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

We have learned some new songs and have started to play percussion instruments. We have learned about timbre which is when two instruments sound completely different even though they are playing the same note. We also learned about rhythm and made patterns in groups to show this.

Year 4

Year 4 have started their recorder journey. They listened to music and enjoyed playing their recorders in time. The children also enjoyed linking the instruments to science learning and how sound is produced from vibrations and how the shorter and longer notes alter the pitch.

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.