Music curriculum by year
The summaries below set out the main areas of learning in each year, the knowledge and skills pupils will develop, and the intended curriculum end points. They also show how learning builds progressively across the Music curriculum and prepares pupils for the next stage of their education.
Year 7
Listening and Appraising
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Understand the basic elements of music.
- Identify changes in pitch, dynamics, tempo and texture.
- Recognise the sounds of different instruments.
- Explain how music creates mood and emotion.
- Use introductory musical vocabulary accurately.
- Listen carefully and communicate musical observations.
Performance
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Develop basic keyboard skills.
- Explore instruments including guitar, bass and drums where appropriate.
- Perform simple melodies, chords and rhythms.
- Maintain a steady pulse.
- Perform independently and as part of a group.
- Develop coordination, confidence and musical awareness.
Composition
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Create short musical ideas using melody and rhythm.
- Use basic chords to support a melody.
- Organise ideas into a simple musical structure.
- Experiment with different sounds and instruments.
- Review and improve a composition.
- Explain the choices made during the creative process.
Music Technology
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Use GarageBand to create digital music.
- Combine melody, rhythm and harmony.
- Select appropriate digital sounds.
- Arrange and layer musical parts.
- Edit musical ideas.
- Create a structured digital outcome.
Musical Notation
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Understand basic musical notation.
- Recognise common note values.
- Read introductory treble-clef notation.
- Understand basic chord symbols.
- Follow simple written musical instructions.
- Make connections between written notation and sound.
How Year 7 builds on previous learning
Year 7 builds on pupils’ musical experiences in primary education while establishing a common foundation in performance, composition, listening, technology and notation.
How Year 7 prepares pupils for future learning
The year establishes the practical and theoretical knowledge needed to explore harmony, improvisation, musical styles and more complex notation in Year 8.
Year 8
Musical Elements, Jazz and Blues
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Apply the elements of music with increasing confidence.
- Recognise important features of jazz and blues.
- Understand the structure of the 12-bar blues.
- Identify riffs, chords and blues scales.
- Use increasingly precise vocabulary when describing music.
- Explain how musical features establish a particular style.
Performance and Improvisation
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Perform jazz and blues-inspired music.
- Follow a 12-bar blues structure.
- Perform riffs and chord patterns accurately.
- Create and perform simple improvisations.
- Respond musically to other performers.
- Develop fluency, confidence and ensemble awareness.
Composition and Harmony
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Use primary chords within a composition.
- Create and develop musical riffs.
- Apply blues scales to melodic writing.
- Combine melody and harmony.
- Organise contrasting ideas into a clear structure.
- Refine compositions in response to feedback.
Music Technology
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Use GarageBand to create a complete composition.
- Layer contrasting musical parts.
- Edit and arrange digital material.
- Balance sounds effectively.
- Use technology to develop and refine musical ideas.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of a digital composition.
Score Literacy
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Read increasingly complex rhythms.
- Develop an introductory understanding of bass-clef notation.
- Recognise and interpret different time signatures.
- Follow scores with increasing independence.
- Apply notation knowledge during performance and composition.
How Year 8 builds on previous learning
Year 8 develops the foundational instrumental, compositional, listening and notation skills established in Year 7.
How Year 8 prepares pupils for future learning
The year prepares pupils to perform more demanding music, compose with greater expressive control and analyse a wider range of musical styles in Year 9.
Year 9
Musical Styles and Contexts
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Explore film, classical and popular music.
- Identify the defining characteristics of different musical styles.
- Understand how music reflects cultural and historical contexts.
- Compare contrasting pieces of music.
- Explain how composers use musical elements to communicate meaning.
- Use specialist vocabulary accurately when appraising music.
Performance
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Perform increasingly complex music.
- Develop greater technical control.
- Perform with accuracy, fluency and expression.
- Understand the stylistic demands of different pieces.
- Rehearse independently and collaboratively.
- Evaluate and refine a performance.
Composition
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Compose increasingly developed and expressive music.
- Use harmony to establish mood and character.
- Explore dissonance and resolution.
- Apply devices such as leitmotifs.
- Develop musical ideas across a clear structure.
- Refine work through experimentation and evaluation.
Score Reading and Appraising
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Read musical scores with increasing confidence.
- Identify important features within written music.
- Connect notation to what can be heard.
- Analyse melody, rhythm, harmony, texture and structure.
- Construct clear written explanations using musical evidence.
- Compare contrasting musical approaches.
Music Technology
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Create structured compositions using GarageBand.
- Use MIDI and audio-editing techniques.
- Record and manipulate musical material.
- Layer and balance different parts.
- Develop a coherent musical structure.
- Produce a refined digital outcome.
How Year 9 builds on previous learning
Year 9 brings together pupils’ knowledge of performance, composition, musical elements, harmony, notation and technology.
How Year 9 prepares pupils for future learning
The year prepares pupils for GCSE Music by developing the technical, creative and analytical skills required for performance, composition and appraisal.
Year 10
GCSE Listening and Analysis
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Study music from classical, film and popular traditions.
- Apply the elements of music to detailed analysis.
- Begin analysing prescribed works.
- Understand how context influences musical choices.
- Identify musical features accurately from listening and scores.
- Construct clear analytical responses using precise terminology.
GCSE Performance
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Develop solo and ensemble performance skills.
- Select appropriate repertoire.
- Rehearse regularly and purposefully.
- Improve technical accuracy and fluency.
- Develop musical expression and stylistic awareness.
- Respond constructively to feedback.
GCSE Composition
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Generate and develop original musical ideas.
- Use melody, rhythm, harmony and structure purposefully.
- Explore thematic variation.
- Develop an understanding of counterpoint.
- Compose for particular instruments and musical contexts.
- Review and refine work throughout the creative process.
Musical Theory
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Develop understanding of key signatures.
- Interpret time signatures.
- Recognise and apply important musical terms.
- Understand increasingly complex harmony and notation.
- Apply theory to listening, performance and composition.
- Make connections between written scores and musical sound.
How Year 10 builds on previous learning
Year 10 builds on the performance, composition, listening, notation and technological knowledge developed at Key Stage 3.
How Year 10 prepares pupils for future learning
The year establishes the secure technical and analytical foundations needed to complete GCSE performance and composition work and prepare for the final listening examination.
Year 11
GCSE Set Works and Appraising
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Analyse the prescribed works in detail.
- Understand musical structure, harmony and instrumentation.
- Explain how musical elements create particular effects.
- Connect each work to its musical and cultural context.
- Compare different pieces and musical styles.
- Apply knowledge to familiar and unfamiliar music.
- Construct accurate and well-supported analytical responses.
Performance Coursework
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Refine solo and ensemble repertoire.
- Demonstrate technical accuracy and control.
- Perform with appropriate interpretation and expression.
- Communicate the style and character of a piece.
- Record assessed performances.
- Evaluate and improve performance quality.
Final Compositions
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Complete two original compositions.
- Develop coherent and purposeful musical ideas.
- Demonstrate control of melody, rhythm, harmony, texture and structure.
- Compose appropriately for chosen instruments or technology.
- Refine work through critical listening and feedback.
- Produce completed compositions that demonstrate creativity and technical control.
Examination Preparation
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Retrieve knowledge from across the GCSE curriculum.
- Identify musical features through listening.
- Analyse scores and musical extracts.
- Apply specialist terminology accurately.
- Compare different musical styles and traditions.
- Construct extended analytical responses.
- Apply knowledge independently under examination conditions.
How Year 11 builds on previous learning
Year 11 brings together pupils’ performance, composition, theory, contextual knowledge and analytical understanding from across the course.
How Year 11 prepares pupils for future learning
The year prepares pupils for post-16 Music, further creative study and continued independent performance and composition.
Year 12
Advanced Listening and Analysis
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Analyse increasingly complex music.
- Identify chromatic harmony.
- Understand secondary dominants.
- Explore augmented-sixth chords.
- Examine the relationship between harmony, form and expression.
- Apply detailed musical vocabulary to scores and recordings.
Advanced Composition
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Develop an increasingly individual musical voice.
- Apply advanced harmony and structural techniques.
- Compose using variation and counterpoint.
- Develop ideas across extended musical forms.
- Write appropriately for different instruments and ensembles.
- Refine compositions through review and critical listening.
Advanced Performance
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Perform increasingly challenging repertoire.
- Develop technical accuracy and control.
- Refine articulation and phrasing.
- Demonstrate stylistic awareness.
- Interpret music with increasing maturity.
- Respond independently to feedback.
Genre Studies
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Study Baroque, Classical and twentieth-century music.
- Understand the musical characteristics of different periods.
- Examine significant composers and works.
- Connect music to cultural and historical contexts.
- Compare contrasting styles and compositional approaches.
- Apply contextual knowledge to analysis and performance.
How Year 12 builds on previous learning
Year 12 develops the technical, creative and analytical foundations established at GCSE through more complex repertoire, harmony, forms and contextual study.
How Year 12 prepares pupils for future learning
The year prepares pupils for advanced musical analysis, independent composition and a substantial final performance in Year 13.
Year 13
Advanced Musical Analysis
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Compare prescribed works and unfamiliar pieces.
- Analyse extended musical structures.
- Understand forms including sonata form and fugue.
- Examine complex relationships between musical elements.
- Connect music to its cultural, historical and social contexts.
- Construct detailed and well-supported musical arguments.
Advanced Composition
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Create highly developed original music.
- Use modulation to increasingly remote keys.
- Apply extended harmonic techniques.
- Control form, texture, instrumentation and development.
- Demonstrate an individual musical voice.
- Refine work to produce a coherent completed composition.
Final Performance
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Prepare a substantial programme of music.
- Demonstrate advanced technical control.
- Perform with accuracy, fluency and expression.
- Interpret contrasting pieces with stylistic awareness.
- Communicate effectively with an audience.
- Demonstrate confidence and professionalism in public performance.
Contextual Understanding
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Understand how cultural, historical and social influences shape music.
- Connect contextual knowledge to performance and composition.
- Compare music from different periods and traditions.
- Evaluate different musical approaches.
- Develop a broad and connected understanding of musical practice.
How Year 13 builds on previous learning
Year 13 brings together pupils’ advanced understanding of performance, composition, theory, analysis and musical context.
How Year 13 prepares pupils for future learning
The year prepares pupils for higher education, employment and continued participation in performance, composition, production and the wider music industry.
