Music

Music at All Saints’ is led by Mrs Collins, our dedicated Music Subject Leader.

At All Saints’, we are passionate about providing high-quality, inclusive music education for all children. Music is an integral part of school life, rooted in the National Curriculum for Music in England and delivered using the Charanga Musical School scheme of work, enhanced by our bespoke All Saints’ Way approach.

Spirituality is developed through music by allowing children to experience wonder, express themselves and share in communal worship through music.

Music at Key Stage 1

In KS1, children take part in three weekly 15-minute music and rhythm sessions, carefully designed to build and develop the key skills of the National Curriculum. Through these sessions, pupils explore using their voices expressively through songs, chants and rhymes, experiment with tuned and untuned instruments, develop their understanding of the interrelated dimensions of music — pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre and texture — and listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high-quality live and recorded music. These regular, short sessions build confidence and musical vocabulary progressively across the key stage.

Music at Key Stage 2

Each class enjoys a 30-minute dedicated music lesson every week, delivered through a spiral curriculum designed to support musical mastery. This approach enables pupils to revisit and deepen their understanding of key musical concepts over time. In addition, children participate in two weekly 15-minute singing and reflection sessions during our Praise and Prayer and in-class worship times.

Music in EYFS
In Reception, music is woven into everyday learning and exploration. Children engage with music through a holistic, play-based approach across four key areas:

• Hearing & Listening

• Vocalising & Singing

• Moving & Dancing

• Exploring & Playing

Daily invitations to explore sound and weekly focused music sessions help develop early musical awareness, creativity and joy in music-making.

In KS1 and KS2, music is taught weekly following a structured and progressive curriculum that aligns with the Model Music Curriculum (DfE, March 2021). Lessons are informed by Charanga’s resources and enhanced with school-led planning to ensure a balance of:

• Performing: Singing and playing instruments with increasing accuracy and expression

• Listening: Developing aural memory and critical engagement with a variety of music

• Composing: Creating music using key interrelated dimensions and understanding different styles and genres

• Musical Understanding: Exploring notation, rhythm, pitch, and the historical context of music through timelines and thematic learning

Planning draws on procedural, declarative and tacit knowledge, using small, sequenced steps to ensure depth and progression for every learner.

Music at All Saints’ extends beyond the classroom. We offer a range of extracurricular music opportunities, including:

• A growing Key Stage 2 choir

• Beginner and intermediate recorder groups

• A vibrant bucket drumming club

All ensembles meet weekly and are led by school staff, providing pupils with the opportunity to develop their skills further, work collaboratively and perform to wider audiences.

Through our rich and varied music provision, we aim to nurture a lifelong love of music in every child, building confidence, creativity and appreciation of the role music plays in cultures past and present.