Music

INTENT

At St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, our children are musicians.

At St Cuthbert's, we believe that music is a powerful form of expression that enriches children's lives, nurtures creativity and develops confidence. Through our Music curriculum, pupils develop the knowledge, skills and appreciation needed to become thoughtful, expressive and confident musicians.

Our intent is to provide an ambitious, knowledge-rich curriculum that enables every child to perform, compose, listen, evaluate and respond to music with increasing confidence and musical understanding.

We want our children to love music. We want them to have no limits to their ambitions and to see themselves as future performers, composers, conductors, producers, teachers or lifelong lovers of music.

At St Cuthbert's, we teach Music through the CUSP Music curriculum. Carefully designed around evidence-informed practice, the curriculum develops pupils' musical knowledge while building confidence and competence as musicians through carefully sequenced learning and rich musical experiences.

Our Music Curriculum

The curriculum enables pupils to develop both substantive and disciplinary musical knowledge.

Children progressively learn about:

  • Singing
  • Performing
  • Composing
  • Listening and Appraising
  • Musical Notation
  • Musical Elements
  • Significant Musicians and Composers

Throughout the curriculum, pupils are exposed to a wide range of musical genres, traditions and cultures, helping them develop an appreciation of music from different times and places.

Alongside developing musical knowledge, pupils learn to work as musicians by:

  • performing with confidence
  • composing original music
  • listening critically
  • evaluating performances
  • using musical vocabulary
  • responding thoughtfully to music

Through carefully planned opportunities for discussion and performance, children develop confidence in expressing their ideas using increasingly sophisticated musical language.

"Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand."
Stevie Wonder
 
IMPLEMENTAION

Our Music curriculum follows the carefully sequenced CUSP Music programme, where musical knowledge and skills build progressively from the Early Years through to Year 6.

Learning is organised into six carefully planned blocks each year, allowing pupils to revisit key musical concepts with increasing depth and complexity while developing confidence as musicians.

Early Years Foundation Stage
In the Early Years, music is taught through Expressive Arts and Design.

Children are encouraged to:

  • sing familiar songs and rhymes
  • explore rhythm and pulse
  • experiment with instruments
  • move creatively to music
  • listen and respond to different sounds
  • create simple musical patterns
  • express emotions through music and movement


These early experiences lay the foundations for future musical learning by developing listening skills, confidence and enjoyment.

Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2
Throughout Key Stages 1 and 2, pupils develop their understanding of music through opportunities to:

  • sing with increasing accuracy and expression
  • perform individually and as part of an ensemble
  • compose and improvise music
  • listen to and appraise a wide range of musical styles
  • understand musical notation
  • recognise the work of significant musicians and composers
  • use appropriate musical vocabulary to evaluate performances


Learning builds progressively so that pupils become increasingly confident performers, composers and listeners.

How Children Learn
Music lessons follow the consistent CUSP six-phase teaching sequence:


This structured approach enables pupils to build secure musical knowledge while developing practical performance skills and musical understanding.

Children are supported through:

  • dual-coded knowledge organisers
  • knowledge notes
  • explicit vocabulary instruction
  • listening and appraisal activities
  • practical performance opportunities
  • composing and improvisation tasks
  • retrieval practice
  • high-quality musical discussion and oracy

Vocabulary is explicitly taught throughout every unit, enabling pupils to confidently discuss musical elements, compositions and performances using accurate subject-specific language.

A high-challenge, low-threat learning environment encourages every child to participate, perform confidently and develop a lifelong appreciation of music.

 
IMPACT
Our Music curriculum ensures that children leave St Cuthbert's as confident, knowledgeable and enthusiastic musicians.

By the end of primary school, pupils will:

  • perform confidently using their voices and a range of instruments
  • compose and improvise increasingly sophisticated pieces of music
  • listen critically and respond thoughtfully to music from different cultures and historical periods
  • confidently use musical vocabulary to discuss and evaluate music
  • recognise the work of significant musicians and composers
  • understand key musical concepts including rhythm, pulse, pitch, tempo and dynamics
  • appreciate the importance of music within different cultures and communities
  • be well prepared for further musical study at secondary school

Most importantly, our pupils will leave St Cuthbert's with a lifelong enjoyment of music, confidence in their own musical abilities and an appreciation of the role music plays in enriching lives and bringing people together.

 
How We Know What Children Have Learned
Assessment in Music is ongoing and informs teaching throughout every unit.

We assess learning through:

  • observation of performances
  • questioning and discussion
  • listening and appraisal activities
  • composing tasks
  • retrieval practice
  • vocabulary retrieval
  • teacher assessment
  • pupil voice


Assessment focuses on both musical knowledge and practical application, enabling teachers to celebrate progress, identify next steps and ensure every child develops as a confident and successful musician.

Downloads