Music

“What I have in my heart and soul must find a way out. That’s the reason for music.” Ludwig Van Beethoven.

What is Music?

Music is an arrangement of sounds to create an impact on your emotions.

Music at Cockton Hill Junior School:

Children are introduced to a wide range of musical activities that will develop their music skills and musical enjoyment. We encourage their ability to listen attentively to a varied range of songs, classical music and traditional melodies; children will appraise music, discussing their opinions using musical language and apply this knowledge when being introduced to a variety of instruments in their class environment. As children progress, they will learn to recognise musical notation, using this to create their own compositions, and develop an understanding of the origin of the music and the era in which it was created.

In Years 3 and 4, children are taught by subject specialist from Durham Music Service. They then progress through Years 5 and 6 with music teaching and learning adapted from the Charanga programme of teaching.

Here you will find our Music curriculum overview as well as unit overviews. These show the key knowledge and skills for each unit as well as some questions you can ask your child at home. Enrichment opportunities show how our curriculum is further enhanced. All pupils enjoy a brass band performance annually, linked to Durham Brass Festival. They also engage in performances such as our Christmas carols and Year 6 leavers' performance.

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Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

Our curriculum in action

Year 3 - Autumn Term

During this term, Year 3 sang in unison and in two parts and learnt to keep a steady beat using body percussion and untuned percussion. They performed and composed simple rhythms using a rhythm grid.

Year 3 - Spring Term

Year 3 sang in two and three parts this term. They composed 3-note melodies on tuned percussion using dot notation. They learned about the history of Jazz and its features, and performed Jazz music with a 3-note and then a 5-note melody. They also performed a solo improvisation. They undertook a BBC 10 pieces project based on A Bao a Qu by Mason Bates (a musical palindrome), and composed and performed their own musical palindromes in small groups.

Year 3 - Summer Term

Year 3 sang songs in 3 parts and learnt about Gamelan music this term, performing different melodies in 3 parts based on a pentatonic scale. They created a rhythmic ostinato using music technology and performed this in small groups. They undertook a BBC 10 pieces project on Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, concentrating on the two contrasting sections in the first movement.

Year 4 - Autumn Term

During this term, Year 4 sang songs and began to learn to play the recorder. They learnt how to hold the instrument correctly, and make a good sound. They learnt notes B and A, and extended their knowledge of reading musical notation by reading simple rhythms and melodies on a stave.

Year 4 - Spring Term

Year 4 sang songs and developed their aural skills and understanding of musical terminology. They sang in two parts with a melody and counter-melody. They learnt the notes C and D’ on the recorder and improvised and composed melodies on their recorders using the five notes G, A, B, C and D’. They extended their knowledge and understanding of rhythm, creating more complex rhythm grids using minims and semiquavers.

Year 4 - Summer Term

Year 4 sang Frére Jacques in a round and performed a rap this term. They also learnt to play Frére Jacques on their recorders in a round and performed this using notes G –D’. They learnt low E on the recorder and performed ‘The EBGBs’. They improvised a melody as part of the piece ‘C Blue Blues’ and learnt to play and sing ‘Mamma Mia’. They listened to a variety of musical styles, including different ABBA songs and blues music.

Year 5 - Creating simple melodies

This unit of work focused on classical music where pupils were encouraged to listen and respond to the music and identify different time signatures. Throughout their lessons, all children had an opportunity to learn about the tempo of their focus song and provide understanding on classical music. Pupils then sang, played instruments and composed using notation such as minims, quavers and rests.

Year 5 - The Fresh Prince of Bel Air

This unit focused on rap and hip-hop music using, in particular, the song, 'The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.’ Pupils learnnt the similarities and differences between rap and hip hop before beginning to explore Bel Air further by singing in the correct pitch and time, playing glockenspiels using a range of keys and composing over the song using notation they learnt.

Year 5 - Developing Pulse and Groove Through Improvisation

Pupils explored a variety of musical styles throughout this unit by listening and appraising, composing multiple parts of a song and perform songs; paying particular attention to posture, breathing and phrasing and within the correct pitch.

Year 6 - Exploring Notation Further

In this unit, pupils started off with being introduced to a wide variety of musical styles including folk, rock and classical. Throughout the lessons, notation was explored further and pupils experimented with different dynamics in their singing and composing (fortissimo and pianissimo.)

Year 6 - Understanding Structure and Form

Pupils listened to a range of music including hip hop and soul and begin to discuss its structure, paying particular attention to vocabulary such as verse, chorus and bridge. They performed in a variety of ways such as singing individually or choral, composed within the C major and G major scale and listened/copied rhythmic patterns using a variety of notation.

Year 6 - Dancing in the Street

This unit had a focus on singing the song ‘Dancing in the Street’ where pupils practised posture and breath control and experimented with different dynamics when performing. Pupils then composed and performed their composition and discussed the musical strengths and weakness of their performance.