Scholes Junior and Infant School
Music Substantive Knowledge Progression
Reception Use and understand recently introduced vocabulary during discussions about stories, non-fiction, rhymes, and poems, and during role play.
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Develop knowledge and understanding of the stories, origins, traditions, history, and social context of music they are listening to, singing and playing.
Understand the difference between creating a rhythm pattern and a pitch pattern.
Know the meaning of dynamics (loud/quiet) and tempo (fast/slow) and be able to demonstrate these when singing by responding to (a) the leader's directions and (b) visual symbols (e.g. crescendo, decrescendo, pause).
Develop a knowledge and understanding of the stories, origins, traditions, history, and social context of music they are listening to, singing and playing.
Understand that the speed of the beat can change, creating a faster or slower pace (tempo).
Recognise dot notation and match it to 3-note tunes played on tuned percussion.
Appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians.
Develop a knowledge and understanding of the stories, origins, traditions, history, and social context of music they are listening to, singing and playing.
Introduce and understand the stave, lines and spaces, and clef.
Understand dot notation.
Introduce and understand the differences between crotchets and paired quavers.
Use and understand staff and other musical notations
Year 4
Year 5
Appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians.
Develop an understanding of the history of music.
Develop a knowledge and understanding of the stories, origins, traditions, history, and social context of music they are listening to, singing and playing.
Use and understand staff and other musical notations.
Appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians.
Develop an understanding of the history of music.
Develop a knowledge and understanding of the stories, origins, traditions, history, and social context of music they are listening to, singing and playing.
Understand how triads are formed, and play them on tuned percussion, melodic instruments or keyboards.
Further understand the differences between semibreves, minims, crotchets and crotchet rests, paired quavers, and semiquavers.
Understand the differences between 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4 time signatures.
Use and understand staff and other musical notations.
Appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians.
Year 6
Develop an understanding of the history of music.
Develop a knowledge and understanding of the stories, origins, traditions, history, and social context of music they are listening to, singing and playing.
Further understand the differences between semibreves, minims, crotchets, quavers, and semiquavers, and their equivalent rests
Further develop the skills to read and perform pitch notation within an octave (e.g. C–C/ do–do).
Key Stage 3
Pupils should build on their previous knowledge and skills through performing, composing and listening. They should develop their vocal and/or instrumental fluency, accuracy and expressiveness; and understand musical structures, styles, genres and traditions, identifying the expressive use of musical dimensions. They should listen with increasing discrimination and awareness to inform their practice as musicians. They should use technologies appropriately and appreciate and understand a wide range of musical contexts and styles.