At Key Stage 1, musical learning progresses from exploring the pulse of Music to understanding rhythm. Developing a basic understanding of other important musical elements such as dynamics, pitch, tempo, timbre and texture will also be important. Through practical, hands-on activities, pupils will begin to see how pattern in Music is the repetition of sounds in an organised way. They will move on from reading symbols and pictures representing sounds to reading and understanding some note values. 

Building upon the literary foundations of the Early Years’ units, this level continues the focus on attention and listening, but with a greater emphasis on developing vocabulary. Children listen carefully for how vocabulary within songs and stories link to their WAU Topics. Activities include listening and sequencing games, extracting relevant information and syllable work.

As children explore Music in these ways, they will see the meaning it has for them- not only as individuals- but also as members of a community. This emphasis on community will continue to see them playing and singing as part of their class, but also exploring what Music means to different communities around the world.