Our Music Curriculum.

At Southbury, we believe that every child should have the opportunity to experience, create and enjoy music.

Music develops creativity, confidence, discipline and self-expression. Through singing, listening, performing, composing and playing instruments, children develop both their musical knowledge and their understanding of how music can communicate ideas, emotions and experiences.

Our Music curriculum is carefully sequenced so that children build their knowledge and skills over time. They develop their understanding of rhythm, pulse, melody, notation, composition and performance while experiencing music from a wide range of styles and traditions.

We want music to be something that children actively experience, rather than simply something they listen to. Children are given regular opportunities to sing, play, compose, perform and respond to music, developing increasing confidence and independence as young musicians.

Learning from Nursery to Year 6.

Children's musical learning begins in the Early Years, where they develop confidence through singing, movement, rhymes and exploration of instruments.

As children progress through the school, they build upon this early experience. They develop increasing control of rhythm and pulse, broaden their repertoire of songs, explore tuned and untuned instruments and begin to compose and represent their musical ideas.

By Key Stage 2, children develop greater independence as performers and composers. They learn increasingly complex musical parts, experiment with different sounds and instruments, compose individually and collaboratively, and develop their ability to record and communicate musical ideas.

Our curriculum builds towards children becoming increasingly confident musicians who can listen critically, perform expressively and create their own music.

Singing and Performing.

Everyone at Southbury sings.

Singing is an important part of school life and all children have opportunities to develop their singing voices and learn a wide repertoire of songs.

Our weekly Key Stage singing assemblies bring children together to sing and experience the enjoyment of making music collectively. Singing also forms an important part of our wider school life, including Early Years and Key Stage 1 Winter Performances and the Year 6 end-of-year production.

Children also have opportunities to perform for an audience, developing the confidence to share their musical achievements with other children, staff and families.

We want children to experience the joy and pride that comes from performing music together.

Creating and Composing

Music at Southbury is not just about performing music written by someone else. Children are composers too.

As they progress through the school, children have increasing opportunities to experiment with sounds, create rhythms and melodies, compose collaboratively and independently, and represent their musical ideas.

They learn that composing involves making choices, trying ideas, evaluating them and refining their work.

By Year 6, children are able to create and notate longer compositions, including songs and raps, drawing upon the musical knowledge and skills they have developed throughout their time at Southbury.

Specialist Music Opportunities.

We have strong links with Enfield Music Service, whose specialist teachers work with different year groups throughout the year.

These experiences extend the musical opportunities available within our curriculum and give children the chance to work with specialist musicians and develop their skills further.

Children have opportunities to share their learning through performances at the end of these teaching blocks, giving them an authentic purpose for developing their musical skills and confidence.

Those children with a real passion for singing have an opportunity to join our School Choir. Our choir helps children develop musical confidence, teamwork and self-expression, while experiencing the joy and sense of belonging that comes from making music together.

Children also have the opportunity to join our Rocksteady band! Rocksteady gives children the chance to learn an instrument, build confidence and teamwork, and discover the joy of making music together as a band.

🎶 The Southbury Musician.

By the time children leave Southbury, we want them to have developed a genuine love and appreciation of music.

They will have experienced a wide range of music, developed their singing and instrumental skills, and gained increasing confidence in performing, composing and talking about music.

They will understand that music can be created and communicated in many different ways and will have opportunities to express their own ideas through sound.

Most importantly, we want children to leave Southbury knowing that music is for everyone — whether they are singing with their friends, playing an instrument, composing a piece of music, performing on stage or simply listening and responding to something they love.