Rationale​​​​​​​

Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. At Riverside, we provide a  high-quality music education which engages and inspires pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As pupils progress, they develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon.

Music is an essential part of the curriculum and an integral part of our culture. We ensure that we match the skills and aptitudes of all our pupils so that they can develop an understanding of melody, harmony and composition within the creative process that is ‘music’.

The national curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils:  

• Perform, listen, review and evaluate music across a range of historic periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians.
• Learn to sing and use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence.
• Understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the interrelated dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notions.