• Music Vocabulary Planner KS2 download_for_offline
  download_for_offlineMusic Vocabulary Planner KS2

Instrumental Tuition at Mereworth