Year 6 Rationale

Throughout Year 6 children build upon their learning from Year 5 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 4’. Children are taught about the music industry and what happens when a song has been written. Children are given a brief at the beginning of the unit to write a single for their new EP. Children are taught what an EP is, they create a band name, name their song, think of a theme for their EP and song and learn about press releases. Alongside creating their brand, pupils learn about key points of the music industry.

In Autumn 2, children complete the unit ‘Singing, level 4’. This focuses on children’s stage etiquette, singing as a group, the roles within a choir and singing in parts. Children are taught to sing in harmony. Children practise singing in parts together and singing out of parts to get them used to listening to others whilst focusing on their own melody line.

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.