National Curriculum Context
National Curriculum Context
This resource is designed in alignment with the expectations of the National Curriculum for Music in England. Through a balanced approach to listening, performing and composing, it supports pupils in developing a deeper understanding of the music they encounter. Learners are encouraged to explore music within its historical and cultural contexts while also examining the conventions that underpin different styles and genres. In doing so, pupils gain insight into how and why music is created, structured and experienced, as well as what contributes to its effectiveness and impact.
Wider Context
- Exploring the role of music within community life
- Understanding oral traditions and non-notated music
- Reflecting on how music communicates beyond language
KS2, KS3 & KS4 Music Key Words
- Pitch, melody, rhythm, tempo, dynamics, texture, structure, vocables, melodic contour, ensemble, harmony, composition.
Using this Resource at KS2, KS3 and KS4
Facilitators are encouraged to introduce parts of each song through repetition of listening, modelling and scaffolding. The resources are designed for accessible facilitation as well as to encourage independent learning through the use of independent practice sheets, where students can work individually or in groups to build multiple parts at once
KS4 Students can extend through analysis, performance and composition, including comparison with global folk traditions.
Exploring Other Folk Traditions
Exploring Other Folk Traditions (KS3 & KS4 Extension) - Includes African, Caribbean, European and global vocal traditions. Teachers may wish to extend this work by exploring other communal and folk singing traditions.
Examples include:
African and Afro-diasporic traditions
- West African oral music traditions/ call-and-response
- African American spirituals
- Work songs
Caribbean traditions
- Jamaican Kumina and Nyabinghi
- Trinidadian folk and calypso
- Cuban and Dominican traditions
European traditions
- Gaelic waulking songs or Puirt à beul
- English and Irish folk songs
- Eastern European polyphony
Other Global traditions
- Native American vocable-based singing
- Inuit throat singing
- South Asian vocal traditions such as Hindustani or Carnatic music
Suggested activities:
- Compare use of voice across traditions
- Identify/explore repetition, rhythm and melodic patterns
- Explore how music reflects community life
- Create compositions inspired by multiple traditions
