Spring Term:
Music is alternated each half-term with lessons taught weekly. The focus for this half-term in Key Stage 2 is composition.
Year 3 – Compose Using Your Imagination:
In this unit, children will use their imagination to create their own compositions. What do they see when they close their eyes? Can they write a melody or find sounds that represent the story they want to tell? As they progress through the unit, they will explore their social question of how does music make the world a better place? Children will be introduced to three songs in three different genres: Your Imagination in the style of Pop, You’re a Shining Star in the style of Pop: Ballad and Music Makes the World Go Round in the style of Musicals. Singing and listening are at the heart of each lesson and by the end of the unit, children will have been able to play, improvise and compose using a selection of these notes: C, D, E, F, F♯, G, G♯, A, B.
Year 4 – Compose With Your Friends:
In this unit, children will be working together to create a composition. Their collaboration will allow them to use various key signatures that guide melodies. Children will be introduced to ‘tonic pitch’ and ‘home note’ to make a melody or song sound final. They will practice listening, singing and playing instruments to explore this note. As they progress through the unit, they will explore their social question of how does music improve our world? Children will be introduced to three songs in different genres: Bringing Us Together in the style of Disco, Old Joe Clark in the style of Folk and Dance with Me in the style of 20th and 21st Century Orchestral. Singing and listening are at the heart of each lesson and by the end of the unit, children will have been able to play, improvise and compose using a selection of these notes: C, D, E, F, F♯, G, A, B♭, B.
Year 5 – Composing and Chords:
In this unit, children will learn that when three or more pitches are played together, chords can be created. Children will gain knowledge that chords provide the basis for accompaniments for music and when performing their own compositions, they can create music which is interesting. The aim of this unit is for children to create an accompaniment and undertake composition extension activities to learn about chords. As they progress through the unit, they will explore their social question of how does music improve our world? Children will be introduced to three songs of different genres: Freedom is Coming in the style of South African Pop, All Over Again and Do You Ever Wonder? in the style of 20th and 21st Century Orchestral. Singing and listening is at the heart of each lesson and by the end of the unit, children will have been able to play, improvise and compose using a selection of these notes: C, D, E♭, E, F, F♯, G, A♭, A, B♭, B.
Year 6 – Creative Composition:
In this unit, children will use chords in their compositions to create music that is harmonically interesting alongside creating accompaniments for a melody using chords. Children will explore how chords are used within the music in this unit by listening and responding to La Bamba and looking at composition extension activities. As they progress through the unit, they will explore their social question of how does music improve our world? Children will be introduced to three songs of different genres: Disco Fever in the style of Disco, La Bamba in the style of Rock ‘n’ Roll and Change in the style of Pop. Singing and listening is at the heart of each lesson and by the end of the unit, children will have been able to play, improvise and compose using a selection of these notes: C, C♯, D, E, F, F♯, G, A, B♭, B.
