Overview

The music curriculum sets out pathways for progression that enable pupils to develop their musical knowledge. Progress in music requires pupils to develop musically across 3 pillars that interrelate in musicianship.

The first pillar is the ‘technical’ development necessary for pupils to translate their intentions successfully into sound. This will often involve instrumental playing or singing.

The second pillar is the ‘constructive’ pillar. This refers to knowledge of how musical components come together both analytically and in the creative process.

The third pillar, the ‘expressive’ pillar, is focused on the more indefinable aspects of music: quality, meaning and creativity.

Musical ‘knowledge’ has been described as knowing how to make music, knowing musical practices with critical insight and knowing how music enriches the inner life: in summary music making and music thinking (Toyne, 2021). This curriculum, which is informed by the Model Music

Curriculum (MMC) (2021), develops musical knowledge within this conceptual framework. A knowledge-rich curriculum can be misinterpreted as being about knowing ‘facts’. Within the discipline of music this would be a misconception: an understanding of music can only begin to develop where the language of music is explored through experience. Musical knowledge which is gained through experience (which can be difficult to put into words) is sometimes referred to as ‘tacit’ knowledge. In this curriculum, such experience is developed through singing, listening, composing (including improvising) and performing. These musical practices are woven throughout the curriculum, and are carefully sequenced so that pupils can build procedural knowledge and technical skills through practice. This allows them to begin to realise and develop their own expressive intentions through music.