Music
‘Where words fail, music speaks’
Hans Christian Anderson
Music at Mersey Park
Please click the link below to find out about how we teach Music at Mersey Park.
Music at Mersey Park Primary School
Music Report to Governors
Music Report for Governors 2024
Music Development Plan
The UK Government has asked every school to produce a Music Development Plan. Below is our development plan and provides an overview of what we provide for music at Mersey Park Primary. Have a look at our curriculum page and choir page for more information.
The Music Development Plan summary for 2024 – 2025 can be found here.
Whole School Music Overview
Aims and Objectives
Our objectives in the teaching of Music are:
- To meet the requirement of the National Curriculum as fully as possible and enable all children to reach the highest possible standards of achievement.
- To promote positive attitudes and enthusiasm for music.
- To provide all children with a broad range of quality musical experiences with purpose and enjoyment.
- To provide enabling environments, so that learners feel safe and confident in their use of music.
- To use music in a cross-curricular fashion to raise standards across the school.
- To create the atmosphere and levels of resource to encourage all members of the school community to learn and enjoy music.
- To encourage and inspire children to be part of and perform as part of an ensemble.
Music at Mersey Park
Autumn Term
Foundation 1
In Foundation 1 the children begin to learn traditional nursery rhymes, remembering the words and actions which accompany them. They also begin to improvise some of the nursery rhymes when they know them well. Children enjoy learning new songs and try hard to move their voices up and down. They begin to explore musical instruments, experimenting with different ways of playing them.
Foundation 2
In Foundation 2 the children listen to different kinds of music from around the world, for example when they find about Diwali celebrations. The children are introduced to more new songs, learning to sing in a group matching the pitch and following the melody. Children make their own music using a variety of instruments and enjoy performing for each other on their stage. They also perform more formally in a Nativity play which develops their confidence and performing skills further.
Year 1
In Year 1 the children find the beat to a familiar song such as ‘Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. They use the instruments to copy the beat and practise their new skill.
Year 2
In Year 2 the children warm up their vocal cords by practising singing. They continue to use the instruments to find a steady beat and move their bodies to the rhythm of each song.
Year 3
In Year 3 the children learn about their imagination and look at significant people such as Albert Einstein who used to use his imagination to create wonderful inventions. The children use a range of instruments to compose a version of the song ‘My Imagination’ making sure they follow the beat.
Year 4
The children explore the genre of Hoedown music. They listen to the song ‘Go Tell it on the Mountains’ and then perform it by singing and adding instruments. The children are also introduced to learning the language of music through playing the glockenspiel. They enjoy exploring and developing their playing skills and learn notations too.
Year 5
In Year 5 the children study the influential musician Philip Glass. They listen to his compositions, appraise his work and look at his impact on the music industry. They also look at different genres of music with a focus on emotions and different musical elements. Towards the end of the term they look at the glockenspiel and how to play a simple melody using it. They create their own composition of “Sparkle in my Life” using E. F and G.
Year 6
In Year 6 the children recap the skills they have learned from previous years. They use a variety of percussion instrument and combine different notes to create their own composition.
Spring Term
Foundation 1
In Foundation 1 the children begin to explore the sounds that different instruments make through shaking, banging and rattling them. The instruments they explore come from different cultures and traditions.
Foundation 2
In Foundation 2 the children use the instruments in the outdoor area to sing songs they have practised.
Year 1
Year 2
In Year 2 the children use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs, speaking chants and rhymes. They build up their knowledge of artists through the significant people studied and use each style of music to inform their compositions. They continue to develop their ability to play tuned and untuned instruments musically.
Year 3
In Year 3 the children use band/orchestral instruments with classroom instruments to create an ensemble that engages all children. The children are able to listen to, move to and appraise a wider range of musical styles.
Year 4
In Year 4 the children experience an integrated approach to music where games, the dimensions of music (pulse, rhythm, pitch etc), singing and playing instruments are all linked using the song ‘Mamma Mia’. They also use the music genre of Rap to compose music and create lyrics together.
Year 5
In Year 5 the children study the genres of Rock and Motown. They continue to develop their ability to listen to music, compose their own musical pieces and perform to others.
Year 6
In Year 6 the children build on previous skills learnt to widen their use of musical notes and notation. During this work they compose and perform their own tracks in a style of their choice.
Summer Term
Foundation 1
In Foundation 1 the children continue to enjoy singing songs, learning actions to go with them and even invent some of their own.
Foundation 2
In Foundation 2 the children enjoy making their own music with a range of percussion instruments. They sing songs and perform confidently and their friends enjoy watching and listening.
Year 1
In Year 1 the children explore journeys through music this term. This links to their seaside topic, the children learn and appraise a variety of sea themed songs including beyond the sea, row row row your boat and ship on the ocean. The children then investigate the best instruments to make a water sound and play these alongside the music.
Year 2
In Year 2 the children keep a pulse, use instruments to keep to the beat and express opinions on different genres of music.
Year 3
In Year 3 the children use the shakers and wooden rhythm sticks to create different tempos and keep a beat in a song.
Year 4
In Year 4 they learn the song ‘Let Your Spirit Fly’ and play along on the glockenspiels keeping to the rhythm.
Year 5
In Year 5 the children have continued to develop their skills on the recorder and reading music.
Year 6
In Year 6 the children research music throughout the last century and create a musical timeline. They use their musical vocabulary to discuss the differences and similarities of pitch, rhythm and tempo throughout the different genres. They explore the concept of ‘identity’- the various elements that shape us. Following four British female artists, they discover that music can offer a way to explore and express identity. Then they create their own rap.
Singing Practice
Eurovision hosted by Liverpool
Whole School Activities
In Autumn ‘Ready Steady Rock’ visit school to perform. They teach the children about different rock instruments and how they can create different compositions.
Extra Curricular Clubs
In Autumn term the children in Year 3 have the opportunity to attend a recorder club. They learn a number of pieces of music, practice using a beat, learn about different notation and then have a go at composing their own music.
