Music
"Music can change the world because it can change people."
Bono
At Mossgate Primary School, music is an enjoyable and enriching learning experience. We aim to inspire a love of music in all children, whether they engage as listeners or as active music-makers. Through a wide range of musical opportunities, children develop confidence and build a broad set of musical skills.
Our aim is that children:
· Understand and explore how music is created, produced, and communicated, including through the interrelated dimensions of pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure, and appropriate musical notation.
· Learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have opportunities to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and can progress to the next level of musical excellence.
· Perform, listen to, review, and evaluate music across a wide range of historical periods, genres, styles, and traditions, including the works of great composers and musicians.
Music in the EYFS: What does Music look like for our youngest learners in the Little Saplings Nursery and in Reception?
Our youngest learners are developing the foundations of music through active listening, singing, and hands-on exploration of sound and instruments. In EYFS, music is an integral part of daily learning both in our Nursery and Reception classes. Children listen to music and enjoy singing a wide range of songs and rhymes every day. Through these activities, they develop early language, listening, and memory skills. Continuous access to a range of tuned and untuned percussion instruments encourages children to explore sound, pattern, and rhythm, thereby supporting creativity and physical development, while fostering curiosity and a love of music.
A Little Saplings musician exploring the instruments in continuous provision.
An Elm Class musician experimenting with sound.
Little Saplings musicians enjoying some exploration time with instruments whilst listening to music.
What does our Music Curriculum look like in Years 1-6?
At Mossgate, our Music curriculum is built around the core skills of singing, listening, and composing. Through these strands, children develop a secure understanding of musicianship, including performing with confidence and reading and using musical notation. Each year group studies three music units across the academic year, which are carefully sequenced and structured around an overarching theme, with meaningful links to other curriculum areas such as English, History, and Geography. The curriculum is sequenced to ensure that key knowledge and skills, such as pulse, rhythm, and pitch, are revisited and progressively built upon. This approach enables pupils to develop depth of understanding over time, so that by Year 6 they can confidently compose and create a complete piece of music inspired by a given theme.
Our Music Development Plan details how Mossgate delivers music education to all our pupils across three areas – curriculum music, co-curricular provision and musical experiences – and what changes we are planning in future years.
Opportunities for Performance
Each Christmas, children in Reception and Key Stage 1 take part in a nativity performance to parents and family, using songs rehearsed weekly during Singing Assembly.
In Key Stage 2, each class prepares and performs a pitched accompaniment to a Christmas song, alongside a range of songs learned during Singing Assemblies. Performances are inclusive and may incorporate Makaton and dance to support communication and expression. Pupils who receive additional instrumental tuition are also given the opportunity to perform pieces they have been learning or to accompany singing, further developing confidence and ensemble skills.
Working with Local Music & Singing Organisations
We have a strong partnership with the local community-based organisation More Music, working regularly with them to enrich our Music curriculum through workshops and live performance experiences. These have included a Chinese New Year workshop, an African drumming workshop, a Samba drumming workshop and a song-writing workshop, giving pupils the opportunity to engage with a wide range of musical styles and cultures.
We also have a long-standing tradition of participating annually in both the Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 Lancaster and District Singing Festival. Through this experience, pupils learn a shared repertoire of songs, work with a local singing teacher, and sing alongside children from other local primary schools. They also have the opportunity to perform with a live band in front of a large audience and to experience high-quality live musical performances during the afternoon and evening concerts.
Live Music
We aim to provide pupils with regular opportunities to experience live music.
Through links with the Music Society at Lancaster University, children are introduced to high-quality live performances, such as a recent whole-school assembly delivered by the Saxophone Choir. During this session, pupils learned about the different types of saxophone and enjoyed listening to a range of musical pieces, further developing their understanding and appreciation of live music.
We have also had the opportunity to experience live music in exciting ways. This year, our Year 5 students visited London to attend a performance of The Magic Flute at the Royal Opera House. The production was a fantastic experience, with professional musicians and singers bringing the story to life through stunning music, costumes, and sets.
Katie Day
Music Subject Leader
February 2026