Our approach to the primary Music curriculum 

This printable PDF document provides a detailed overview of Kapow Primary’s 30-week Music scheme of work, designed to support schools that deliver the subject each week from EYFS to KS2. It helps primary teachers confidently deliver a well-structured, engaging Music scheme, aligned with the National curriculum.

What does Kapow Primary’s Music long-term plan contain?

The long-term plan outlines the progression of skills and knowledge in Music, ensuring that pupils build upon their learning each year in a spiral curriculum.

It covers the statutory requirements of the National curriculum, details the Music skills and knowledge taught, offers guidance on primary Music assessment and provides information to support the implementation of Kapow Primary’s Music scheme within your primary school setting.

How does Kapow Primary’s Music scheme develop knowledge and skills?

This document provides a suggested long-term plan for each year group, ensuring a clear pathway for pupil learning. Progression is broken down into the following key areas:

• Listening and evaluating – expressing musical preferences; exploring the impact of musical ideas; understanding how effects are created by combining musical elements.
• Creating sound – exploring the children’s vocal skills; developing skills to manipulate sounds on a range of instruments.
• Notation – recognising the basics of musical notation; reading simple rhythmic patterns; developing the foundational knowledge of how staff and graphic notations can communicate music.
• Improvising and composing – creating and refining the children’s own music through improvisation and notation; experimenting with styles and features; employing musical concepts to add interest.
• Performing – using voices expressively; developing instrumental control and expression; performing as part of a group.

Can I adapt the Music long-term plan to my school?

All schools have different needs. As such, Kapow Primary’s Music units can be taught in different orders or moved within year groups to align with your school’s specific requirements and cross-curricular links.

If your school is short on curriculum time, you may wish to consider our Music: Long-term plan – condensed curriculum, which covers the National curriculum in 20 lessons.

What other Kapow Primary resources support primary Music teaching?

• For our standard Music scheme, see the corresponding Music: Progression of skills and knowledge.
• If you follow our Long-term plan – mixed-age, see the corresponding Progression of skills and knowledge – mixed-age version.
• If you follow our Long-term plan – condensed, see the corresponding Progression of skills and knowledge – condensed.
• See how children begin their Kapow musical journey with our EYFS (Reception) Music units. 
• Explore more of Kapow’s Music scheme by browsing our KS1, Lower KS2, Upper KS2 and Mixed-age units.
• See our KS2 whole-class instrumental lessons for six units of lessons focusing on music from different parts of the world.