Our Vision

At St Stephen's C of E Primary School, we believe music is a powerful form of communication that inspires creativity, nurtures self-expression and celebrates the diversity of our world. Through our Music Curriculum, pupils develop confidence, musical knowledge, performance skills and an appreciation of a wide range of musical traditions. We aim for every child to become a curious, expressive and reflective musician who enjoys creating, performing and listening to music. Our curriculum inspires pupils to value music as a lifelong source of enjoyment, connection and cultural understanding.

Intent

At St Stephen's C of E Primary School, we follow the Kapow Primary Music curriculum to provide an engaging, inclusive and inspiring musical education for every child. Our curriculum has been carefully designed to develop confident performers, composers, listeners and musicians while fostering a lifelong love and appreciation of music from a wide range of cultures, traditions and historical periods. Pupils develop their understanding of the inter-related dimensions of music through singing, composing, improvising, listening and performing, using appropriate musical vocabulary to describe, analyse and evaluate their learning. Learning builds progressively by revisiting and extending key musical knowledge, skills and techniques each year, enabling pupils to develop technical proficiency, creativity and self-expression. Through collaborative and independent musical experiences, children also develop resilience, teamwork and confidence, recognising music as a powerful way to communicate ideas, emotions and stories.

Implementation

Key Knowledge and Skills

At St Stephen's, we deliver music through the Kapow Primary Music scheme, which is fully aligned with the National Curriculum. Learning is carefully sequenced so that pupils build progressively on their musical knowledge and skills as they move through the school.

Pupils develop an understanding of the interrelated dimensions of music through five key strands that are revisited and developed each year:

• Listening and evaluating
• Creating sound
• Notation
• Improvising and composing
• Performing

Children learn through practical, active music-making by listening, singing, playing instruments, composing, improvising and performing. Lessons encourage collaboration, creativity and reflection while developing technical musical skills alongside musical understanding. Throughout the curriculum, pupils are introduced to and confidently use subject-specific vocabulary when discussing, composing and evaluating music.

Curriculum Coverage

Learning is carefully sequenced so that children revisit and deepen their understanding through a broad range of engaging units, including:

• Pulse and rhythm
• Pitch and melody
• Musical theatre
• Composition
• Instrumental performance
• Songs from different cultures and traditions
• Western classical music
• Music technology

The Kapow curriculum introduces pupils to music from a wide variety of historical periods, cultures, composers and musical traditions, enabling them to develop an appreciation of music as a universal language. Each unit builds upon previous learning, ensuring progression in both knowledge and practical skills while fostering confidence, creativity and musical expression.

Cross-Curricular Links

Music supports learning across the wider curriculum by strengthening pupils' listening, communication and memory skills while providing meaningful opportunities for creativity and collaboration. Links with English are developed through singing, storytelling, performance and the use of rich musical vocabulary. Mathematical understanding is reinforced through rhythm, pulse, pattern and counting, while historical and geographical learning is enhanced through exploring music from different periods, countries and cultures. Music also contributes to computing through music technology and digital composition, and supports pupils' personal development by promoting confidence, resilience, teamwork and self-expression through shared musical experiences.

Impact

By the end of Year 6, our pupils enjoy music and demonstrate confidence in performing, composing, improvising and listening with understanding. Our pupils leave St Stephen's equipped with the knowledge, skills and musical vocabulary to appreciate diverse musical traditions and evaluate music thoughtfully. Learning is assessed through ongoing teacher assessment, observation, performances, compositions and pupil reflection to ensure progress in knowledge, skills and creativity. Our pupils will leave as resilient, collaborative and reflective musicians with a lifelong appreciation of music and the confidence to continue their musical journey beyond primary school.