Year 5 Rationale

Throughout Year 5 children build upon their learning from Year 4 and they learn and develop their skills in Singing, Listening, Composing, Musicianship and Performing. Children are taught music by a specialist music teacher from the company ‘Junior Jam’. Each week is progressive, with children learning new knowledge and skills. Prior learning is revisited throughout lessons to ensure children embed new skills and knowledge.

In Autumn 1, children complete the unit ‘Song writing with glockenspiels, level 3’. Children learn how to write lyrics to existing music. Children write lyrics to a piece of music ‘The Lark Ascending’ without knowing any information about the piece other than what it sounds like. Children explore the poem which inspired the music to see if they interpreted the themes the same way. Children also learn different techniques to help write lyrics such as word boards and how to improve vocal melodies using dot notation. Children learn what ‘ternary form’ is and why people compose/write songs in this style.

In Autumn 2, children complete the unit ‘Singing, level 3’. Children learn to sing pieces from different genres following a musical timeline. Singing songs from different musical periods give children an insight into popular music at that time and different characteristics that were utilised within that musical era. It also helps broaden their knowledge and develop an understanding of the history of music.

In Spring 1, children complete the unit ‘Music Theory with keyboards, level 3’. Children learn about key signatures, scales and chord construction. They unit starts with an introduction to key signatures using the circle of fifths to help establish the sharps and flats within a given key. Children then use this knowledge to construct chords within a specific key signature and analyse common chord progressions used in classical and modern music.

In Spring 2, children complete the unit ‘Keyboards, level 1’. This unit focuses on children learning how to play a keyboard. Pupils are taught how to improve their keyboard skills, gaining confidence in reading music, performing and improvising. Children work through several exercises looking at notation, timing and rhythm. Pupils learn how to read music in the treble and bass clef and perform a variety of pieces throughout the unit.

In Summer 1, children complete the unit ‘Electric Drums, level 1’. Children learn about music of a different culture. Lessons include; the history of the drum, how the drums are made, information about the countries and how to play the basic hits. Children play the drums, both as part of the group and in a solo capacity.

In Summer 2, children complete the unit ‘Class Jam, level 2’. This unit takes pupils’ musical knowledge and directs it into creating a dynamic musical performance. Pupils play Chime bars, African drums, Boomwhackers, Keyboards and accompany them with both vocal and instrumental percussion to recreate famous popular songs. They learn how dynamics, harmony and melody are used to convey emotions and themes within music and become confident in performing on multiple instruments within an ensemble performance.