Music development plan 25-26

This is a summary of how our school 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. This information is to help pupils and parents/carers understand what our school offers and who we work with to support our pupils’ music education.

Overview

Music Lead

SLT Oversight

Music Hub

External Providers

Anna Woodfield

Sam Drake (Headteacher)

Camden Music Education

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Royal Academy of Music

English National Opera

Our Intent

At WHPS, we provide a broad and balanced curriculum across all subjects, which develops the individual child according to their age and ability. We want all of our children to leave WHPS as:

Fluent readers with a love of books and excellent comprehension.
Fluent mathematicians, with a confidence in problem-solving and reasoning.
Clear and engaging writers who can communicate their thoughts and feelings.
Happy, healthy, interested children with a range of experiences, memories and knowledge of a broad and deep-rooted curriculum.

The curriculum in music supports this by:

Exposing children to a broad range of musical styles and genres, allowing them to develop their own taste and express their own preferences.
Providing opportunities to work with, learn from and watch professional musicians and performances, providing enriching experiences, inspiring and developing a love of music and gaining cultural capital.
Providing children the space to create and perform, affording them different avenues in which to express themselves and to grow both as an individual and as a part of a team.

Curriculum Music

We believe that children learn best through a curriculum that has rigour, challenge, depth and breadth, and which connects all areas of learning. At WHPS, we intend to provide children with a high-quality education in music, which develops their appraising, historical knowledge, composing and performing skills. They will consistently be given opportunities to be critical and creative within music in order to develop their skills as young musicians.

This links to the National Curriculum for music, which aims to ensure children:

Perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians.
Learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence.
Understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the interrelated dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.

How is this implemented?

The school uses the ‘Charanga’ scheme of work for music for at least one unit of work from Year 1 upwards. We also benefit from the expertise of a number of external providers and bespoke tailored units designed by the music lead.

Nursery	Music is part of the continuous provision in Nursery, where they learn songs linked to their current topics. They also work with students from the Royal Academy of Music who focus on introducing the children to a wide range of instruments. The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment visit the children to teach them simple songs linked to a concert series and introduce them to a famous composer.
Reception	Music is part of the continuous provision in Reception, where they learn songs linked to their current topics. Children are provided with access to basic percussion instruments during their play. The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment visit the children to teach them simple songs linked to a concert series and introduce them to a famous composer.
Year 1	Children receive 6 hours of music teaching across each term. Autumn – The children play the Listening Games on Charanga. This allows them to establish relationships with pitch, rhythm and tempo. They also learn songs related to the Nativity. Spring – The children take part in the Listen and Appraise activities in Charanga. This allows them to learn to identify further instrument types and begin discussing their emotional response to music. They also have a workshop with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment which introduces them to a famous composer. Summer – The children do a bespoke unit written by the music lead. It consolidates their learning on pitch, rhythm, tempo and introduces timbre. The children are introduced to the idea of programme music and discuss how what they hear paints a picture.
Year 2	Children receive 6 hours of music teaching across each term. Autumn – The children play more challenging listening games on Charanga. The idea of call and response is introduced. Children are encouraged to come up with their own rhythms and own short melodies in response to a stimulus. The also learn songs for the Nativity performance. Spring – The children do a singing unit from Charanga. They learn to sing together as group. They listen to different pieces in a similar style and appraise using appropriate vocabulary to discuss what they hear including instrumentation, rhythm, pitch, tempo, timbre and key. The children improvise a blank verse in the song. Summer – The children do a djembe unit from Charanga. They learn how to play together in a group, how to drum simple rhythms, consolidate their learning of ‘call and response’ and begin to devise and improvise their own rhythms.
Year 3	Children receive 6 hours of music teaching across each term. Autumn – The children build on what they learned in Year 2 by doing a bespoke unit designed by the music lead which uses music technology on Charanga. The children learn to read and write simple rhythms on a stave and are introduced to the vocabulary of crotchet, minim, dotted minim, semibreve and quaver. They then compose and notate rhythms of their own which are shared with the class. Spring – The children are introduced to all of the instruments and families in the orchestra. They learn to name all of them, recognise the sounds that they make and describe the layout of the Romantic orchestra. Summer – The children do a glockenspiel unit from Charanga. They learn to play as a group, to read the notes A, B and C on a stave, to follow a part and to improvise short melodies using the notes they know.
Year 4	Children receive 12 hours of music teaching across each term. Children learn recorder throughout the year. They are taught by a music specialist from Camden Music Service, supported by their class teacher. They learn to read and play the notes A, B, C, D, E and F. They learn to play a variety of songs in one and two parts. They continue to consolidate learning to play as a group. They continue to improvise using the notes they know.
Year 5	Children receive 6 hours of music teaching across each term. Across the year, the children listen to a piece of music as a part of their daily soft starts. The piece of music changes once a week. They follow the Active Listening unit from Charanga. This exposes the children to range of different musical styles and different composers and invites them to make links between the different things that they hear. They comment on what they hear further consolidating their knowledge of the elements of music. Autumn – The children are taught by their class teachers but learn a bespoke unit devised by the English National Opera. They learn about what an opera is and then compose an ending to a stimulus provided by the ENO. They learn to create and read graphic scores before composing their own endings in groups. The children revisit the ideas of instrumentation, pitch, rhythm, timbre and tempo and are invited to consider how these elements have an impact on mood. They then perform and record their final piece and submit it for consideration by the ENO. Spring – The children do a singing unit from Charanga. They learn to sing and perform in a group. They listen to a number of related songs and appraise what they hear. They develop their own verses using the music technology tools on Charanga. Summer – The children do a harder glockenspiel unit from Charanga. They apply what they learned in Year 4 around note reading to a new instrument and learn to play a number of pieces. They learn to play together as a group in one and two parts.
Year 6	Children receive 12 hours of music teaching across each term. Across the year, the children listen to a piece of music as a part of their daily soft starts. The piece of music changes once a week. They follow a listening schedule devised by the music lead. This exposes the children to range of different musical styles, different composers, different genres and world music. It invites them to make links between the different things that they hear. They comment on what they hear further consolidating their knowledge of the elements of music. They are asked to discuss their musical tastes using appropriate vocabulary to justify their opinions. Children learn brass (trumpet/trombone) throughout the year. They are taught by a music specialist from Camden Music Service, supported by their class teacher. They learn to read and play the notes A, B, C, D, E and F (including some sharps and flats) on another instrument. They learn to play a variety of songs in one and two parts. They continue to consolidate learning to play as a group. They continue to improvise using the notes they know. They discuss techniques important to a performing musician such as subdivision, how to breathe and how to stand when playing.

What does inclusion look like in classroom music?

Children with physical barriers to learning to play an instrument are provided with adaptations to help such as slings and stands for recorders and brass instruments.
Children who find noise to be overwhelming are offered and provided with ear defenders.
Children who require scaffolds such as pictorial representations are provided these through Widget.
Children with barriers to writing can be provided alternative notation software on Charanga.
Children who have issues with their sight can be provided with enlarged copies of the music and/or music printed on differently coloured paper.

Extra-Curricular Music

At WHPS, we believe that all children should have the opportunity to further their music education outside of the classroom. We offer a range of different instrument and voice lessons, as well as ensembles the children can join as after school clubs.

1:1 instrument and voice lessons.	We offer tuition for 10 weeks per term in the following areas: Piano Voice Flute Recorder Guitar Ukulele Violin Drums To apply for music lessons parents/carers can either request a form from the school office or visit Camden Music Service’s homepage. https://www.camden.gov.uk/camdens-music-service Tuition is offered in lessons of 20 or 30 minutes. Children are encouraged by their teachers to enter for grade exams with ABRSM and Trinity College London. Cost of lessons is payable by the parents directly to Camden Music Service. £127.60 per term for 20-minute lessons. £191.40 per term for 30-minute lessons. Children eligible for Pupil Premium receive these lessons at a subsidised rate provided by Camden Music Service. The cost of any exam entry fee is payable by the parents directly to ABRSM or Trinity College London. https://www.abrsm.org/en-gb https://www.trinitycollege.com/local-trinity/UK/music
KS2 Choir	Children in Y3 upwards are invited to take part in the choir. The choir meets weekly on Thursdays after school and is led by a music specialist. There are 10 sessions across each term and it is charged at Children in the choir have the opportunity to perform at a number of different prestigious venues at events around London as well as important events and concerts within the school.
KS2 Band	Children in Y3 upwards are invited to join the school rock band. They meet weekly on Wednesdays after school and are led by a music specialist and parent at the school. There are 10 sessions across each term and it is charged at Children in the band do not need to already be learning a musical instrument as they will be taught during the sessions. Vocalists are also encouraged to join. The band plays at important events throughout the school year.
Recorder Ensemble	Children who learn recorder (or flute) are invited to join the recorder ensemble. They meet weekly on Thursdays after school and are led by a Camden music specialist. Children in Y5 and 6 who enjoyed learning the recorder in Y4 are encouraged to join. There are 10 sessions across each term and it is charged at
Saturday Music Centre	Further opportunities to take part in larger ensembles as a part of the Saturday Music Centre are advertised by the school during the annual concert A Night at West Hampstead and as a part of the newsletter. If children are interested in joining these groups, parents/carers can sign up for a place here: https://www.camden.gov.uk/camdens-music-service The costs of each group vary; however, subsidies are available for Pupil Premium families.
Camden Holiday Music Camps	Children wishing to further their musical education outside of school can also apply to Camden Music Service’s Holiday Camps. These run for 2 or 3 days during the half term holidays and spaces are limited. Details of individual courses and application forms can be found here: https://www.camden.gov.uk/camdens-music-service Prices vary according to the duration of the course; however, subsidies are available for Pupil Premium families.

Musical Experiences

Our aim at West Hampstead Primary School is to ensure that every child is able to take part in a range of inspiring and exciting opportunities during their time at school. Enrichment opportunities are carefully planned as part of the curriculum in order to:

Bring children's learning to life in a new or different context.
Cover or revisit key knowledge and skills from across the National Curriculum.
Providing an inspiring or aspirational experience for children.
Develop children's confidence and self-esteem in a new environment.

From Nursery – Year 6, the children are given a wide range of opportunities to perform both at school and at external venues and to watch and work with professional musicians. All of these events are paid for by West Hampstead Primary School and are free to families.

External Performances/Experiences	Details
Royal Academy of Music	Children in Nursery watch students from the academy play their instruments in a solo capacity and small ensembles from the comfort of their classroom.
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment	Children in Nursery, Reception, Y1 and Y2 take part in a workshop with 2 or 3 musicians from the orchestra at school. Children in Reception, Y1 and Y2 attend an informal concert. Children in the choir are invited to take part in their updated opera collaboration projects where they perform with the orchestra at the Queen Elizabeth Hall.
English National Opera	Once children in Y5 have submitted their composition it may be turned into a short video uploaded to YouTube. All classes, Y1 – Y6 watch a relaxed performance of an opera.
Camden Schools Music Festivals	The choir are invited to take part in a festival for all Camden schools held bi-annually at the Royal Albert Hall.
Camden Primary Bands Night	The band are invited to perform at a bands evening.
Camden Music Service Brass Bandstand Event	Y6 children are invited to collaborate with other Camden schools in a brass performance on Hampstead Heath bandstand.
Camden Music Service Ceilidh.	Y4 children are invited to play their recorders with other schools at a Camden-wide ceilidh.

Internal Performances/Experiences	Details
A Night at West Hampstead	All children who take 1:1 music lessons in school or sing or play as part of an ensemble are invited to perform and celebrate their achievements. The instrumental teachers also perform for the children linking to our value of aspiration.
International Evening	Children are invited to sing or play pieces which relate to their heritage and identity, celebrating our diverse culture.
Winter Fair	Children from the band and choir are invited to perform.
Summer Fair	Children from the band and choir are invited to perform.
Nativity	Children from Y2 perform the Nativity to all other year groups and to their parents/carers. Children from Y1 hold an informal concert where they sing songs from the Nativity and other festive songs to their parents/carers.
Pantomime	Children in Y4 stage a pantomime, which they perform to all other year groups and to their parents/carers.
Musical	Children in Y6 stage a musical, which they perform to all other year groups and to their parents/carers.
Class Assemblies	All year groups stage one class assembly a year where they are expected to perform at least one song, which links to their learning.
Singing Assemblies	All children in KS1 and KS2 attend a weekly singing assembly, which is led by the music lead.

Going forward

West Hampstead recognises that music forms an important part of a child’s development, and we are always seeking to improve our provision.

By summer 2026 we aim to:

Diversify the range of instruments provided for 1:1 instrumental tuition to include the brass family and a broader range of string and woodwind instruments.
To have provided EYFS with a wider range of instruments for the children during their independent exploration.
To have founded further musical extracurricular activities for the children.
To have transformed the music room into a usable space for whole class lessons.
To timetable opportunities for KS2 to watch and enjoy live performances.

By Summer 2027 we aim to:

To develop the inclusion of music in continuous provision in EYFS to include a basic introduction to reading and composing music.
To have transformed the music room into a usable space for whole class lessons.

Date Completed: 25/06/2025